Program Information

Students participate in an intensive three-week program offering a fantastic performing experience and training with the festival's distinguished music faculty, comprised of many of the world's renowned performers and teachers. A unique opportunity awaits students who are ready for professional performances and would like to perform in historic halls. Student and faculty concerts are given to enthusiastic audiences twice a day, at 5 and 9 p. m. Students will be able to attend professional concerts, which are highly inspirational events for aspiring musicians.

The program offers standard repertory training for students of piano, violin, viola, violoncello, and voice; pre-formed chamber groups are encouraged to apply.  Private lessons and chamber music coachings are led by the world-class international faculty.  Pianists often collaborate with other instrumentalists and singers   For the first time we offer Collaborative Piano Course with James Nalley who has collaborated with some of the world’s greatest artists.  Armed with repertoire from vocal lied to the accompaniment of solo strings as well as chamber music, he has worked intensively with Robert McDonald (concert partner to Midori) and has performed with the Shanghai String Quartet, the Muir String Quartet as well as violinists Charles Castleman, Janet Sung and cellist Jeffrey Solow.  This collaborative course will teach how to truly share the stage of a performance as an accompanist and help guide the pianist in this musical decision making whether they perform with a solo singer, a solo string player or in chamber music (trio to quintet).  It will introduce these highly structured skills to the novice as well as hone these skills of the experienced pianists.

This year we continue to offer a Conducting Course with maestro Vag Papian, a renowned conductor and pupil of the legendary conductor Ilya Musin of St. Petersburg Conservatory. If interested, each student is scheduled to participate in a variety of chamber music and solo performances during the festival in concerts played throughout the Schlern/Sciliar region of the Italian South Tirol.  Schlern International Music Festival participants are advanced students from best conservatories and colleges of the United States, Europe, and Asia -- some outstanding young musicians, devoted music amateurs and some aspiring active professionals. Students are encouraged to attend all concerts and take advantage of performance and master class opportunities.

Students must submit their Performance Repertoire Request after they are notified of acceptance. Notifications of soloists, chamber music groups (on the basis of recording audition), and repertoire are e-mailed to each participant six or more weeks before the festival. Concerts will begin on the second day of the festival.  All student concert appearances are subject to faculty approval and at the discretion of the festival organizers. Chamber music groups will start performances after several days of rehearsals.  Everyone has to arrive with their parts learned and ready for rehearsal immediately.  In addition to concert appearances, singers will be invited to perform in Sunday services in the ancient churches of the Schlern valley. Participants are expected to stay in Völs am Schlern/Fie allo Sciliar for the full three weeks, without absences.

Italian or German Language classes are offered at festival academy free of charge.  Day trips offered  because of popular demand are not directly related to the festival and will be available to select locations at extra charge (past trips have included Cremona, Verona, Venice, Mahler's summer house in the Alps and stunning Lake Garda). There is plenty of superb recreation in the area, many people's favorite is hiking in the Alps