August 21-25, 2023
10 am - 5:30 pm
An intensive week of masterclasses, lessons, workshops, chamber ensembles and performance opportunities for advanced pianists, violinists and cellists age 14-22
An unrivaled learning experience with renowned guest faculty Midori, Richard Goode, Ani Kavafian, Alan Chow, Amir Eldan, Grigory Kalinovsky, Masao Kawasaki, Clara Minhye Kim, Julia Lichten, Awadagin Pratt, Orli Shaham, Robert Shannon and David Ying; workshop artists Adele Anthony, Peter Dugan, Curtis Stewart and Charles Yang; and chamber music faculty members Alex Croxton, Igal Kesselman, Natela Mchedlishvili and Nurit Pacht.
SummerFest at Kaufman Music Center is a unique opportunity to learn from celebrated educators from some of the leading conservatories in the U.S., including The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Oberlin College & Conservatory as well as Kaufman Music Center.
During one intensive week of high-level music-making, students will:
- Perform in one masterclass and receive two lessons, or perform in two masterclasses and receive one lesson, with celebrated guest artists
- Have the opportunity to participate in chamber ensembles coached by festival faculty members – select ensembles will perform in Merkin Hall
- Perform a solo work in one of the student recitals in Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall, one of NYC’s most renowned mid-sized concert halls
- Take part in hands-on workshops
- Attend masterclasses and student recitals
Tuition: $950 | Application fee: $50
Limited scholarship assistance is available.
Igal KesselmaN, Piano
Festival Director, Kaufman Music Center
Praised for his “kaleidoscopic” playing by The New York Times, pianist Igal Kesselman is one of today’s most forward-thinking performers and music educators. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition and a member of the piano faculty at Lucy Moses School and Special Music School at Kaufman Music Center. More
Guest Artists
Adele Anthony, Violin
Bard Conservatory of Music
Since her triumph at Denmark’s 1996 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, Adele Anthony has enjoyed an acclaimed and expanding international career. Performing as a soloist with orchestra and in recital, as well as being active in chamber music, Ms. Anthony’s career spans the continents of North America, Europe, Australia, India and Asia. More
Alan ChoW, piano
Eastman School of Music
Alan Chow has won First Prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, the UCLA International Piano Competition and the Palm Beach Invitational International Piano Competition. Winner of the Silver Medal and Audience Favorite Prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, he was also a prizewinner in the William Kapell International Piano Competition. More
Amir Eldan, cello
University of Michigan
Amir Eldan performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and as guest principal cellist. In 2011-12, he served as principal cellist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra by invitation from Zubin Mehta and a year later, as guest principal cellist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. At age 22, he became the youngest member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York. More
Richard GoodE, piano
Mannes School of Music, The New School
Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University
Pianist Richard Goode has been hailed for music-making of tremendous emotional power, depth and expressiveness, and has been acknowledged worldwide as one of today’s leading interpreters of Classical and Romantic music. His masterclasses are hailed as truly memorable events. More
Grigory KalinovskY, violin
Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University
Hailed by critics as a “superior poet” (Vancouver Sun), Kalinovsky has performed at some of the world’s major venues and has appeared at numerous concert series and festivals as a recitalist and avid chamber musician. He has collaborated with such renowned musicians as Pinchas Zukerman, Shmuel Ashkeniasi, Ralph Kirshbaum, Miriam Fried, James Buswell, Dora Schwarzberg and Paul Coletti, among others. More
Ani KavafiaN, violin
Yale School of Music
Violinist Ani Kavafian enjoys a prolific career as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She has performed with virtually all of America’s leading orchestras in major venues across the country, has premiered and recorded a number of works written for her, and has been featured on many network and PBS television music specials. More
Masao KawasakI, violin
The Juilliard School
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Kawasaki has given international concert tours as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, and has given guest master classes. Kawasaki made his solo debut at Carnegie Hall in 1985 and has made television appearances on PBS’s Great Performances series, Classic Hours and NHK-Television. More
Clara Minhye KiM, cello
The Juilliard School
