The Rivers School Conservatory offers three programs of chamber music instruction.  Chamber Music study offers a window into a fantastic and rich world of music, one in which many famous composers made their most profound and enduring contributions to the repertoire.  Chamber music training teaches essential extra-instrumental skills.  One must hear and play one’s part in the context of the whole, much like living one’s life as part of a community. These skills, uniquely learned through immersion in chamber music, translate directly into skills young people need to succeed in any field – medicine, law, and many others in which the combination of talent, grit, and collaboration are critical success factors.  Thousands of career professionals in fields other than music spend their lives playing and enjoying chamber music as amateurs based on the training they received at an early age.

Studio Chamber Music

For students (typically ages 8+) interested in gaining chamber music experience. Depending on instrumentation available from the applicant pool, students will generally be placed in duos, trios, or quartets, including string, piano, woodwind, and brass players. Students are carefully matched in terms of playing level, age, experience, and temperament, and receive one hour of coaching each week with an experienced RSC faculty member. Studio Chamber Music is led by RSC’s Director of Studio Chamber Music, Kristen Krauss. Kristen can be contacted at k.krauss@rivers.org.

• Open to anyone by audition
• 1-hour weekly coaching (schedule windows are Tuesdays 4 – 8 PM, Thursdays 4 – 8 PM, Fridays 4 – 9 PM, Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM)
• Ample workshop and recital opportunities
• Live auditions: Tuesday, September 3rd and Wednesday, September 4th (1 – 8 PM); please prepare a scale and one solo piece. Three students will be assigned to each 30-minute time block. You will sign up for an audition time slot through your application. Please click button below for application
• Online application deadline for 2024-2025 year is Sunday, September 1st; no recordings required
• Applications for Studio Chamber Music 2024-2025 are now open

Click Here to Apply

ChamberMusicLab

An intensive full-scholarship program for very advanced high school students, ChamberMusicLab (CML) demands a serious commitment to the study of chamber music. Many CML students have gone on to study at major American and European conservatories. Most CML ensembles learn at least one complete work during the year. Ensembles are encouraged to enter major competitions and to present complete public recitals.  

• Open by audition students entering grades 6-12
• 3 hours every Saturday; 9 AM – 12 PM
• 1.5 hours coaching; 1.5 hours rehearsal
• 8 master classes per semester; frequent workshop and performance opportunities

For Studio Chamber Music, please contact Kristen Krauss, Associate Director of Chamber Music at k.krauss@rivers.org.

For ChamberMusicLab, please contact Jason Fisher, Director of The RSC ChamberMusicLab, at j.fisher@rivers.org.