Are you part of a small ensemble – string quartet, piano trio, folk music group, jazz ensemble, Chinese instrument group, or other? Would your ensemble like to spend four to seven days in residence at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills in beautiful rural eastern Pennsylvania, rehearsing intensively, getting to know us and performing a public concert for the community?

Organized by cellist Robert Martin, retired founder-director of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and now a member of the Camphill Village Kimberton Hills community, the Residency Program will work with selected ensembles to schedule and design a useful and enjoyable residency experience, concluding with a public concert. All residency expenses will be covered. These include round-trip travel to CVKH, meals and lodging. 

Ensemble members will

• Stay in the CVKH community

• Have daily rehearsals (some open to community)
  Receive at least one afternoon of coaching by an expert in your field (your own choice, if it can be arranged)

• Join community households for some of their meals

• Volunteer for a few hours in one of the CVKH workshops – in our bakery, weavery, woodworking, herb garden, orchard, mosaic workshop, or something else!

• Have access to post-residency consultation about further opportunities for community engagement

• Play final public concert in the acoustically superb Rose Hall

What is Camphill Village Kimberton Hills?

As one of its long-time residents wrote, “Depending on how and why you approach Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, you might think of it first as a biodynamic farming and gardening training center, or as an example of intentional community living, as a residence including people with ‘developmental’ or ‘cognitive’ disabilities, a local organic food producer, or as a workshop and conference site. Perhaps you would see it as an ideal place to help students of varying ages integrate ideas about sustainability, social renewal, local sustainable agriculture, healthy lifestyles, watershed management, sustainable architecture, and entrepreneurial partnerships. You might see it as a studio for artists, weavers, potters and mosaic art, or an ideal place to volunteer for a day, a year or a lifetime.”

Eligibility

Ensembles of 2 to 5 members, all under 30 years of age, able to present a concert of about 70 minutes of music. The concert could consist of a mix of solo and ensemble music, with an emphasis on the ensemble music. The ensemble needs to be pre-formed, though it need not have a “track record” of prior performances. 

To Apply

Send a letter of interest to Robert Martin: martin@bard.edu. The letter should include detailed information on the ensemble members and their musical educational background, along with a statement as to why you think the Chamber Music Residency Program experience will be meaningful to your ensemble. Include a link to a recorded performance if you have one, and a list of coaches you would be interested in working with. The application procedure is rolling: there is no deadline and plans will be made on an on-going basis. If you have questions, feel free to write before submitting an application.

Criteria for Selection

• Level of playing

• Motivation

• Evidence of reliability