Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

An incredible summer of creative music making at Walden is flying by. Our Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) was as inspired as ever, and our Young Musicians Program (YMP) is entering its final stretch—Festival Week starts on Sunday!

We hope you will join us, either in person or online, for some of the amazing concerts we have lined up for the last week of YMP. Read on for more information, including livestream links!

In this edition of InterNetzo, we are excited to invite you to two upcoming fundraising events. Monday, July 29, is Giving Day, our annual online fundraiser showcasing live video updates from YMP. And Saturday, August 3, is our end-of-summer celebration and fundraiser in New Hampshire, featuring the acclaimed vocalist Hilary Kole, a Walden alumna and faculty member. We hope you will join us and support Walden!

Plus, Walden’s Board of Directors is matching every new and increased contribution—up to $15,000—that we raise through August 4, the last day of our Young Musicians Program. Your new or increased gift today will be put to work immediately toward student scholarships and inspiring artist residencies at Walden this summer.

Please read on for more news and updates from the Walden community, including reflections on this summer’s CMR from Caroline Mallonee, and an announcement of our new Memphis Composers Institute, an exciting orchestral performance opportunity for emerging composers. I hope our paths cross soon!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

This Weekend at Walden

At Dublin School,

Dublin, New Hampshire (and online!)

All events are free and open to the public.

Friday, July 26, 7:30 pm EDT

The Walden School Players

.Presenting Walden’s in-house contemporary music ensemble in a dynamic concert of new music, including works by YMP Composer-in-Residence Sarah Kirkland Snider

Walden is proud to host its own professional ensemble-in-residence, The Walden School Players. All distinguished musicians and specialists in contemporary music, the Players share their talent and wealth of experience in contemporary music with the Walden community each summer during the course of a two-week residency at the Young Musicians Program (YMP). While in residence at Walden, the Players work closely with student composers in readings and rehearsals, giving feedback as students prepare their pieces for Festival Week. Then, over the course of three Festival Week Composers Forums, they perform students’ pieces. In addition to their work with students, the Players present a concert of modern and contemporary chamber music in an event that is always a highlight of Walden’s concert series.

The 2024 Walden School Players are: Laura Cocks (flutes), Erica Dicker (violin), Kyra Sims (horn), Chris Wild (cello), Mabel Kwan (piano), Dennis K. Sullivan II (percussion), and Zachary Good (clarinets).

This concert will feature music by YMP 2024 Composer-in-Residence, Sarah Kirkland Snider, alongside contemporary works by Kyra Sims, George Lewis, Rick Burkhardt, Carolyn Chen, Hans Abrahamsen, Isang Yun, and Steven Long.

Watch the Livestream Here!

Sunday, July 28, 7:30 pm EDT

YMP Composer-in-Residence Presentation with Sarah Kirkland Snider

Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider writes music of direct expression and vivid narrative that has been hailed as “rapturous” (The New York Times), “groundbreaking” (The Boston Globe), and “ravishingly beautiful” (NPR). Recently named one of the “Top 35 Female Composers in Classical Music” by The Washington Post, Snider’s works have been commissioned and/or performed by the New York Philharmonic; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Cleveland Orchestra; San Francisco Symphony; National Symphony Orchestra; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Philharmonia Orchestra; Birmingham Royal Ballet; Emerson String Quartet; Renée Fleming and Will Liverman; Deutsche Grammophon for mezzo Emily D’Angelo; percussionist Colin Currie; eighth blackbird; A Far Cry; and Roomful of Teeth, among many others. Join us for a presentation by Ms. Snider of some of her work.

Note: This event will not be livestreamed.

Upcoming concerts—Festival Week starts on Sunday!

Festival Week Composers Forums:

• Monday, July 29: YMP Festival Week Composers Forum I
• Tuesday, July 30: YMP Festival Week Composers Forum II
• Wednesday, July 31: YMP Festival Week Composers Forum III

Friday, August 2: YMP Choral Concert

See the entire Summer 2024 Concert Series lineup here.

Upcoming Fundraising Events

Giving Day is Monday, July 29!

Throughout the first day of Festival Week, we’ll be sharing live video updates from our Young Musicians Program (YMP) as part of a special fundraiser on our Facebook page. Help us raise $5,200 in honor of Walden’s 52nd summer.

Livestream events will include meals, classes, interviews with students, faculty, and visiting artists, a rehearsal of a student composition, and the first 2024 YMP Festival Week Composers Forum.

Plus, Walden’s Board of Directors is matching every new and increased contribution—up to $15,000—that we raise through August 4, the last day of our Young Musicians Program. Your new or increased gift today will be put to work immediately toward student scholarships and inspiring artist residencies at Walden this summer.

