Auditions
Chamber music assignment auditions occur on the first Sunday of each session from 9 AM-1 PM. You will sign up for a specific time at registration. Be prepared to play 2 – 5 minutes of a solo piece of your choice. Locations will be posted at registration.
Chamber Music Assignments and Rehearsals
Ensemble assignments will be posted the Tuesday after auditions at 12 Cleaveland Street. Music will be distributed from the Cleaveland Street office after the assignments have been made. All music (including photocopies) borrowed from the Festival or the Beckwith Music Library must be returned you leave. A fee for all unreturned music will be billed.
Your ensemble is responsible for coordinating rehearsals. Coaching days are:
Week 1 – Wednesday and Friday afternoons
Week 2 – Monday and Thursday afternoons
Week 3 – Monday and Wednesday afternoons
Week 4 – Wednesday and Friday afternoons
Week 5 – Monday and Thursday afternoons
Week 6 – Monday and Wednesday afternoons
Private Lessons
Please plan to schedule weekly private lessons individually with your instructor.
Studio Classes
You are welcome to attend any open Studio Class. Selection of players for each class is at the discretion of the instructor. To play in another instructor’s class, ask your instructor to recommend you.
Orchestra
You may be selected to perform in the Festival Orchestra. The orchestra performs once each session and includes two rehearsals. Orchestra attire is all black.
Practice Rooms
For individual practice, pianists and composers are assigned to practice rooms which they share with at least one other Festival participant. Double bass, harp, and percussion players have specific practice studios that accommodate their instruments. All other players are expected to practice in the rooms where they reside. For group rehearsals, chamber groups with piano meet in the pianist’s practice room, and those without piano should expect to meet in a players’ residence. Groups that have more than four players may sign up for additional practice space through the music office. Please bring a folding stand for practice and rehearsals.
Cellists and bassists are required to use endpin anchors in all facilities. Please bring your own device.
Luthier Visits
Luthiers commonly visit campus and show instruments in the lobby of Osher Hall. Check the intranet calendar for the schedule. Instrument repair is also available in town at Frost Gully Violins.
Participant Performances
Young Artist Series performances (more than 20 each year) feature participant performances in Bowdoin College’s Studzinski Recital Hall. To be selected for this concert series, each chamber group or solo performer must be recommended by his or her instructor and submit a performance request form with signatures from the faculty and staff pianist, if appropriate.
Community Concerts allow Festival participants to gain important performing experience in front of appreciative audiences at off-campus venues. To sign up for a community concert, please complete this form.
Streaming and Recordings
Most student performances are live-streamed and recorded. Check the website for a stream link. Recordings will be disseminated within 3 weeks of the performance.
Faculty Concerts, Lectures, and Masterclasses
Concerts and events are an integral part of the learning experience at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. You are encouraged to attend all concerts and events unless they conflict with rehearsal schedules. The series are:
The Subscription Concert Series features guest artists and Festival faculty in evening performances at Studzinski Recital Hall. These occur each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening at 7:30 PM. When the orchestra performs, concerts are held at Crooker Theater. The Festival provides shuttle bus service to and from the theater. The bus leaves campus promptly at 6:45 PM and returns students to campus after each concert.
The Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music began in 1965 and features work by the Festival’s resident and guest composers and premieres the work of participants in the Festival’s composition program.
The Young Artist Series features chamber and solo performances by Festival participants. Concerts are held several evenings each week in Studzinski Recital Hall.
Festival Insights include lectures, public masterclasses, and presentations. Masterclass performers will be selected by the Festival faculty.
