About

About

Bowdoin International Music Festival

The Bowdoin International Music Festival is one of the world’s premier music institutes. Founded in 1964, the Festival engages exceptional students and enthusiastic audiences through world-class education and performances. Each summer, 250 students from more than 20 countries and nearly every state attend the Festival to study with distinguished faculty and guest artists. Community members attend memorable guest artist and faculty performances as well as 175 free events including student performances, composer lectures, masterclasses, community concerts, and family events. The Festival is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Our Mission

The mission of the Bowdoin International Music Festival is to provide gifted young musicians from around the globe with an opportunity to study with world-class artists and to provide audiences with classical music performed to the highest artistic standards.

Artistic Leadership

David Ying and Phillip Ying

Year Established

1964

Faculty

Festival faculty come from leading conservatories including Curtis, Cincinnati Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman, Indiana, Oberlin, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes, New England Conservatory, Peabody, Rice, Royal College of Music, and University of Southern California, among others.

Board of Trustees

Members of the Board include arts, business, and social leaders from Maine and across the United States.

Music Institute

The Bowdoin International Music Festival is one of the world’s premier music institutes, providing an intensive and in-depth exploration of chamber and solo music.

The Summer Festival

From late June to early August audiences totaling over 30,000 fill halls, museums, classrooms, breweries, churches, libraries, care centers, coastal resorts, and baseball fields at more than 200 concerts and events each season. 175 of these events are free to the public.

Concerts

Concerts feature chamber music to concertos with orchestra performed by world-class musicians, exceptional guest artists, Festival students, and ensembles joined by faculty in special guest appearances.

Studzinski Recital Hall

Studzinski Hall, a state-of-the-art music performance and practice facility that includes the stunning Kanbar Auditorium. The facility also satisfies students’ expectations for practice space with nine individual practice rooms, a rehearsal room, green room, lobby areas, and a state-of-the-art recording studio.

Live Streaming

The Festival live streams performances and events to anyone with an internet connection. Local and global audiences can access exceptional performances and events on any internet-connected device at no cost.

Support

Benefactors strengthen the Festival’s capacity to present inspiring performances and meaningful education. Their financial partnerships support student scholarships, faculty and guest artist fees, concert production, facility rentals, endowment, and operational facilities.

Strategic Plan (2018-2023)

To achieve our vision of becoming the premiere summer institute for the study of solo and chamber music, we will expand our capacity in four areas:

• Program Access
• Artistic Excellence
• Community Engagement
• Reputation

Annual Budget

1.75 Million