Now is a great time to make your first donation to Walden, or to increase your annual donation, to be sure to increase your contribution’s impact!

Support Walden Today

A Walden celebration in New Hampshire on Saturday, August 3

You’re invited to a fabulous Festival Week celebration to cap off Walden’s 2024 Young Musicians Program! Join us to celebrate the impact of Walden’s transformative music programs and to raise funds for student scholarships and inspiring artist residencies. Enjoy a performance by world-renowned vocalist Hilary Kole, a Walden alumna and faculty member, and jazz pianist Misha Piatigorsky, followed by a reception with refreshments and wonderful Walden community.

While there is no charge to attend, gifts to support Walden’s award-winning programs may be made online, by check payable to The Walden School at P.O. Box 432, Dublin, NH 03444, or in person at the event.

For details or to RSVP, contact Noah Mlotek, Walden’s Director of Development and Alumni Relations, by email or by calling (603) 563-8212.

Reflections on the 2024 Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR)

From Caroline Mallonee, Director of CMR

The 2024 Creative Musicians Retreat has come and gone. It was a wonderful week of music-making! This summer, we welcomed 46 participants from 21 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Australia. More than a third of the student body were alumni of CMR, back for more Walden magic, and one participant was an alumna of the Young Musician’s Program (YMP), returning to Dublin 37 years after her first summer at Walden!

We offered twelve different classes, including four musicianship/pedagogy classes, three electronic music classes, some favorite seminars, and two new skills classes in conducting and choral writing. Our curriculum was rounded out by workshops in Irish Traditional music, writing for the guitar, writing for the flute, and exploring the creative potential of the “electro-sandbox” in the Electronic Music Studio.

Our CMR Composer-in-Residence Oscar Bettison came to us all the way from the Netherlands to lead master classes, give private lessons, and moderate our three Composers Forums, in which we heard 39 world premieres! The pieces were performed beautifully by our artists-in-residence alongside performers from our student body. Our incredible 2024 CMR artists-in-residence were pianist David Friend and members of the International Contemporary Ensemble: Colleen Bernstein (percussion), Isabel Lepanto Gleicher (flutes), Nicolee Kuester (horn), Dan Lippel (guitar), Josh Modney (violin), and Damian Norfleet (voice).

The CMR Chamber Choir, led by our choral director, Sarah Riskind, performed four world premieres at this year’s CMR Composers Forums. Sarah also led the morning choral rehearsals for the entire community. We delighted in singing both very new and very old music from a variety of composers, and we used a lot of solfège hand signs.

When we started the Creative Musicians Retreat, we hoped it would be appealing to musically inclined parents of students at our Young Musicians Program (YMP). It is! One of our participants, who had sent his daughter to YMP two years ago, came to CMR this year from his home in San Francisco. He invited his sister to join him, and she did — coming all the way from Australia! They played a delightful piano four-hands piece on Performers Night.

Performers Night kicked off with a performance by faculty member Alex Christie using slide projectors and tape loops; included six pieces by faculty and artists who coached ensembles playing their work; and offered one of the most memorable performances of the week. None of us will soon forget Liz Benjamin’s performance of PDQ Bach’s “Little Bunny Hop Hop Hop,” in which she donned a bicycle helmet and hit her head with boomwhackers (tuned percussion tubes)!

We were thrilled to return to our home at Dublin School after two years away. Although we have proved that the magic of Walden can be created elsewhere, being back in Dublin allowed us to reconnect with the memories and traditions cultivated here over forty years. It was a joy to revisit familiar spaces, revive past experiences, and build upon our shared history in this special place.

Sincerely,

Caroline Mallonee

Director, The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat

Announcing the Memphis Composers Institute

Walden is proud to announce a new performance opportunity for emerging composers: the Memphis Composers Institute, a partnership between The Memphis Symphony, the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music of the University of Memphis, and The Walden School.

Memphis Composers Institute invites composers in the early stages of their orchestral composing careers to submit one orchestra work for a chance to be performed by the Memphis Symphony. This is a three-day event beginning with rehearsals and panel discussions, culminating with a performance of three orchestral works by emerging composers with the Memphis Symphony conducted by Kyle Dickson on February 9, 2025.

For more information about this exciting call for scores, visit our Memphis Composers Institute webpage. The submission deadline is Thursday, September 12, 2024, at 11:59 pm Central Daylight Time.

Plus, be sure to visit our website for a searchable list of competitions, awards, and calls for scores. Opportunities are often posted in Walden’s community Facebook group as well.

