The International Chamber Music Academy of Southern Germany connects UNCSA students with global peers

Most students look forward to summer break — a time to disconnect from their studies and enjoy a less rigorous schedule. For some School of Music students, however, the highlight of their recent summer was entirely the opposite.

Participating in the International Chamber Music Academy of Southern Germany at Landesakademie in Ochsenhausen, Germany, meant a laborious ten days of intensive lessons, rehearsals and performances with faculty and student musicians from around the world. They wouldn’t change the experience for anything.

A rare endeavor

“It’s a rare endeavor,” reflects bassoonist Baron Young (B.M. Music ’25), “to play music all day long with other musicians who are just as devoted as you are.” Young was one of 60 participants, including approximately 20 UNCSA students and alumni, in the summer 2023 program. The Academy, founded in 2022, was thoughtfully designed to create opportunities for young musicians from different backgrounds to learn and perform together under tutelage from an international faculty. However, its roots were planted much earlier.

Inspired by his own summers spent traveling and performing in Europe, School of Music Dean Saxton Rose began searching for the ideal summer opportunity for students when he arrived on campus as a bassoon professor in 2008. The program he envisioned would be available to students at all levels of study — high school, undergraduate and graduate — and that would be affordable, creating a low barrier of entry. 

In parallel, violin professor and UNCSA high school alumna Ida Bieler was moved by her young adult experience traveling to Sienna, Italy, to study and perform. “It was a decisive moment in my picture of the world,” she says. “It was more than a broadening experience. There’s nothing quite like opening the doors to different cultures, societies and musicians. We speak the same [musical] language, even though we all come from different places.” With support from other faculty members and UNCSA leadership, Bieler began discussing the idea of the summer program with her colleagues at Landesakademie, where she also teaches.  

Any student may apply to participate in the Academy, and the low cost of admission is subsidized by the German state of Baden-Württemberg and by private sponsors. Additionally, UNCSA students receive financial support from the Semans Art Fund and the School of Music.

Creating value for students

The program is structured to introduce participants to a full spectrum of chamber works, encompassing all musical styles. Faculty members (including Rose, Bieler, and double bass professor Paul Sharpe) teach solo and ensemble repertoire. Pedagogically, each day is filled with a variety of lessons, rehearsals, masterclasses and planned time for practice. Akin to a traditional European music festival, students also participate in public performances — three in historic venues across Southern Germany, and one final performance in the Landesakademie’s own Baroque Bibliothekssaal. 

“Being in buildings that are twice as old as our country was fascinating to me,” says Young. “And making music in those spaces had a completely different feeling from anything back home.” While the adjustment to no central air conditioning was a challenge at times, Young remarked that his reeds were also the best they’ve ever been while in Ochsenhausen.

We were playing music with people who have a different foundational understanding of what music is… and the opportunity to perform alongside people who don’t play like you is crucial to your progression as a musician.

Baron Young, B.M. Music ’25

Perhaps the Academy’s greatest value is that it introduces students to different and often unfamiliar styles. “The professor I studied with used a different bow hold than I do,” explains cellist Jojo Di Norcia (B.M. Music ’24). “He used a French bow hold instead of my Russian bow hold. So I learned how to play with a French bow hold, and learned how to use it in a chamber music setting.”

These differences can be challenging, but inspire musicianship at the highest level. “There were a lot of compromises to make,” says Young. “We were playing music with people who have a different foundational understanding of what music is… and the opportunity to perform alongside people who don’t play like you is crucial to your progression as a musician.”

Reflecting on a priceless experience

Violinist Roni Shitrit (B.M. Music ’23) chose to attend the summer program as an alumna. While the desire to continue studying with professor Bieler contributed to her decision to participate, it was the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues at a high level that sustained her interest and dedication to the Academy. “The most valuable part of the experience for me was the opportunity to play chamber music with teachers and musicians who are among the best,” she says. “I learned how to work efficiently within a chamber setting and how to collaborate with other musicians in the most effective and professional way.” 

Di Norcia shares the sentiment: “I learned so much about the differences between chamber work and solo or ensemble work. You learn your part, but also everyone else’s part and how you fit together with theirs… And how to look around you and not just be immersed in your own music in front of you.”

“Ten days was not a lot of time,” recalls Young, “but it was enough time to cover quite a bit of music.” And those ten days provided a well-rounded experience that participants bring home to influence their future studies and performances.

“Participating in the festival contributed greatly to every musician in a variety of ways,” says Shitrit. “We explored chamber music, gave solo performances, gained confidence on stage and had opportunities to meet and establish connections with other musicians. I highly recommend the Academy—an excellent course in a magical town.”

By Hannah Callaway

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