Spring Workshop, College of Marin, June 3-4, 2017
By Elizabeth Morrison for the Workshop Committee
Your CMNC Directors are busy planning our next chamber music weekend, to be held at College of Marin in Kentfield on weekend of June 3-4. The application deadline is April 15, so be sure to apply soon at Details of our COM workshop. College of Marin is a small campus, easy to get around, with plenty of nearby parking, great staff support, and one of our favorite caterers. We are lining up a roster of great coaches, and will have a concert on Saturday afternoon by CMNC favorites Burke Schuchmann, cello, Yael Ronen, flute, and their friend, violinist Rachel Patrick.
For this workshop, you may come as an individual or as a member of a preformed group. You may be preformed either or both days if you wish. All participants will be coached on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, coaching will be followed by performance samplers at which each group will play a brief selection of the piece they have been working on during the day. Sunday’s coaching session will be followed by an optional performance sampler. All are welcome to perform, listen, or to go home at 4.
In the past, Sunday at our COM workshop has been a non-coached reading day for groups other than preformed groups, with separate morning and afternoon sessions. Last year there was such a small demand for the reading option that we were not able to make satisfactory, balanced groups as we wish to do. So this year we have eliminated the reading day in favor of coaching both days.
For those of you who love to read, we are expanding your options for freelancing Saturday night. We are inviting CMNC members, including those not attending the workshop, to join participants for the coaches’ concert, dinner and freelancing. You can invite your friends, freelance with other workshop participants, enjoy the library and in general read to your hearts’ content. You can even freelance during meals.
With coaching both days, the workshop committee especially wants you to enjoy your music assignment. Are there pieces you have always wanted to be assigned? New pieces in our library you would like to try? You can check CMNC_New_Additions_March_2017_update.pdf for exciting recent additions. Are you a string player eager to play with winds or vice versa, or a pianist with a particular combination in mind? We can’t absolutely guarantee to assign you your wish, because it depends on having the other players needed to make the group, but we will definitely do our best. So use the “Request” box on your application and let us know what you would most like to play.
Advance assignment notifications, including contact information for their group members, will be sent to all players. You are strongly encouraged to contact others in their group and start working on your pieces. Want to build up calluses, toughen your embouchure, and tone up those playing muscles for summer workshops? This is the place to do it. We hope you will join us for a pleasurable weekend.