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Luzerne Music Center

Luzerne Music Center is an international summer music camp for talented students, ages 9 – 18, and the presenter of the Luzerne Chamber Music Festival, in the intimate setting of Lake Luzerne, NY.

History The Camp and Festival were founded in 1980 by Bert Phillips, Philadelphia Orchestra cellist from 1959 until 1990 (and cellist emeritus from 1990 until his death in 2008), and his wife, pianist and Steinway Artist Toby Blumenthal. Their mission: to build young artists and audiences of the future and enrich small local communities in an environment abundant in beautiful natural resources – New York State’s six-million-acre Adirondack Park.

As part of its heritage, Luzerne Music Center specializes in classical, jazz and new American music, and maintains strong affiliations with the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York City Ballet, whose summer programs take place at nearby Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Their members, and other prominent musicians, teach and perform at the Center throughout July and August.

The Center’s campus occupies the site of the former “Camp Tekawitha,” a Catholic boys camp that honored Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, “Lily of the Mohawks,” and operated from 1909 to 1976. Mr. Phillips and Ms. Blumenthal purchased the property in 1980 and restored it to full capacity. It consists of 20 wooded acres, with a natural sandy beach on Lake Luzerne, recreational fields, student cabins, faculty housing, rustic Adirondack Performance Lodge, outdoor Performance Shed, practice buildings, dining hall and administration building.

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Events Over 50 classical music events take place at the Center over eight weeks every summer, from late June to late August, including 32 concerts. Offerings include weekly performances by the Luzerne Music Center Symphony Orchestra, large brass, woodwind and string ensembles, and student and resident faculty soloists and chamber groups, and eight Monday night performances by guest artists at the Luzerne Chamber Music Festival. The Center also presents about 25 artist residencies and masterclass workshops with guest artists, composers and conductors; intensive Brass and Woodwind Seminars by members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Sao Paulo National Symphony Orchestra, Eastman School of Music and Rochester Philharmonic; and programs and performances concentrating on jazz and new American music.

Luzerne Chamber Music Festival guest artists, faculty and masterclass artists have included: Academy Award-winning composer John Corigliano, composer George Crumb, the late film composer Michael Kamen; Luis Biava, Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and professor at Temple University; conductors Leonard Slatkin, Dennis Russell Davies, Ricardo Muti; international violin soloists Sarah Chang, Midori; Michelle Kim, Assistant Concertmaster, New York Philharmonic, Frederick Zlotkin, Principal Cellist, NYC Ballet Orchestra, Hai-Ye Ni, Principal Cellist, Philadelphia Orchestra; concertmasters Norman Carol, David Kim, LaMar Alsop and Arturo Delmoni; Robert Lipsett, Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair at the Colburn School of Performing Arts; Sergiu Schwartz, The Turner Distinguished Faculty Endowed Chair in Violin, Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University, GA, and Visiting Professor, Conservatoire de Lausanne, Sio.; Sylvia Davis Ahramjian, Associate Professor of violin, Westchester University; Ovidiu Maranescu, Music Director, Westchester University Symphony Orchestra, cellist and cello instructor; the Corigliano Quartet, the Biava String Quartet, the Philadelphia Piano Quartet, the Imani Winds, Chris Brubeck and the Brubeck Brothers; Rodney Mack and the Philadelphia Big Brass, Canadian Brass, the Matt Herskowitz Trio; Benny Kim, violin, of the Miami String Quartet, Jacob Braun, lecturer of cello, UCSC; Darrin C. Milling, Principal Bass Trombone, Sao Paulo National Symphony Orchestra, Nitzan Haroz, Principal Trombone, L.A. Philharmonic; and Philadelphia Orchestra members Blair Bollinger, Gloria dePasquale, Barbara Govatos, Hirono Oka, Yumi Kendall, Paul Arnold, Paul Roby, Burchard Tang Che-Hung Chen, Kerri Ryan, Udi Bar-David, Kazuo Tokito, Jeffry Kirschen, Henry Scott, Carol Jantsch, Mark Gigliotti, Ricardo Morales, Amy Oshiro Morales, Denise Tryon, Jeff Curnow, and Jonathan Blumenfeld, among others.

Curriculum Luzerne Music Center offers a unique experience, balancing very professional music training and performance with outdoor recreation in the atmosphere of a true summer camp.

Its broad curriculum includes playing in the orchestra, performing in chamber groups, and performing on the solo showcase, as well as individual lessons, masterclasses, music theory and rhythm classes, and elective courses in conducting, composition, voice, guitar, and any secondary or tertiary instrument of choice. The Center also offers a strong piano studies program, featuring 16 Yamaha pianos.

Up to 200 young musicians attend the Center each summer from throughout the United States and the world. To better meet individual needs, music students are divided by age group into a Junior Session, held for ages 9 to 14, for two or four weeks, from late June through late July, and a Senior Session, held for ages 15 to 18, for four weeks, from late July through late August. Junior Session is divided into two 2-week sessions, something that amply accommodates younger first-time over-night campers. Approximately 85 students attend each session.

