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July 11-16, 2011
"We so appreciate the nurturing atmosphere here—this is what distinguishes this workshop from all others!"
Join us at Seattle Pacific University for our 22nd annual workshop! The workshop runs Monday afternoon on July 11th though Saturday morning on July 16th. Seattle Pacific University is in the heart of Seattle, ten minutes from downtown.
The Puget Sound Chamber Music Workshop is an intense week of learning and music making with a diverse group of interesting, friendly people. Coaching/rehearsal sessions with specific music assignments are an integral part of the daytime schedule. Participant musicales are presented in an informal, supportive environment.
A low faculty/participant ratio, limited enrollment, and assignments with varied personnel and instrumentation assure a week of special experiences and warm camaraderie.
Our coaches are professionals with a strong chamber music background and a love for teaching.
Program
Coaching and rehearsal sessions: Participants are assigned to four ensembles in the course of the week. Each ensemble receives professional coaching and has scheduled rehearsals. Ensembles vary in size and instrumentation, and often focus on works not part of the standard repertoire for amateur players.
A limited number of woodwind players and pianists are accepted each year, but assignments for all-wind ensembles are rare. Most string players will have at least one assignment in an ensemble with winds.
Participant musicales: Each assignment concludes with an informal musicale that includes all participants. The musicales provide a focus for the coaching and an opportunity to hear less familiar works.
“Potluck” reading sessions: Like a potluck meal, the details of the personnel and instrumentation are a surprise at the scheduled hours. Inclusion of coaches in participant ensembles is a special treat.
Free reading fills the evenings: All the rooms and the extensive music library of over 700 chamber works are available for informal sight-reading during the evenings. For some this is a time to revisit old favorites and for others it is an opportunity to explore unfamiliar literature.
Minimum Playing Expectations
String players: ensemble experience and sight reading skills at the level of Mozart or Haydn string quartets.
Wind players: stamina to play at least four hours each day and sight reading skills at the level of Mozart chamber music.
Pianists: excellent sight reading skills and playing ability at the level of Mozart or Beethoven trios.
Coaching Faculty
Janice Gockel, workshop director, studied eight summers at the Music Academy of the West, including private lessons with Sally Peck and William Primrose and chamber music with Gabor Rejto, Emanuel Bay, Jerome Lowenthal, and Mitchel Lurie. She received degrees in viola performance from Augustana College and Wichita State University. Janice was the Founding Director of Music Center of the Northwest and the Puget Sound Chamber Music Workshop and conducts Hildman Strings, Seattle's longest running string orchestra.
Thane Lewis is Principal Violist of the Tacoma Symphony and Assistant Principal Violist of the Northwest Sinfonietta. He has performed in numerous orchestras throughout the Northwest and as soloist with the Lake Union Civic Orchestra, Octava, the Eastside Symphony and the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Thane has performed in the Second City, Cascadia Sounds of Summer, Jacobsen, Mostly Nordic, and Governor's Mansion Chamber Series. From 1997 to 2008 he taught violin and viola at Northwest University and in 2000 published the biography of violinist Steven Staryk, Fiddling With Life.
Joyce Ramée, viola, is Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Max Aronoff Viola Institute. She received a bachelor of music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, studying with Max Aronoff and Joseph dePasquale, and was a fellow at Tanglewood during student years. Joyce has taught viola, chamber music, string techniques and Community Music violin at the University of Puget Sound since 1987. A member of the Auburn Symphony and the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, she was selected by Temple University as the violist to represent Aronoff's alumni in performances celebrating the Curtis String Quartet's centennial.
Miriam Shames, cello, brings to her teaching, coaching and performing a passion for communicating with and helping people through music. She holds a BA in Literature from Yale University and an MA in Performance from The Julliard School. She has performed recitals on the Second City Chamber Series, played with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, and as Associate Principal cellist of the Tacoma Symphony. Her students range from young children to adults and retirees, and she loves being able to help each individual find their joy in playing. She also loves books, biking, animals, and road trips.
Eileen Swanson, viola, was a member the Northwest Chamber Orchestra for all of its 33 years. While in the orchestra she toured China with a string quartet, including the first performance of a quartet on the Great Wall. She worked with young musicians at the Marrowstone Music Festival for 12 years and continues to work with adult amateurs at the Midsummer Musical Retreat. She directs and performs in the Providence Point Chamber Music series, performs as a violist with the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, and is manager and principal violist of the St. James Cathedral Orchestra.
Nathan Whittaker
Additional faculty to be announced.
Seattle Pacific University Facilities
Coaching, performance spaces, and sleeping accommodations are in Emerson Hall and all are handicapped accessible. Accommodations are in dormitory suites (single or double rooms) with shared bathroom in the suite. Meals are a short walk away in Gwinn Commons, rated in the top 10 dining services in American colleges.
Athletic facilities in SPU's main gym are available for participant use. Community swimming pools are available a short drive from campus.
Please note that SPU is a non-smoking, alcohol free campus.
Participants may wish to arrive early or stay late in order to take advantage of sightseeing in the Puget Sound area or the nearby Cascade mountains. We request that participants schedule tourist activities before or after the workshop dates, rather than take a "day off" from workshop participation, so as to not disrupt scheduling.
PSCW participants are a social group, with lively conversation throughout the day, sometimes shared over a jigsaw puzzle.
Fees
Tuition: $410
Room & Board: $340 - $390 depending on accommodations
Commuter Fee: $50 if not staying on campus
Application
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM BY APRIL 29. Acceptance will be based on balanced instrumentation and experience. Returning applicants receive acceptance priority. Notice of acceptance will be sent by May 5, along with registration forms and information on room and meal reservations. (A waiting list will be maintained once participation limits are reached.)
DO NOT SEND MONEY WITH THIS APPLICATION. A $75 non-refundable deposit is required at the time of acceptance, with the balance due by June 17.
Contact PSCW
Janice Gockel, Workshop Director
Music Center of the Northwest
PO Box 30757
Seattle, WA 98113-0757
(206) 526-8443
email PSCW
Brochure
Please feel free to download the complere
2011 Brochure.
