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I've attended Summerkeys (Lubec Maine) for seven of the past eight years. For me it's a great experience regardless whether you are a beginner or advanced piano player. Musicians for many other instruments are well represented and it's also great fun to play in ensembles.

Rich

2012 was great. Played a Schubert Impromptu and got some good comments. Heard a lot of great music at the Friday Recital. Met some of the same people from 2011 (seems that a lot of people go the same week every year) and met a bunch of new people.

Definitely planning to go back next summer if possible.

Sam

Hi Hesh

Seems like once a year Sam and I participate in the same thread about our workshops!

In your May email earlier this year, you say: "Every summer I try to go to a summer workshop or camp. So far I have not found one that I would recommend. I consider myself an 'early intermediate' player.

I have found that even though marketing brochures and websites say that their workshops are for all levels of proficiency, 95% of the participants are very advanced players"

I can guarantee that "early intermediate" players are welcome at the Williamstown Adult Midsummer Piano Retreat. I have been attending for four summers now. And yes, there are very advanced players too, but the events and faculty really are geared for everybody. I know, because I was an infant piano player four years ago.

Anybody can PM me if you want more details.

Cathryn

Hi Hesh,
I went to Summerkeys for the first time this past June and just loved it. I did not want to leave. I plan to go again next year, the last week in June. Everyone was very friendly and nice from the teachers to the other students and even the people in the town. I did write a report. Sorry, I don't know how to attach it to my post like Sam did. If you type Summerkeys in the search box, you should be able to find it. I would say I am early intermediate and was very comfortable there. I purposely chose to go in June since it would be less crowded. I think most of the more advanced students probably go later in the summer when there are coached ensembles available and I am certainly not ready for that. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and will be happy to answer them.
Judy

We've now got our dates set for our 2013 retreat: July 13-20, in the hilly NW corner of Massachusetts. This will be our 8th year (or 12th if you include the 4 earlier years we were in the Czech Republic).

If a beginner or early intermediate pianist were to feel unwelcome, we would hang our heads in shame. Or close up shop. We welcome anybody, without audition, to our maximum of twenty. Each summer the proportions shift of our participants' ability levels, but only due to the whims of the gods, not due to any planning or preferences on the part of the three of us faculty/directors.

Boston's Janice Weber will join us as a guest recitalist/clinician this summer: she is equally famous for her several published "chick-lit" classical music novels as for her ability to play the piano.

www.pianoretreat.wordpress.com

Sam I have lots of questions. My hubby says he will go if I pay for it and there lots of places to bike ride. He is a recreational cycler and not into competitive mountain biking although he enjoys mountain biking. He says he enjoys riding around the beach. If you can PM me with the information I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Hesh. My apologies hijacking the thread. But it is very important for me to keep him happy during the summer camp. He is not interested in classical music. He is a made in America fat boy who loves country music. Please don't ask me how we met.

OK, the broader, more interesting question: why are there not more programs like Summerkeys in Maine, or Summer Sonata in Vermont, or our own Midsummer Adult Retreat in Massachusetts? And why are these three little familial ventures all clustered in New England? Beats me.

There are probably hundreds of thousands of Americans and Canadians playing classical piano as a serious hobby, with or without a teacher. Every one of them would get a charge out of such a week, based on my experience.

Might we assemble an ongoing annotated list of all such adult workshops?

Hi, Peter,

There ARE a FEW adult programs in the WEST/NORTHWEST.

1. Rocky Ridge in Colorado (45 mins. west of Denver) has an adult session in July (I think) every year.

2. The Victoria Conservatory of Music, Vitoria B.C. has a program in the summer ever year. You can ask piano world member Gooddog about this one since she goes every summer.

3. The newest Adult "camp" is the Icicle Creek Adult Piano Retreat here in the Pacific Northwest in Washington. I can speak directly about this one since I've gone three times now.

This third year we had 3 participants who were in the original group who came to the first retreat. We had another 3 - 4 returnees from the second one and some new people this year. It was like old home week for us originals and second time around folks, plus meeting the new people was great. We have people from Washington, California, and New Mexico.

I think the "problem" with the Icicle Creel retreat is getting a recurring time set up so everyone knows that it will take place at the same time of year. The first one was in October, second year in September and then this year October again. I think they've settled on October and then they want to add a spring session. Since they are the newest they are trying out different times of year. But the program itself has been very consistent.

Another thing is that they might not be broad enough in where they advertise the retreat. I always post here on Piano World the date and time of the retreat as soon as I know about it, but I am not sure as to whom they get the word out. Also on the east coast you have highly concentrated populations but on the west coast and mountain areas things are more spread out.

