WHEN: June 16-23, 2024 (final concert Saturday evening, June 22; departure Sunday morning).
WHAT: This is a week long residency for pre-formed, aspiring professional-track string quartets wishing to study advanced string quartet technique and interpretation. Faculty are the DaPonte String Quartet with guest cellist Scott Kluksdahl. Located at the beautiful Medomak Retreat on Medomak Lake in Washington, Maine, tuition and board are free upon acceptance. Applications due April 15, 2024. For more detailed information and application procedure, read below.
Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in the DaPonte String Quartet Institute.
2024 marks the second year of our Institute (begun in 2019, but interrupted by COVID.) This is a week long residency for professional-track string quartets wishing to study the finer points of string quartet technique and interpretation. The dates are June 16-June 23 (departure Sunday morning).
The Institute provides full scholarships to all accepted students, including tuition, room, board and ground transportation from the Portland Jetport. The 2024 Institute is held at the beautiful Medomak Retreat Center. It is a quiet, rural campus not far from coastal Maine. This program is open to a maximum of five ensembles. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
Artistic Excellence
The DaPonte String Quartet formed in 1991 in Philadelphia. They immediately initiated a summer series in South Bristol, Maine and began touring nationally and internationally through Lois Scott Management. Teaching residencies at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania and the University of North Texas followed, beginning an unwavering commitment to education still holding today. Pulitzer Prize winning composers David Del Tredici and Richard Danielpour both wrote major works for the DSQ. They have appeared in twenty-seven states, Canada, France and Scotland and have performed in major venues, such as the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Carnegie Hall, the University of Buffalo Beethoven Series, Barge Music, Rockefeller University and, over the summers, broadcast over National Public Radio’s Performance Today series from Music Mountain, Mohawk Trail, Hill and Hollow and other national and international festivals. They record for Centaur Records, have won numerous awards for both teaching and performance and collaborated with many of the world’s greatest artists in both capacities. The Quartet makes its permanent home in Maine.
Stunning Setting
The 250-acre Medomak Retreat Center allows for undistracted, concentrated study. Students are encouraged to swim, hike the trails, pick sweet blueberries and explore the lake by canoe, kayak or sailboat. Internet is accessible throughout the Center, cell coverage is good, and emergency services are readily available if needed. Medomak is rural but not remote.
We know that tantalizing your taste buds is as important as stimulating your mind so students will enjoy meals with ingredients from Medomak’s own dairy cows, organic gardens and local farms. Medomak Retreat Center’s impressive green statement can be found here.
Full Scholarship
Participants who are accepted to the Institute receive tuition, housing, food, and recreation. All are provided at no cost to the student. In addition, we will provide ground transportation to and from the Portland Jetport on arrival/departure days. Transportation from other area airports can be arranged.
Opportunities
The Institute demo, lecture, and coaching sessions begin with score and historical analysis, progressing to visions of a composer’s intention, further focusing on technical questions of intonation, ensemble, balance, phrasing, articulation and color. Ensembles are led and mentored to develop positive and productive communication skills and strategies. The Institute also includes a faculty concert and participation in a resident artists concert. These well-publicized events will provide opportunities for the ensembles to interact with media, local music enthusiasts, and supporters of the Institute and its sponsorship organization, the DaPonte String Quartet Foundation.
Application (due April 15):
Please email a letter of interest to dino@dapontequartet.org. This email must include:
- The name of your quartet
- The name, age and country of origin of each member of your quartet, along with a list of recent teachers/coaches, schools attended and any degrees received.
- A link (or links) to a video taped excerpt(s) of your ensemble performing approximately five minutes of a Classical era work of your choosing along with five minutes of a contrasting work.
- Indicate one person as the contact for the group, and please provide a telephone number along with your email address.
Participants will be notified of their acceptance by May 1.
Reactions from previous participants:
— “This workshop was life-changing.”
— “ Food was amazing, location was beautiful. Quiet and distraction free.”
— “ Our group has grown tremendously thanks to all of you, and what we’ve learned this week
will stick with us for the rest of our careers.”
— “ Excellent instruction with a wide variety of input at the highest level.”
— “ We must understand that the piece is a living thing and we must bring that to life. There is a
deep history that is noted in each piece.”
— “I had a wonderful time. All of the coaches were critical and supportive and it really helped me
and my group to grow.”
— “Thank you, thank you so much for being so kind and available, for changing my string Quartet
life, and my musical life.”
For further questions, contact Ferdinand Liva: dino@dapontequartet.org
