Welcome

The Verbier Festival Amateur Chamber Music Week offers amateur musicians of all ages, music teachers and young music professionals a unique opportunity to come to Verbier and share their passion for chamber music in a breathtaking alpine setting.

“A fantastic week filled with wonderful music, new friendships and a lovely atmosphere…
a chance to work towards chamber music perfection…”
Ariane Todes, Editor, The Strad Magazine (Read full article)

“Making music at the sunny Verbier Festival Amateur Chamber Music Week proves a pure joy”
Inge Kjemtrup, Strings Magazine (Read full article)

“Performance, teaching and atmosphere”
Carsten Dürer, Ensemble (Read full article)

The Verbier Festival Amateur Chamber Music Week is presented in association with ACMP – The Chamber Music Network

Coaches

We invite a group of talented and enthusiastic musicians to work as coaches for the Amateur Chamber Music Week. In 2012, these will include Gábor Takács-Nagy, founder of the Takács Quartet and musical director of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, pianist Paul Coker, Sasha Calin, principal oboe at the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, and Eniko Magyar, viola player and Verbier Festival Academy laureate. We offer coaching in different languages, including English, German and French.

We are also delighted that world renowned cellist Mischa Maisky will give a private interview just for ACMW participants about his career and his long experience of playing chamber music. This interview will take place on 19 July, in the evening.

Schedule

The Amateur Chamber Music Week will open with a welcome lunch at 12 noon on Saturday 14 July. The closing event will be a public concert given by amateur groups on Friday 20 July at 2:30pm at the Eglise.

Here is the schedule for a typical day during the week:
Morning: rehearsals and coaching on Group “A” chamber music works
Lunch: for all participants, coaches and ACMW staff together
Afternoon: rehearsals and coaching on Group “B” chamber music works
Evening: free play – an opportunity for participants to read chamber music works together and enjoy one another’s company

All participants will have the opportunity to take advantage of all the other things that Verbier has to offer - hiking, mountain-biking, golf, swimming, etc – as well as to attend Verbier Festival Orchestra rehearsals (with Music Director Charles Dutoit) and Verbier Festival Academy masterclasses. Over the course of the week, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra will also be preparing a performance of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro with conductor Paul McCreesh.

Repertoire

The Amateur Chamber Music week is open primarily to string and woodwind players although a small number of pianists will be accepted in addition.

Pre-existing chamber groups are warmly welcomed.

There is a focus on key chamber music repertoire from the mid-18th Century to the mid-20th Century, from Mozart to Shostakovich. We encourage participants to suggest repertoire on which they would like to work.

Each participant will work on two different works during their stay in Verbier, playing with different musical partners. Participants should also feel free to bring additional repertoire for Free Play (our informal chamber music reading sessions) although we do have a well-stocked library of classical and romantic chamber music scores and parts.

Apply

The Amateur Chamber Music Week 2012 will take place from 14 to 20 July 2012.

To register, please fill in the registration form and send it back to the address below, before 1 May 2012: Verbier Festival, M. Christian Thompson, 8 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1800 Vevey, Switzerland

General information about the Amateur Chamber Music Week can be downloaded by clicking here.

Applicants are asked to grade themselves as musicians so that groups of similar ability can be assembled. This is extremely important to the success of the event.

Grading Exercise 1
Applicants should read Grading Exercise 1 and decide which description best fits their ability and knowledge.

Grading Exercise 2
Applicants should then answer the questions in Grading Exercise 2 and then give themselves a score.