This year the pianists were Lisa Bergman (she is there every year) and William Chapman Nyaho. There was this great synergy between the two of them and the energy level of the retreat was great. We always learn a lot and the setting can't be beat IMHO, plus we always eat well!

By the way, William Chapman Nyaho is quite an interesting guy as well as a fabulous pianist. He is originally from Ghana, studied piano in Geneva and then Oxford and has his doctorate from the University of Texas. He has done research on African diaspora composers and has compiled some graded editions of piano music by these composers. If anyone is looking for new and interesting pieces to teach and play, this collection of music is worth a look. Nyaho played some of the pieces at the faculty concert and one evening after dinner and they range in mood from quite moving to fun and upbeat. Many of them have interesting rhythms.

I can give you a detailed description of each day's activities of this year's retreat so you can get an idea of what goes on at Icicle Creek, if you would like.

A R

Many thanks for the post, AR. Icicle Creek sounds great, and I wish them well. What sort of playing levels are the participants? Are they using a college campus, or an independent conference center, or something else? Whose idea was this retreat?

We can certainly get the word out here on PW, and there are plenty of people who could afford to travel to such a workshop.

Can anyone tell us more about the Rocky Ridge program?

There's also an urban summer week in NYC at Hunter College: I believe it is called Pianophoria.

The Victoria Conservatory program feels pitched toward the advanced adult player.

I wish there was something in the Southeast. I have searched and found nothing. There are excellent opportunities for school kids and college age young people (like Brevard in North Carolina), but nothing for adults.

Sam

FarmGirl, I sent you a PM, but the short answer is that my wife went and had a great time sight-seeing and exploring. There is also the photo workshop - if he has any interest in photography, he can do that while you study piano.

Sam

Hi, Peter,

Icicle Creek Adult Piano Retreat is geared for all levels. There have been students with a year - 3 years all the way up to really advanced. It is non-competitive. To solve the wide gap in playing experience when they do the masterclasses they divide the participants into 2 groups: Beginning - intermmediate; Advanced on up. We get masterclasses with each insturctor.

The campus is the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth, WA. It is a non-profit music and performing arts center that has been here at least 20 years. It is noted for its International Chamber Music Festival, year round concerts in chamber music and solo piano concerts and more recently other genres of music. There is a youth symphony which has a summer symphony camp for junior high and high school students. In January they have the Piano Festival where highly advanced collegiate and pre-professional piano students come to be coached and perform plus master classes open to the public.

They have recently added the Adult Piano Retreats at the request of some adult pianists who have been to Sonata in VT. The one gal was the board president of Icicle Creek and the organization was in the process of expanding their programs into new directions. I am very grateful that they started the adult retreats because it is a long haul to VT.

They also recently added a Young Pianists Festival to the summer offerings, so if there is anyone on the west coast looking for a program for their child, check this program out.

The campus itself has a group of rustic cabins which can house up to 6 - 8 people. They are rustic from the outside but have nice facilities inside. They are clustered in one area and there are practice rooms with pianos and some smaller practice rooms geared for the other instruments.

There is an outside stage area, a small performance venue where they have the piano and chamber music concerts and they are in the process of building a larger performance venue with state-of-the art- everything. Lots going on.

Everything is situated in a pine, spruce and aspen setting with meandering walking paths. You can take a look if you go to www.icicle.org to get an idea of the place and its offerings.

I have no real experience with Rocky Ridge. I have kept this one in mind on the off-chance that Icicle Creek wouldn't have a retreat.

I do think that the Victoria one does offer all levels for adults but it is more like a menu of things you can choose from to add to the piano program.

Hope this helps.

A R

Sam, do you have any info on the photo workshop that you could point me towards?

BELAY THAT! I see there's a link at the bottom of the Summerkeys home page. Great tip!

Question to Sam
I thought you talked about chamber music options. I did not see it in their web site. Did they stop it?

It's called the "Coached Ensemble" option. There is a faculty person either playing with you or coaching you. If you check to see what other instruments are there during your week you can get a idea what your ensemble might look like.

Sam

Ahh it makes sense. Thank you.

There is awesome biking around that part of Maine. You can pick almost any one of the bazillion roads that head south from US Route 1 towards the Atlantic and have an amazing ride. My wife and I ride from Machias through Machiasport to Jasper Beach every year - it's a killer ride, and stunningly beautiful. If he has his passport, he can ride into Canada. There's the Sunrise Trail, which is a converted rail bed that's mostly gravel. Doesn't go through Lubec but it's not far, by Maine standards. :-)

I'ms sure there's some great rides that start right in Lubec, but the biking opportunities within an hour's drive are endless.