Coaching

The chamber music coaching program at the Conference provides daily coaching for participants by faculty members. Participants in coached groups are carefully matched by repertoire preference (if stated) and by compatibility. Works are assigned several weeks before the Conference, and participants are expected to practice their parts thoroughly and to study scores in advance of attending.

You may personalize your coaching experience in several ways, including:

• Choosing between two coaching formats.
• Pre-forming groups and making requests for repertoire and/or coaches.
• Requesting to study and perform a work commissioned by the Conference and composed by a Composer-in-Residence or a Composition Fellow.

View the Coaching Program at a Glance table for a summary of the program and details of the instrumentation in each week of the Conference.

Coaching Formats

We offer two different coaching formats during the four weeks of the conference.

Coaching Format for Week 1 – The format of Week 1 includes more coaching sessions for each piece than the format of Weeks 2, 3, and 4. Participants receive three assignments for coaching, and each piece is coached for four sessions. In addition, scheduled rehearsal times afford the opportunity for participants to practice and to assimilate feedback from coaching sessions; coaches do not attend the scheduled rehearsals.

Coaching Format for Weeks 2, 3, and 4 –Participants in these three weeks receive four coaching assignments per week and are coached on each piece for three mornings or three afternoons. This format does not include scheduled rehearsals and leaves more unscheduled time for informal ensemble playing.

Coaching Requests and Pre-formed Groups

After your application is accepted, you may submit requests, including your preferences for personnel and repertoire for coached groups. These requests help us customize your schedule to an extent not matched in other workshops.

General Requests – We strongly encourage participants to express general preferences for coached groups, for example: I'd like to be coached on Beethoven opus 132 or I'd like to work with one of the following coaches ... or I'd like to work on a piano trio. Offering a variety of repertoire requests, including a list of specific works or composers, will allow the schedule to reflect some of your preferences while also including works that are new for you. We cannot fulfill all requests, but we make every effort to honor them.

Pre-formed Groups – You may submit a request for a pre-formed group by specifying the musical composition and all other players in the group. You can pre-form one of the three groups in Week 1 and two of the four groups in Weeks 2, 3, and 4.

Coaching on a Commissioned Work

In each of Weeks 2, 3, and 4, the Conference invites a Composer-in-Residence and a Composition Fellow to write works specifically for a group of Conference participants. On your application form you may indicate your interest in studying a new composition with its composer present at coaching sessions. The group will be coached by the Composer-in-Residence and will perform the commissioned work in a Participant Musicale. See the Composers' Forum page for more information.

2024 Coaching Program at a Glance

Program Element	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Dates	July 7-14	July 14-21	July 21-28	July 28-August 4
Number of participants	40 to 50	60 to 70	60 to 70	60 to 70
Number of works coached	3	4	4	4
Coaching hours per work	7	5.25	5.25	5.25
Total coaching hours	21	21	21	21
Scheduled rehearsals	✓
Commissioned works*		✓	✓	✓
Instrumentation	violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano

* For participants who indicate interest.

Acknowledgements

The chamber music coaching program and other programs of the Chamber Music Conference are made possible, in part, by support from ACMP Associated Chamber Music Players, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, and generous contributions from individuals.