Online Chamber Music Seminar & Academy 2020

Monday, July 27th - Friday, July 31st

Renew your passion for music!

Join us for a week of fantastic opportunities!

  • Expand your horizons through jazz, the business of music, improvisation, & more
  • Grow as a well-rounded musician, get tips for your next audition, learn how to practice & minimize anxiety
  • Immerse yourself into every aspect of performance
  • Meet with distinguished faculty & have the opportunity to take supplemental private lessons
  • All are welcome to participate in Seminar sessions - Chamber Music Academy open to strings, woodwinds & piano students ages 11 to 18
​Dates: Monday, July 27 through Friday, July 31, 2020
​​Tuition:
  • $250 per student for participation in the Seminar only OR the Chamber Music Academy only. 
    ​(​Instruments are not required to participate in the Seminar only.)
  • $350 per student for participation in BOTH the Seminar and Chamber Music Academy.
    ​    (Participation in both the Seminar and Chamber Music Academy is recommended in order to benefit the most from the program.)
  • Tuition due by July 13, 2020.
  • ​Click here to make a tuition payment.
​Due to the highly individualized nature of this program, no refunds will be given after July 13, 2020. No refunds will be made for failure to attend or incomplete attendance for any reason.
Performance:
  • Friday, July 31st with chamber music groups & comedy sketches
Suggested Equipment for participants:
Auditions: The Chamber Music Academy portion of the program is open to students ages 11 to 18 who play string instruments, woodwind instruments, or piano. For chamber music group placement purposes, an audition is required. Video auditions may be sent to info@pycosom.com. ​The audition deadline is Monday, July 13, 2020.

Seminar & Academy Schedule

Seminar Schedule

Monday, July 27th
12:00 pm - Chris Laitta
1:00 pm - Dawn Posey
2:00 pm - Jeff and Tania Grubbs
3:00 pm - Comedy Club with Michael and Liz

Tuesday, July 28th
12:00 pm - Bryan Sable
1:00 pm - Cello Fury
2:00 pm - Lance LaDuke
3:00 pm - Comedy Club with Michael and Liz
Wednesday, July 29th
12:00 pm - Stanley Chepaitis
1:00 pm - Brittany Trotter
2:00 pm - Zoe Sorrell
3:00 pm - Comedy Club with Michael and Liz

Thursday, July 30th
12:00 pm - Mikhail Istomin
1:00 pm - Amanda Neatrour 
2:00 pm - Katie Grennan
3:00 pm - Comedy Club with Michael and Liz

Chamber Music Academy Schedule

Monday, July 27th to Thursday, July 30th - 9 am to 11 am

​Friday, July 31st Performance Schedule TBA

​Meet the Faculty

Students are instructed by prominent artists and teachers of national and international renown with extensive experience and expertise as educators, chamber musicians, and members of major musical groups.
Seminar faculty and guest artists include musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet, Kassia Ensemble, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duquesne University.
Chamber Music Academy Faculty:

Supplemental Private Lessons:

Each student has the opportunity to learn from the world class academy faculty during the week of the seminar. Lessons are available for Strings, Woodwinds, Piano, Harp, and Voice. Lessons can be scheduled with anyone depending on their availability, and can run from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Price varies per faculty member.
Comedy Club with Michael & Liz:
Under the direction of faculty members Michael Fujito & Liz Power, students will have a chance to hone their performance skills through daily sessions of comedy club, including improv and the creation and performance of comedy sketches. These sketches are always lots of fun and a big hit with students and parents!
Chamber Music Seminar Speakers & Workshop Info:
  • Amanda Neatrour (Van Story Lewis)
    • ​Music as a Business
      • ​In this workshop participants will be empowered to create their own opportunities to perform and advance their music career, through networking, mission or vision planning, and identifying what makes them passionate about music.
  • Brittany Trotter
    • ​Practice hAPPily -  using technology to enhance your solo and chamber practice routine
      • Does your current practice routine make you feel like you are just "going through the motions"? Perhaps you have developed a "complicated" relationship with your metronome and tuner? Practice hAPPily is an interactive workshop designed to introduce creative practice hacks and how to incorporate several iPhone/android apps into your daily practice routine. Topics in this workshop include:
        • ​Develop a better sense of rhythm and steady beat
        • Organizational apps for efficient practice
        • Using customizable beats and drones for chamber and solo playing
        • Using popular music as a backing track for scales and technique studies
  • Bryan Sable
    • ​Piano Improv
      • ​Learn tips and tricks to unlock your creativity behind the keyboard. Whether you are a beginner, or a seasoned player, this course will lead you down a path to unlocking a whole world of color and texture at your fingertips. Some previous piano skill is suggested, but not required.
  • Cello Fury
    • ​Alternative Strings
      • ​Cello Fury presents an alternative strings workshop featuring performance, interactive rock improvisation, and extended techniques class. This session is geared toward classical players looking to branch out into new styles!
  • Chris Laitta
    • ​Art of Performance
      • Get advice for auditions and stage presence
  • Dawn Posey
    • ​Practice Coaching
      • Get help with accountability, time management, and efficient practice habits
      • ​Students will learn how to practice efficiently and show up more prepared for weekly lessons. Get help learning faster and get motivated to keep learning.
  • Jeff Grubbs and Tania Grubbs
    • ​​Create a Playbook Strategy for Performance of a Song
  • Katie Grennan
    • ​Fiddling for All
      • ​Katie specializes in helping classically trained violinists learn traditional Irish fiddle techniques and style. The focus of her work centers around passing along the tradition of music and dance to the next generation.
  • Lance LaDuke
    • ​​From Goal to Go! : Strategies for maxing out your music making
  • Mikhail Istomin
    • ​Prepare Your Perfect Audition
  • Stanley Chepaitis
    • Jazz Improvisation
      • ​​Dr. Chepaitis will explore the process of learning to improvise freely over a jazzy background. Students will have a chance to try out the concepts for themselves and get feedback from the teacher. A background track will be distributed on an mp3 file so students can continue to practice improv on their own.
  • Zoe Sorrell
    • ​Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
      • ​An introduction for young musicians to the concepts of personal branding, community networking, social media literacy, and tools for self reflection.
      • Students will leave with a better sense of what it takes outside of the practice room to be a successful musician.