Performing Organizations Walden Chamber Players   Founded in 1997, the Boston-based Walden Chamber Players has garnered a reputation for being one of the most exciting and versatile chamber groups performing today. Critics have hailed its performances of everything from Bach to Schoenberg, and Chamber Music America Magazine raves: “A season spent with the Walden Chamber Players is a time for discovery." The success of its performances, recordings and educational curricula has earned it a place as one of the most sought-after chamber ensembles in the United States. Walden Chamber Players is comprised of twelve dynamic artists in various combinations of string, piano, and wind ensembles. The wide variety of instrumental groupings possible with this ensemble allows for great versatility and eclectic programming, a hallmark of the Walden Chamber Players. Members of the ensemble are versatile chamber artists and soloists who often perform at leading festivals throughout the United States and abroad. They are also sought-after teachers and lecturers and serve on the faculty of some of the country’s premier musical teaching institutions, such as the New England Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, Boston University, Longy School of Music and the Boston Conservatory. Walden presents a new concept of a classical concert both in content and presentation. Drawing from a rich palette of sources and styles, it mixes and matches the works of both classical and contemporary composers with an eye to new understandings and discoveries. Concerts often feature the use of multi-media and dialogue, giving the audience a broader appreciation of a certain time period and enabling the listener to make a connection between the artist, the creative process and society at-large–often mutually influencing forces–thereby creating a richer context. The Walden Chamber Players is recognized for its strong advocacy of new music by composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Alvin Singleton, Pierre Jalbert, Stephen Paulus, Gerhard Schedl, and Kaja Saariaho, among others. The ensemble has an ongoing commitment to commissioning, performing and recording new music. Walden Chamber Players also believes strongly in presenting unique educational curricula in a format that highlights the belief that music is the human experience translated into sound. The popularity of its educational programs has led to the development of several long-term residencies and partnerships at schools and universities across the country. Zefira Trio The Zefíra Trio programming reflects a commitment to musical excellence that displays the artistry and depth of each instrument as both an individual voice and as part of a unified whole. Programs often highlight the unique sonorities and capabilities of each instrument by including some of the great duo or solo repertoire alongside piano trios. To fully connect and draw in their audience, the trio believes strongly in communicating through both engaging performances and lively, informative comments on the music and its composers.  Schools Longy School of Music Longy School of Music, founded in 1915, is a degree-granting Conservatory and school of Preparatory and Continuing Studies located in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school serves 223 undergraduate and graduate students from 37 states and 21 countries, and nearly 1,000 children and adults from the Greater Boston area. For all students, Longy provides a distinguished faculty that promotes profound musical understanding and technical mastery, encourages growth of imagination, and fosters inquiry about the role of music and the musician in the larger world. We invite you to explore all that Longy has to offer. Concord Academy Concord Academy engages its students in a community animated by a love of learning, enriched by a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, and guided by a covenant of common trust. Students and teachers work together as a community of learners dedicated to intellectual rigor and creative endeavor. In a caring and challenging atmosphere, students discover and develop talents as scholars, artists, and athletes and are encouraged to find their voices. Festivals International Music Academy: Summer in Regensburg This two-week session is offered to young professionals, advanced and intermediate level string players and pianists ages 10-25 years, and is limited to 40 participants. The academy brings together young musicians from around the world for a vibrant, exciting, inspiring and rigorous music making summit that includes intensive course of study, public performances, educational tours, and recreational activities. All participants receive in-depth personal attention from a dedicated group of teachers and staff of the Academy. Individual lessons, master classes and workshops, chamber music, piano duo, orchestral and ensemble classes are taught by the distinguish international faculty.