Transitions on Walden’s Board of Directors

The Walden School’s Board of Directors held its annual summer meeting on July 19 and 20, in the midst of this summer’s Young Musicians Program (YMP). For two days, this group of dedicated volunteers met to work on plans for Walden’s long-term growth and sustainability. Board members also joined the YMP community for a barbecue dinner and a concert by the International Contemporary Ensemble. The weekend was capped off by a celebratory dinner hosted by Charlie and Dede MacVeagh at their home in Marlborough, New Hampshire.

At this year’s meeting, we were excited to welcome two new members to the board, and we expressed gratitude to Bob Bassett, whose term on the board came to an end. A Denver-based composer, Bob is a Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) alum and a valued member of the Walden community. Thank you, Bob, for your service on Walden’s board!

We are pleased to welcome two new board members:

Stephen Smith

Stephen has worked in the biotechnology/pharmaceuticals industry for 28 years, developing medicines in neurology, virology, oncology, and various rare diseases. His passion is visual art and art history, and he works as a volunteer docent at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, where he leads school tours aiming to form deeper connections between young people in the 21st century and objects created hundreds or thousands of years ago. He holds degrees from George Washington University (political science and economics) and the Sotheby’s Institute of Art Institute in London (East Asian art). Stephen lives with his husband and their daughter in San Francisco.

David Bivins

David Bivins has been a dedicated supporter of The Walden School since 2022 when his son experienced a transformative first year as a student. His passion for the school’s mission stems from witnessing the profound impact it has had on the growth and development of his own child and many others. David is a seasoned marketing strategist currently serving Montefiore Einstein, a renowned hospital system in New York City. He holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies from Michigan State University. David’s creative outlets include photography and music composition and performance. His joy of music traces back to his youth when he played trumpet and served as drum major in his high school marching band.

We Want To Hear From You!

If you have a recent or upcoming premiere or concert, publication, award, new job, or a celebratory life event, please share your news, which needn’t be music-related (although we love your music-related news to be sure!). Email your news to alumni@waldenschool.org.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

A dance during the 2019 Young Musicians Program

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friends,

I enjoyed seeing many of you in March for our celebration and fundraiser in New York, and I look forward to seeing more of you this weekend in Washington, DC. Read on for details about a wonderful Walden event planned for Sunday, May 5, and join us as we build excitement and raise funds for another summer of extraordinary music programs. I hope to see you there!

In this edition of InterNetzo, we are pleased to share the full lineup of our Summer 2024 Concert Series. All of our events are free and open to the public, as well as livestreamed for a global audience. Wherever you are, I hope you’ll join us for some inspiring performances this summer!

I also want to draw your attention to a part-time job opening on our year-round administrative team in San Francisco. We are seeking a Development Assistant to support Walden’s fundraising efforts while gaining valuable experience in the field of nonprofit development. If you or someone you know might be interested in this position, please be in touch!

Please read on for more news and updates from the Walden community. I hope our paths cross at a Walden event or program soon. Our 2024 Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) begins on June 15, and our Young Musicians Program (YMP) starts on June 29. Summer is right around the corner!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Upcoming Fundraising Events

Join us on Sunday, May 5, for a Walden celebration in Washington, DC!

Washington, DC

Sunday, May 5

3 to 5 pm

Join The Walden School for an afternoon of music, community, and refreshments at the historic DACOR Bacon House, an elegant mansion and foreign-affairs club located near the White House. Guests will enjoy a performance by the Claremont Trio, lauded as “one of America’s finest young chamber groups” (Strad Magazine), who will perform works by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Johannes Brahms, and Kati Agócs (a former Walden Composer-in-Residence).

This reception and concert will celebrate Walden’s mission of inspiring artistic expression and personal growth through experiential music programs. Contributions to Walden’s Annual Fund will underwrite critical student scholarships and world-class artist residences at Walden’s 2024 summer programs.

For more details or to RSVP, contact us or call (415) 587-8157.

Summer 2024 Concert Series

Each summer, Walden’s award-winning Concert Series presents leading professional musicians and ensembles on concerts that are offered free of charge to the public and webcast through high-quality livestreams.

Visiting artists and Composers-in-Residence are integral to Walden’s programs, leading workshops, demonstrations, and dialogues that challenge and inspire Walden students. During Composers Forums, student improvisations and compositions are performed by faculty, students, and visiting artists.

Across eight concerts, eleven Composers Forums, and two composer presentations, the 2024 Walden School Concert Series will feature cutting-edge works from artists of diverse contemporary musical genres. In a typical summer, Walden will present nearly 200 world premieres created by our students and faculty—approximately 140 by Young Musicians Program (YMP) students, 40 works by Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) participants, and 10 pieces commissioned from Walden’s YMP faculty.

