Festival Orchestra
Students have the opportunity to perform along side seasoned professionals, who lead each section of the Festival Orchestra. Sectional and group rehearsals, led by these artists daily, lead up to four full rehearsals for each concert. Follow the link to see the roster of the 2007 festival faculty.

Shenandoah Performs faculty in the past have included:

¬ Tim Frederiksen (former concert master of the Danish National Radio
   Symphony)
¬ Sara Nichols (principal flute of the Baltimore Opera)
¬ Michael Bunn (principal tubist of the Kennedy Center Opera)
¬ Akemi Takeyama (concert master of the Roanoke Symphony and
  member of the Audubon Quartet)
¬ Clyde T. Shaw (cello,  member of the Audubon Quartet and Shenandoah
  Conservatory faculty)
¬ Sandor Ostlund (double bass, Shenandoah Conservatory Faculty)
.
The 2007 Festival Orchestra will perform three concerts all featuring world-renowned artists including violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and trumpeter Jens Lindemann. Repertoire highlights include Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 and Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5.

Chamber Music
All students have the option of being assigned to play in a chamber group, each of which is coached daily by one of the distinguished faculty. All groups have the opportunity to perform at least once during the two-week session. Students can request to be included in a specific group through consultation with the program coordinators prior to arrival at Shenandoah Performs.

(The Young Danish String Quartet, pictured above, was the quartet-in-residence during the summer of 2004)

Conducting
A maximum of two advanced conducting students will be accepted into the conducting program. These students will have the opportunity to lead performances for the Discovery Series during for which selected PPD participants will have the opportunity to play selected movements of standard concerti. Participants will also serve as assistant conductors to each of the Festival Orchestra concerts and will have up to three private sessions per week with the Artistic Director. At his discretion, students may have the opportunity to conduct the Festival Orchestra in rehearsal. In addition, podium opportunities could be available to conduct ensembles from the Performing Arts Camp. Students accepted into this program will receive full-tuition fellowships.

Discovery Series
PPD participants will have the opportunity to perform selected movements of concerti from the standard repertoire accompanied by the festival orchestra. At least two performances will take place during the two-week festival period. Performers will be selected through a competition which will take place the first day of the festival and will judged and selected by the festival faculty.
PPD students accepted to the festival will be able to submit their entries when returning their acceptance packets in early June.

(Erin Keefe, prize-winner of the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, performs Brahms' Violin Concerto with the Shenandoah Performs Festival Orchestra in 2004)

 

Scholarships
A maximum of 64 students will be awarded full-tuition fellowships for participation in the festival orchestra and master classes by festival artists-in-residence based on the audition. Fees for chamber music instruction/coaching are based on the number of participants in each chamber group. These fees and those for private instruction are posted under Fees.

Since the number of full fellowships for participation in the festival orchestra is limited and highly competitive, we encourage you to submit your applications in a timely manner in order to secure a position in the festival orchestra.