All students have the opportunity to perform as orchestra members under the leadership of acclaimed musicians and conductors such as Luis Biava, Assistant Conductor, Philadelphia Orchestra and professor at Temple University, David Alan Miller, Music Director, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Charles Peltz, Music Director, Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra and Director of Woodwinds, New England Conservatory of Music, Mark Gigliotti, Co-Principal Bassoon, Philadelphia Orchestra, Blair Bollinger, Principal Bass Trombone, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Kenneth Bean, Music Director/Conductor, Junior String Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem, PA.

Luzerne music students learn from their resident instructors not only in individual lessons, but as they perform side-by-side with them in the Luzerne Symphony Orchestra and in chamber music throughout the summer. Student conductors also have an opportunity to lead large ensembles in special orchestra rehearsals.

Luzerne Music Center’s resident faculty members are graduates of: Juilliard, Mannes, Columbia University, NYU, Colburn School of the Performing Arts, USC, New England Conservatory, Curtis Institute, Peabody Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon, Indiana University, Cleveland Institute, University of Michigan, Northwestern, Southern Methodist University, University of Houston, University of Toronto, Canada, Seoul National University, Korea, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, and the Franz Lizst Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary.

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Luzerne Music Center augments its music curriculum with an abundance of outdoor recreational activities: swimming, canoeing, and sailing from the Center’s sandy beach on Lake Luzerne; white-water rafting on nearby Sacandaga and Hudson Rivers; scenic boat tours on nearby Lake George; and hiking, jogging, softball, basketball, volleyball, ping-pong, badminton, ultimate Frisbee, as well as Luzerne Music Center’s annual softball game against the Philadelphia Orchestra Firebirds in August of each year.

↑Jump back a section Alumni

Luzerne Music Center now has over 4,000 alumni worldwide, with 50 states and over 20 nations represented, including Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, China, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the Ukraine.

Alumni of Luzerne Music Center fill important professional music positions around the world, performing in symphony orchestras and opera houses, teaching on music school faculties, and running their own recording studios and performance careers.

Among those whose careers have roots at Luzerne Music Center and the Luzerne Chamber Music Festival are: the Ahn Trio (Angella, violin, Lucia, piano and Maria, cello); Rebecca Ansel, violin (‘86-‘88); Joseph Bousso, conductor (‘86, ‘89-‘91); Jennifer Chiaramonte, piano, of Steinway Music Hall, NY; James Cirillo, percussion, school music teacher, NY (‘91); Robert del Gaudio, percussion and education; Denise Foster, trumpet, school music teacher, NY; Laura Griffiths, Principal Oboe, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra (1980’s); Jennifer Haas, first violin, Philadelphia Orchestra (‘95); Matt Herskowitz, Yamaha piano, recording artist and member of the Absolut Ensemble (NYC) and Matt Herskowitz Trio (Montreal); Glen Inanga, professional pianist; Oliver Ionita, Chief of Development, Northwestern University; Darrin Kelly, trumpet, who frequently subs with the Philadelphia Orchestra; Jennie Lorenzo, Principal Cello, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra (‘85); Michael Ludwig, Concertmaster, Buffalo Philharmonic; Ella Nace, horn, school music teacher, TX (‘01, ‘02, ‘04); William Schulman, horn, Camp Director of Luzerne Music Center (‘84 – ‘87); and Derek Wieland, piano soloist, often appearing with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (‘88 – ‘90), among others.

Alumni recently graduated from and currently attending music school for performance and education include: Brittany Bala, flute (SUNY Fredonia), Chris Campbell, violin (Eastman); Stephanie Gunst, cello (University of Virginia), Nic Handahl, flute (NYU), Hannah Kim, violin (Curtis Institute), Elias Miller, cello (New England Conservatory), Ian Nolan, piano (Indiana University), Ryan Reilly, piano (Juilliard), Chris Reynolds, piano (Juilliard), Caroline Ross, oboe (Yale), Zhi-Fan Li,“Sai Sai,” cello, Shanghai, China (Moscow Conservatory), Erika Schwartz (Tufts-New England Conservatory), Audrey Seaman, flute (Norwich), Benjamin Tisherman (Northwestern), Nick Tisherman, oboe (New England Conservatory), Caroline Walker, piano and voice (Miami).

Alumni recently honored include Nick Tisherman, oboe, and Brenden Zak, violin, featured on From the Top, Chris Bangert-Drowns, piano, 2012 Chopin Master Winner, and Chris Reynolds, piano, selected to compete in the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.

Luzerne Music Center’s President, CEO and Artistic Director, violin soloist and Colburn faculty member Elizabeth Pitcairn, is also an alumna (‘88 – ‘89).

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