We hope you will join us—whether in person or virtually—for a season of dynamic performances, creative collaborations, and diverse new musical voices.

Time: 7:30 pm

Location: Louise Shonk Kelly Recital Hall on the Dublin School campus in Dublin, New Hampshire (unless otherwise noted)

Admission: Always free and open to the public

Saturday, June 15

Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) artists-in-residence David Friend and members of International Contemporary Ensemble performing music by Walden faculty members and CMR Composer-in-Residence Oscar Bettison

Thursday, June 20

CMR participants and visiting artists presenting a curated selection of chamber music

Sunday, June 30

ZOFO piano duet—Eva-Maria Zimmerman and Keisuke Nakagoshi (pictured at right)—presenting repertoire for piano four-hands on Walden’s recently donated Steinway

Friday, July 5

Aurora Nealand and friends, presenting a popular outdoor concert of New Orleans jazz on the Fountain Arts Building patio—co-presented with the Monadnock Folklore Society

Friday, July 12

Faculty Commissioning Concert with Friction Quartet (pictured at right), premiering new works by Young Musicians Program (YMP) faculty members

Friday, July 19

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), described by the New York Times as “one of the most accomplished and adventurous groups in new music”

Friday, July 26

The Walden School Players, featuring innovative performers Laura Cocks (flute), Erica Dicker (violin), Kyra Sims (horn), Chris Wild (cello), Mabel Kwan (piano), Dennis K. Sullivan II (percussion), and Zachary Good (clarinet) performing contemporary music including works by Sarah Kirkland Snider, 2024 YMP Composer-in-Residence

Friday, August 2

The Walden School Choral Concert, showcasing the entire YMP community under the direction of choral director Kari Francis

COMPOSER PRESENTATIONS

Sunday, June 16

Oscar Bettison, CMR Composer-in-Residence

Sunday, July 28

Sarah Kirkland Snider, YMP Composer-in-Residence

COMPOSERS FORUMS

Creative Musicians Retreat Composers Forums

Tuesday, June 18; Wednesday, June 19; and Friday, June 21

Featuring newly composed/improvised works by CMR participants

Young Musicians Program Composers Forums

Each Tuesday in July: 2, 9, 16, 23, as well as Thursday, July 18

Monday–Wednesday, July 29–31 (Festival Week Composers Forums)

Featuring newly composed/improvised works by YMP participants

Walden is Hiring!

Join our year-round administrative team in San Francisco.

Walden is hiring for a Development Assistant to join our dynamic, fun, and collegial San Francisco-based administrative team. The part-time Development Assistant will play a crucial role in supporting Walden’s fundraising efforts. This position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to Walden’s growth and sustainability while gaining valuable experience in the field of nonprofit development.

Please help us spread the word about this exciting opportunity! View the full job description here.

Please direct any questions and inquiries to us at jobs@waldenschool.org.

Photo: The Walden School administrative office in San Francisco

Call for Memories and Photos

Attention alumni! We are renewing a call for treasured memories and photos from your time at Walden or the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), to be included in a 50th/70th-Anniversary memory book.

Please aim to keep your reflections to a maximum of 250 words.

Alumni are also invited to share up to five treasured photos with the community to be included in the memory book.

Do you have memories and photos to send? Contact us: waldenschool.org/contact. We look forward to hearing from you!

Photo courtesy of Jane Dugdale, showing Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) students on a swim trip in the late 1950s

Community News

Katie Balch performed by SF Contemporary Music Players

Katherine Balch’s Musica Spolia was performed on April 20 by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players as part of the Pierrot RE:Wind festival. The festival celebrates Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, featuring new and existing works for the “Pierrot” ensemble of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. Musica Spolia was performed alongside pieces by Kevin Day, Massimo Lauricella, Andrew Norman, and Mason Bates. A past Young Musicians Program (YMP) faculty member, Balch currently teaches composition at Yale School of Music.

D. J. Sparr’s harp concerto premiered in Nashua alongside music by New Hampshire students

On April 20 in Nashua, New Hampshire, Symphony New Hampshire gave the premiere performance of Extraordinary Motion: Concerto for Electric Harp by composer D. J. Sparr and poet Janine Joseph. D. J. is a YMP alumnus, a past YMP faculty member, and a current CMR faculty member. Also premiered on the April 20 program was a new collaborative work created as part of New Hampshire Concerto, a project that commissions college composers to submit short movements for orchestra that exemplify or represent New Hampshire. Music composed by four New Hampshire students, from University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth, Plymouth State, and Keene State, made up the finished work.

