CAF PROGRAMS

Summer Retreat

SUMMER 2020

The original CAF experience created by our mentor and master chamber musician William Fitzpatrick brings together a cohort of young musicians for a summer retreat, where teaching artists and students live, rehearse, and perform with one another in an intensive yet supportive format. Taking place in international destinations in North America, Europe, and Asia, this is the core program on which our chamber music education was founded, and continues to be fertile ground for the development of the next generation of chamber music artists. The Summer Retreat is intended for advanced students with the maturity, motivation, and self-discipline to achieve significant growth personally and musically during their time away from home. Our 2020 edition is presented as a two-week retreat in France, with one week dedicated to intensive rehearsal and preparation, and one week for concerts and cultural exchange events.

Summer Workshop

Monday, June 24, 2019 through Saturday, June 29, 2019

Our week-long workshop directed by ​CAF Coordinators Gene and Chika Wie takes place at the St. Margaret's Summer Music Festival, where chamber ensembles receive daily 9am-12pm coaching from a dedicated artist faculty in preparation for a series of concerts on Friday and Saturday. Intended for students of all ages and ability levels, the workshop is not as time-intensive as our retreat, but offers the same high-quality instruction and opportunities for ensemble skill development in a day camp format, and is based in our home region of Orange County, California. Additional programs in Solo Performance with Orchestra for strings and piano students are also available. For more information, please visit the festival website at:
​www.summermusicfestival.us

Year-Round Coaching

Especially for young musicians new to chamber music, nothing can replace the rapid growth they can experience with regular weekly coaching under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Our year-round program brings together the newest members of the chamber music family to acquire the skills necessary to join us in our Summer Workshop and Summer Retreat. As part of their experience, we encourage our student ensembles perform in a variety of outreach performances supporting local non-profit organizations/charities. Performers that demonstrate exceptional promise are assisted in their preparation to audition for the Chamber Music Program of the MusiShare Young Artists Program.

We are currently hosting Chamber Music Sessions for college undergraduate/graduate students on Wednesday evenings in Irvine. Please inquire for session information.

Q: Do you only have programs for K-12/college?

A: Are you an adult amateur musician looking for a chamber music experience, especially one that is not intended for K-12 or college students? Please visit our friends at the SoCal Chamber Music Workshop! Their program usually takes place during the last week of July, and is a comprehensive and intensive program for serious devotees of chamber music, featuring world-class artists on their faculty.