News & Media
Applications Open for Summer 2026
November 1, 2025
The Bowdoin International Music Festival invites emerging artists from around the world to our immersive summer institute in Brunswick, Maine, June 27 – August 8, 2026. Each summer, 275 students work closely with 80 distinguished faculty and guest artists representing more than 20 leading conservatories for an intensive and in-depth exploration of solo and ...
Bowdoin Orient: Music at the Mill
October 31, 2025
On Monday evening, classical music enthusiasts gathered in Dutchman’s Wood-Fired Bagels for an evening of chamber music, socializing and gourmet pizza. Beneath high ceilings, and bathed in a soft glow, the Grammy award-winning Ying Quartet with pianist Ran Dank took listeners through a masterful and expressive repertoire. The event was hosted by the ...
Alumni News: September 2025
September 29, 2025
Balourdet Quartet ’22 The Seattle Chamber Music Society announced the Balourdet Quartet as its first-ever string quartet in residence, from September 2025 to May 2026. The Quartet will live and work in King County during its nine-month residency and present special community events, educational initiatives, and formal concerts. Read the announcement. The ...
The Strad: Attacca Quartet Review
September 12, 2025
Inspired by the seven movements of Beethoven’s String Quartet no.14, the ever-savvy Attacca Quartet created an unusual preface, with a montage of short works by Caroline Shaw, Paul Wiancko and Radiohead (2 + 2 = 5), with the first movement of Ravel’s classic quartet – all done without breaks to echo the attacca structure of the Beethoven. With three ...
The Strad: Beethoven, Smetana, & Mozart Review
September 12, 2025
As the Bowdoin Festival reached its final days, this upbeat evening seemed an ideal tonic after a month of oppressive heat over much of the region. The array of musicians also underlined one reason why the bucolic Maine destination attracts performers from all over the United States. Here the disparate locales included the Eastman School of Music, the Uni ...
The Strad: Jasper Quartet Review
September 12, 2025
Following a masterclass earlier in the day, the Philadelphia-based Jasper Quartet took the stage during the evening to launch its Bowdoin Festival debut with Britten’s Three Divertimenti. Bringing the composer’s joyous bons mots to life, the group displayed keen attention to colour, line and texture. The foursome continued with an expert traversal of ...
Times Record: Kudos, Brunswick
August 26, 2025
How about getting to witness the talents of young musicians participating in the Bowdoin International Music Festival? We attended several of these free concerts and were simply blown away by the skill of the performers. Just imagine the hours required to reach that level at such a young age. Incidentally, it was a special treat to have several of the musica ...
2025 Season Highlights
August 21, 2025
What a way to open the season! During the first of 10 sold-out concerts, outgoing Festival Board Chair Lorna Brown Flynn acknowledged David Ying and Phillip Ying for ten years of artistic leadership and announced a commissioning fund established in their honor. Then the music commenced: "For the opening night of the Bowdoin International Music Festival, l ...
The Strad: Ying Quartet, Derek Bermel Review
August 15, 2025
For the opening night of the Bowdoin International Music Festival, listeners packed the Studzinski Recital Hall with some 30 extra seats on stage flanking the Ying Quartet, which offered two Schubert gems. For his Quartettsatz, the opening lines were precisely spun, soothing except for the bristling tremolos. Other pluses: lithe tone, and in a space ideal fo ...
Times Record: 5 Ways to Experience the Festival
July 30, 2025
The Bowdoin International Music Festival offers myriad events at no cost. Here are five ways to enjoy the festival for free before it ends.