Sky Macklay featured with portrait concert at WoCo Fest

Composer Sky Macklay, a former YMP faculty member, former CMR faculty and staff member, and Teacher Training Institute (TTI) alumna, was featured in a portrait concert on April 13 at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland. The concert was presented by Ghost Ensemble, in which Macklay performs as oboist, as part of WoCo Fest 2024, a three-day festival celebrating music by women and gender-marginalized composers, produced by the Boulanger Initiative. Five of Macklay’s compositions were performed, alongside an installation of her Harmonitrees, a unique set of interactive, inflatable harmonica-playing sculptures. Sky is on the composition faculty of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

Bob Bassett work performed by Federal Way Symphony

Bob Bassett’s string orchestra work Lodore received a Pacific Northwest premiere on April 14 by the Federal Way Symphony, based outside of Seattle, Washington. Bassett is a CMR alumnus and member of Walden’s Board of Directors. He was also featured on a podcast speaking about the work and his path as a composer with conductor Adam Stern. Congratulations on your premiere, Bob!

New Arrangement of Stacy Garrop’s Tribute to Justice Ginsburg

YMP alumna and past faculty member Stacy Garrop was commissioned by Jane and James Ginsburg, the children of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to compose My Dearest Ruth for the Justice’s 80th birthday tribute in 2013. Garrop’s work is a setting of the last letter written to Ruth Bader Ginsburg by her husband, Martin Ginsburg. Last year, the Bay area vocal ensemble 21V commissioned Garrop to create a version for soprano and alto voices. The new adaptation of My Dearest Ruth was performed by 21V on April 5-6, 2024 in Berkeley and San Francisco.

Theo Trevisan presents master’s recital

Theo Trevisan, a YMP and CMR alumnus and current YMP faculty member, presented his composition master’s recital at the University of Southern California on April 6. Theo performed as bass-baritone in the concert alongside many other performers, including Walden alumni Daniel Montes de Oca Tellez (YMP) and Hannah Rice (CMR). CMR alumna Ashlin Hunter helped with tech. The program for the recital can be viewed here.

Zach Layton performs live sci-fi film score in Albany, New York

On April 20, CMR alumnus and 17-string bassist Zach Layton and collaborators Geoff Gersh (electric guitar) and Bradford Reed (drums and pencilina) performed a live film score for the 1973 French sci-fi film Fantastic Planet at The Linda in Albany, New York. Together, as Order of the Illusive, Layton, Gersh, and Reed have performed accompaniment for other silent films at the same venue, including Nosferatu, F.W. Murnau’s Faust, and Metropolis. On April 21, Layton performed a new work for amplified piano, drums, and 17-string bass with Hamir Atwal and Phyllis Chen (a past Walden visiting artist who will return to Walden in 2024) in Kingston, New York. Check out more of Zach’s upcoming concerts and collaborations in New York State on his website.

Lukáš Janata cantata to be premiered in New York

CMR alumnus and YMP faculty member Lukáš Janata was commissioned by the Chorus American award-winning Cantori New York to write a new cantata. But Love Is Stronger, a 50-minute work for mixed choir, countertenor, clarinet, string quartet, and percussion, will be premiered on May 18 and 19 at the Church of the Holy Apostles in New York City. Janata describes the work as “a testament to the indomitable power of love to transcend even the darkest of circumstances, offering solace, healing, and the promise of renewal,” set to poems by Lord Byron, Emily Brontë, Christina Rossetti, and e.e. cummings. Lukáš recently completed a three-month Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Artist Residency in Taos, New Mexico, as part of a cohort of 11 cross-disciplinary artists.

PRISM Quartet to premiere new body of work

PRISM Quartet, the acclaimed saxophone ensemble and Walden School collaborative partner, will present a new body of work entitled Generate Music, exploring the ties between Black and Jewish artists. World premiere concerts will take place on June 8 in Philadelphia and June 9 in New York, preceded by panel discussions on May 28 and 30 in Philadelphia. Five of the project’s commissioned composers are also musicians—clarinetist David Krakauer, violinist Diane Monroe, poet/vocalist Ursula Rucker, drummer Tyshawn Sorey, and trumpeter/vocalist Susan Watts—who will join PRISM, guitarist David Gilmore, and bassist Reuben Rogers to form an all-star ensemble and perform each other’s works. The program includes additional commissions from Yotam Haber, Myra Melford (with poet Erica Hunt), and Fred Wesley. Project artists have previously collaborated with James Brown, Wayne Shorter, The Roots, Itzhak Perlman, The Klezmatics, and more. A trailer for the project can be viewed here.

We Want to Hear from You!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friends,

Spring has sprung, and I hope you are enjoying the blossoms and the longer days of sun!