Born in Seoul, South Korea, cellist Clara Minhye Kim has performed as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician throughout Canada, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Switzerland, Thailand and the U.S. She has been a guest performer and faculty member at the Jerusalem Music Center in Israel, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and Perlman Music Program in the U.S., and many more. More
Julia LichteN, cello
Manhattan School of Music
Cellist Julia Lichten enjoys a varied career as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and teacher and coach. A member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra since 1995, she received degrees from Harvard-Radcliffe and the New England Conservatory, followed by two years of study at the Mannes College of Music. More
MidorI, violin
Curtis Institute of Music
Midori is a visionary artist, activist and educator, and one of the most outstanding violinists of our time. She has performed with, among others, the London, Chicago and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics; and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. More
Awadagin PratT, piano
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati
Pianist Awadagin Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances in recital and with symphony orchestras. In 1992 he won the Naumburg International Piano Competition and two years later was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. More
Orli Shaham, piano
The Juilliard School
A consummate musician recognized for her grace, subtlety and brilliance, Orli Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today's most gifted pianists, in demand for her prodigious skills and admired for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire. The New York Times called her a "brilliant pianist" and The Chicago Tribune referred to her as “a first-rate Mozartean.” More
Robert Shannon, piano
Oberlin College & Conservatory
As a performer, educator and recording artist, pianist Robert Shannon has traveled across the world performing and teaching a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach to John Adams. A double-degree alumnus of Oberlin, Shannon earned a Master of Music at The Juilliard School. He has studied with Klaus Goetze, Arthur Dann, Jack Radunsky, Ania Dorfmann, Dorothy Taubman, and Vladimir Ashkenazy. More
David Ying, cello
Eastman School of Music
David Ying is cellist of the Grammy-winning Ying Quartet, whose recordings range from the classic repertoire of Schumann and Beethoven to new works commissioned by the quartet. As a teacher, Mr. Ying serves on the cello and chamber music faculty of the Eastman School of Music and is also co-artistic director and faculty member at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. More
Workshop Artists
Peter Dugan, piano
Soloist, Recitalist & Chamber Musician
Host, NPR's From the Top
Peter Dugan is equally at home in classical, jazz and pop idioms, and has collaborated with artists ranging from Jesse Colin Young, to Renée Fleming, to Paquito D'Rivera. Mr. Dugan performs regularly in partnership with friends and artists who share a passion for expanding the world of classical music. More
Curtis Stewart, violin & composition
The Juilliard School
Perlman Music Program
Praised for “combining omnivory and brilliance” (The New York Times), three-time Grammy Award-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart is a solo violinist, composer, Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The Juilliard School, and member of award-winning ensembles PUBLIQuartet and The Mighty Third Rail. More
Charles Yang, violin
Soloist & Chamber Musician
2023 Grammy Winner
Described by the Boston Globe as a musician who “plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star,” 2021-22 Kaufman Music Center Artist-in-Residence Charles Yang is the recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in concert in the U.S., Europe, Brazil, Russia, China and Taiwan. More
Chamber Music Faculty
Alex CroxtoN, cello
Special Music School at Kaufman Music Center
The School for Strings
Mannes School of Music Pre-College
A winner of the Artists International Special Presentation Award, cellist Alex Croxton has taught at workshops and institutes all over the U.S. His students have won winning many local and national competitions and have been admitted to such institutions as the Mannes School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School and New England Conservatory. More
Natela MchedlishvilI, piano
Kaufman Music Center's Lucy Moses School and Special Music School
Manhattan School of Music Pre-College
Pianist Natela Mchedlishvili has worked as a judge for many competitions within the U.S. and Europe. Among her students are prize-winners of Montreal International Piano Competition, Liszt International Piano Competition, All-Russian Piano Competition, and Stravinsky Competition. More
Nurit PachT, violin
Kaufman Music Center's Lucy Moses School and Special Music School
Violinist Nurit Pacht was a top prize winner in international competitions including the Irving Klein International Music Competition and the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition. Ms. Pacht has toured the world as the soloist in Robert Wilson's "Relative Light" and in projects with Bill T. Jones. More
