Music of Friends: Chamber Music Outreach Camp

June 26-July 1, 2023

  • What is it?

    Students will spend 6 days learning chamber music with the Kalara String Quartet and Music Academy Faculty. Each student will be placed into an appropriate-level small group to learn a piece. All groups will have multiple opportunities to perform at outreach concerts for the community in addition to a final showcase concert held at First Lutheran Church. The week will include daily coachings with the Kalara Quartet, elective classes, off-campus outreach concerts, and a conductor-less chamber orchestra.

    Students will leave this immersive chamber music experience with improved technical, leadership, teamwork, and musical capabilities.

  • Sample Schedule

    9-10:30am Small ensemble rehearsal
    10:45-12:00 Conductor-less Chamber Orchestra
    12:00-1:00 Lunch on or off-campus
    1:00-1:45pm Electives
    2:00-4:00 Outreach Concerts, Masterclasses

    Concerts:
    Faculty Concert: Monday, June 26th 6:30pm First Lutheran Church; Free and Open to the Public.

    Student Concerts: Luther Center Concert, Busking on State
    Showcase Concert: Saturday, July 1st at 1:30pm at First Lutheran Church; Free and Open to the Public.

  • Details

    When: June 26- July 1; 9am-4pm
    Who: All students who can read music - all ages welcome!
    Where: Music Academy and First Lutheran Church
    Price: $125
    Deadline to Register: Wednesday, May 24

    ***The Music of Friends Chamber Outreach Camp is affordable for students and made possible through a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois

    and

    The Smith Foundation

About the Faculty: Kalara Quartet

Thank you to the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and The Smith Foundation for helping to make this camp possible!

The Kalara String Quartet was formed in 2018 in northeast Wisconsin. Praised for their vibrant chemistry and energy, the quartet connects with its audiences through compelling story-telling and community outreach. Impassioned by diverse programming, KSQ often shares works ranging from Beethoven to Philip Glass, as well as traditional tunes by the Danish String Quartet. Kalara has also prioritized sharing works by female composers such as Caroline Shaw, Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, and Joan Tower.

In recent years, they have been invited to perform throughout the Midwest including Door County, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, Rockford, and Grand Forks. In 2021, they made their international debut in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia as a part of the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance where they worked closely with the Verona String Quartet. Currently, the KSQ is the featured quartet for the Candlelight Concert Series in Milwaukee, performing sold-out classical programs alongside classic rock and modern popular music. Their recent festival appearances include Caroga Lake Music Festival in the Adirondacks, NY and Midsummer’s Music Festival in Door County, WI, where they have collaborated with renowned musicians such as pianist Nariaki Sugiura, singer/songwriter Eric Lewis, and the Cavani and Verona String Quartets.

They have held residencies at the University of North Dakota and the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra: performing concerts, providing masterclasses, and coaching students in the chamber music program. Eager to teach young students the joys of chamber music, KSQ has held faculty and guest artist positions at Suzuki Strings of Manhattan, Kansas, the Community School of Performing Arts in Manhattan, Kansas, and Farley’s House of Pianos in Madison, WI as well as the Illinois Wesleyan University’s Chamber Music Festival. In Door County and Green Bay, the quartet has worked closely with individuals with Alzeihmer’s and Dementia, using music as a way to stimulate memory and the mind.

The members of the KSQ, violinist Vinicius Sant’ana and Ji-Yeon Lee, violist BlakeleyMenghini, and cellist Ryan Louie are fine musicians who have performed extensively in concert halls around the world including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and Brazil’s Teatro Municipal de São Paulo. Each member has studied at renowned institutions and have won prestigious awards and competitions within their respective instruments.