As we prepare for another incredible summer of creative music-making, we are continuing our series of benefit concerts to raise funds for Walden’s 2024 season. This month, we enjoyed a wonderful celebration and fundraiser in New York City, featuring pianist Pedja Mužijević. And I invite you to save the date for an upcoming fundraiser on Sunday, May 5, in Washington, DC, from 3 to 5 pm.

The final, Spring deadline for our 2024 Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) is Monday, April 1. See below for information about program dates and locations. We hope you will apply to join us!

Please read on for more news and updates from the Walden community. I hope our paths cross at a Walden event or program soon. Summer is coming!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Apply for Walden 2024

The final application deadline for Walden’s 2024 programs is April 1.

The final application deadline for The Walden School Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) is on Monday, April 1—and we’re not fooling when we say that we hope you’ll apply to make music at Walden this summer!

Walden’s 2024 programs:

• Creative Musicians Retreat: June 15 – June 23, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for musicians ages 18-98)

• Young Musicians Program: June 29 – August 4, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for pre-college musicians, ages 9-18)

To be considered in the spring admissions round, please submit your application by 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on Monday, April 1. Teacher recommendations for the Young Musicians Program can be submitted after the deadline. The non-refundable application fees for both programs may be paid up to a week after the deadline.

Application materials for both programs are available on our website.

Write to us at applicants@waldenschool.org or call the Walden office at (415) 587-8157 with any questions.

Write to us with any questions.

Apply Today

Fundraising Events

Event recap: A Walden School celebration and fundraiser in New York City

Thank you to all who joined us for The Walden School’s celebration and fundraiser in New York City on Saturday, March 16!

It was a wonderful evening of food, drink, conversation, and music held in the beautiful, art-filled Skylight Gallery at the Salmagundi Club in Greenwich Village. Pianist Pedja Mužijević, a former Walden faculty member and the Artistic Administrator of Baryshnikov Arts in New York, took us on a fascinating musical journey with his program “Homage to Mixtapes.”

We are so grateful to our host committee and all of our event donors for your generosity. With your help, we have raised more than $10,400—and counting! Thank you! Your support brings Walden 2024 that much closer.

If you would like to show your support to Walden, contributions are warmly appreciated at any time. You are welcome to donate online or send a check to The Walden School at 7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94131.

Upcoming fundraising event

Washington, DC

Sunday, May 5

3 to 5 pm

Join us for an afternoon of music, community, and refreshments at the historic DACOR Bacon House in Washington, DC!

This reception and concert will celebrate Walden’s mission of inspiring artistic expression and personal growth through experiential music programs. Contributions to Walden’s Annual Fund will underwrite critical student scholarships and world-class artist residences at Walden’s 2024 summer programs.

For more information or to RSVP, email donors@waldenschool.org or call (415) 587-8157.

Walden is Hiring!

Join our summer team.

Walden is hiring for 2024 summer positions at our Young Musicians Program (YMP) in Dublin, New Hampshire. We are seeking new teammates to join our creative community, and we hope that you might help spread the word about these opportunities to your friends and colleagues.

The positions currently open are:

• Staff Member—Young Musicians Program (June–August 2024; Dublin, NH)

Please contact us with any questions and inquiries. All positions are open until filled.

Young Musicians Program (YMP) Online Information Sessions

Join us to learn more about the music camp that changes lives.

Do you know a student who writes songs or arranges music? Or a young improviser who wants to strengthen their musicianship and meet like-minded peers? Or a music teacher who might like to learn about Walden’s unique curriculum?

Join us at one of our online interactive information sessions, featuring presentations and Q&A with Walden’s Executive Director, Seth Brenzel, alongside YMP leadership, faculty, staff, and students.

All YMP Info Sessions are held on Zoom and begin at 7 pm Eastern / 4 pm Pacific.

These events are open to prospective students, music teachers, and anyone else who would like to learn about Walden’s flagship program for musicians ages 9 to 18.

Call for Memories and Photos

Attention alumni! We are renewing a call for treasured memories and photos from your time at Walden or the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), to be included in a 50th/70th-Anniversary memory book.

Please aim to keep your reflections to a maximum of 250 words.

Alumni are also invited to share up to five treasured photos with the community to be included in the memory book.

Please send your memories and photos to us at alumni@waldenschool.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Photo courtesy of Jane Dugdale, showing Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) students in the late 1950s

Community News

Cara Haxo’s compositions performed

YMP alumna and faculty member Cara Haxo (who will return on faculty at the 2024 Young Musicians Program) had multiple compositions performed this month, including several premieres. On March 9, the ensemble Synergy 78 premiered Haxo’s The Weft and Weave Between Us and the flute and clarinet version of her composition Ripple at the Music by Women Festival at the Mississippi University for Women. On March 16, Forward Motion performed Haxo’s A Few Figs from Thistles (originally commissioned by The Walden School as part of the 2021 Faculty Commissioning Project for Hub New Music) at the Ball State University Festival of New Music in Muncie, Indiana. And on March 22, Stories, Secrets, and Forgotten Wisdom for tenor saxophone was premiered by Andrew Hosler in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, as part of the Local 4 Music Fund concert series. Congratulations, Cara!

