Hello! Does anyone know of orchestra festivals for freshmen that aren’t extremely competitive? It’s a bit difficult for an 18-year-old to compete with musicians who are 27, so I’m looking for programs that are more age-appropriate
Thank you!
BUTI is for high school students.
Eastern Music Festival, I believe…20 or under.
Brevard is mostly high school students.
Your private instrument teacher probably has suggestions. Keep an eye out for application deadlines…
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I have a list of summer programs in the arts. What area of the country are you interested in? Do you have a price point or length of program you’re trying to aim for? I’m happy to give suggestions with those parameters.
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I’m interested in any program that would be a good fit for me. It doesn’t matter what country it’s in, but I especially i like to go to the United States!
please
NSO Summer Music Institute (ages 15-20)
National Repertory Orchestra
National Orchestra Institute
Aspen
Tanglewood
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Here are some I recommend to my orchestra students:
Tanglewood Institute (Boston, MA)- ages 13-19
Brevard Music Center Summer Institute (Brevard, NC)- ages 14-18
Summer Music Academy (Ithaca, NY)- ages 14-18
MPulse Summer Performing Arts Institute (Ann Arbor, MI)- ages vary
Summer Intensives at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (these vary by instrument, so check their website)
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Also check out NYO, it’s super competitive.
EMF announced in October that they have ceased operations.
Oh no! 
Sewannee has a program to add to the list
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It’s scandalous. They had skipped a season and then decided to shut when faculty and the Board couldn’t come to an agreement. Very sad. A US music festival shuts down after 64 years - Slippedisc
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Brevard has a college program College
Walden School in Dublin NH, a 6 week program during which each student composes a 10-15 minute piece, is open for applications. Winter deadline is Feb. 2. They welcome instrumentalists, creative kids who have never composed, and experienced composers in different genres. What Makes Walden Special? | The Walden School
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