Recognition for Osnat Netzer’s Dot : Line : Sigh

Veteran CMR and YMP faculty member Osnat Netzer released her debut recording in February of this year, featuring performances of her compositions by Ensemble Dal Niente, Geoffrey Landman, Mivos Quartet, Eric Lamb, Michael Hall, Marianne Parker, and the ~Nois saxophone quartet. Osnat’s new release, Dot : Line : Sigh, was selected by Bandcamp Daily as one of the best contemporary classical releases in February 2024. Osnat spoke about her new release on the Relevant Tones podcast with Matthew Dosland, discussing how she chose compositions from her catalog for the album, and the common thread that connects them: “Though the pieces differ in musical language and aesthetics, they all share the tropes of a punctuated sustain (Dot-Line) and many forms of pitch bends, glissandi, and stylized portamenti (Sigh).” Congratulations, Osnat!

Nicole Mitchell at SF Jazz with Brandee Younger

Creative flautist, improviser, and YMP 2023 visiting composer Nicole Mitchell performed at SF Jazz on March 9-10, in a musical tribute to Alice Coltrane led by jazz harpist Brandee Younger. Nicole joined Younger’s quartet as a special guest, along with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and a string ensemble led by De’Sean Jones. Nicole shared some audio and reflected on the performance in a social media post, which you can view here. We are grateful that Nicole is part of the Walden community!

Alicia Jo Rabins announces Girls in Trouble: The Series 

YMP Alumna Alicia Jo Rabins is a musician, poet, Torah teacher, and the creator of Girls in Trouble, a project which explores the complex stories of women in the Bible through music, visual art, and a Torah teaching curriculum created by Alicia. This year, Alicia is collaborating with filmmaker Alicia J. Rose to create Girls in Trouble: The Series. In each episode of this new web series, Rabins takes the viewer on a journey into a Biblical woman’s story and visits scholars and artists to get their take on the story. You can watch the pilot episode here.

Ruth Hertzman-Miller first-ever orchestra piece premiere

CMR alumna Ruth Hertzman-Miller is a physician, pianist, and composer. Ruth’s first-ever composition for orchestra, The Activity of Sound, was premiered by the Boston Conservatory Composers Orchestra on March 7. You can watch a video of the performance here. A hearty congratulations to Ruth on this achievement!

Eliza Brown’s music responds to climate change

A work by YMP alum and veteran faculty member Eliza Brown was performed as part of a climate change-inspired concert by the Juventas New Music Ensemble in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 23. Eliza’s work, In the Age of the Rise: Three Songs Imagining Life in the Age of Climate Change deals with both the immense grief and the glimmers of hope (through the power of collective action) that are contained within our possible climate futures. Eliza spoke about the work in a short video, which can be viewed here. The livestream of the March 23 concert is available for viewing here.

Updates from Anne Deane Berman

Anne Deane Berman, a Walden alumna and past board member, gave a talk in March at UCLA on her interactive immersive environments with her co-creator and spouse, Dr. Steve Berman. Together, they are planning to host their residential and nonresidential day STEM+ARTS+HUMANITIES Academies at Cornell University in July and UCLA in August. They brought a small Model United Nations high school delegation to Yale University in January and plan to go to Yale MUN LATAM in São Paulo in late summer.

We Want to Hear from You!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friend,

As winter wears on, summer feels closer than ever. Along with the whole Walden team, I am immersed in planning an incredible season of programs in 2024. In this edition of InterNetzo, we are pleased to share highlights of the inspiring artists who will be in residence at Walden this summer, mentoring our students, workshopping and premiering their works, and presenting world-class performances on our summer Concert Series.

This newsletter also contains information about upcoming application deadlines and fundraising events; a recap of Walden’s leadership retreat in San Francisco; and the latest news from around the Walden community.

I hope our paths cross at a Walden event or program soon!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Apply for Walden 2024

Applications for the Lance Reddick Scholarship are due Friday, March 1.

Applications for the Lance Reddick Scholarship at Walden’s Young Musicians Program (YMP), including a completed financial aid application, are due Friday, March 1.

The final application deadline to apply to the Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) is Monday, April 1. We encourage you to share the news with your friends, family, colleagues, students, and teachers.

Walden’s 2024 programs:

• Creative Musicians Retreat: June 15 – June 23, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for musicians ages 18-98)

• Young Musicians Program: June 29 – August 4, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for pre-college musicians, ages 9-18)

Application materials for both programs are available on our website.

Write to us with any questions.

Apply Today

Upcoming Fundraising Events

Saturday, March 16, from 6 to 8 pm

Save the date for an evening of music, community, and refreshments at the beautiful Salmagundi Club in New York City.

Pedja Mužijević, an amazing pianist, a former Walden School faculty member, and the Artistic Administrator at Baryshnikov Arts in New York, will perform.

This reception and concert will celebrate Walden’s mission of inspiring artistic expression and personal growth through experiential music programs. Contributions to Walden’s Annual Fund will underwrite critical student scholarships and inspiring artist residences at Walden’s 2024 summer programs.

For more information or to RSVP, contact us or call (415) 587-8157.

Sunday, May 5, from 3 to 5 pm

Save the date for another wonderful Walden celebration and fundraiser at the DACOR Bacon House in Washington, DC! More details will be available soon. Contact us or call (415) 587-8157. with any questions or to RSVP.

Inspiring Artist Residencies at Walden 2024

Each summer, Walden’s award-winning Concert Series presents leading professional musicians and ensembles on concerts that are offered free of charge to the public and webcast through high-quality livestreams.

Visiting artists and Composers-in-Residence are integral to Walden’s programs, leading workshops, demonstrations, and dialogues that challenge and inspire Walden students.

We have an incredible roster of visiting artists and composers lined up for Walden’s 2024 summer season, with additional artists still to be confirmed.

2024 Composers-in-Residence

Oscar Bettison, Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) Composer-in-Residence

Born on the United Kingdom’s Channel Islands to Spanish and British parents, Oscar Bettison was fascinated from an early age by the interplay between the “weird, hazy, tenuous aural image” in his imagination and the wild effort to wrestle it onto the page. After studying in Amsterdam with Louis Andriessen and Martijn Padding, he learned to embrace this creative discomfort, crashing through challenges with fantastic, imaginative twists. Bettison was recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017, and he is currently a Professor of Composition at John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute.

Sarah Kirkland Snider, Young Musicians Program (YMP) Composer-in-Residence

A highly acclaimed composer who has written dozens of chamber, orchestral, and choral works, Sarah Kirkland Snider has been called “one of today’s most compelling composers for the human voice” (NPR’s Deceptive Cadence). Snider’s music organically synthesizes diverse influences to render a nuanced command of immersive storytelling. She is also the co-founder and co-artistic director of New Amsterdam Records, a nonprofit label that champions new albums by creative composers and performers.

2024 Artists-in-Residence

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)

Members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) will return for residencies at both CMR and YMP in 2024, presenting concerts of cutting-edge new music and performing student works on Composers Forums. With a commitment to cultivating a more curious and engaged society through music, the International Contemporary Ensemble—as a commissioner and performer at the highest level—amplifies creators whose work propels and challenges how music is made and experienced.

David Friend

Pianist David Friend will return as a visiting artist at CMR in 2024. A fearless performer, he has been hailed by critics for his adventurous programming, his commanding technique, and his captivating performances. His playing has been described as “astonishingly compelling” (the Washington Post) and the New York Times calls him “[one] of the finest, busiest pianists active in New York’s contemporary-classical scene.”

ZOFO

This GRAMMY-nominated piano duo will present an opening concert at YMP. Since joining forces as a professional duo in 2009, internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi—ZOFO—have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo Japan with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic programming for piano-four-hands.

Friction Quartet

The acclaimed Bay Area-based string quartet will be in residence for Walden’s 2024 Faculty Commissioning Project at YMP. Friction Quartet will collaborate closely with members of Walden’s faculty, with rehearsals open to the Walden community, culminating in a concert of world premieres composed by Walden faculty members. Lauded for performances described as “terribly beautiful” (San Francisco Classical Voice), “stunningly passionate” (Calgary Herald), and “exquisitely skilled” (ZealNYC), Friction Quartet is dedicated to modernizing the chamber music experience and expanding the string quartet repertoire.

Aurora Nealand

The beloved bandleader, composer, performer, and improviser Aurora Nealand will return to Walden for an outdoor concert during YMP. A Walden alumna and former faculty member, Aurora Nealand has become a prominent force in the New Orleans music scene since she first arrived in 2004. She is most recognized for her performance on saxophones, clarinet, and vocals and has been at the forefront of the revival of New Orleans traditional jazz amongst the younger generation of the city’s musicians.

The Walden School Players

All distinguished musicians and specialists in contemporary music, The Walden School Players share their talent and wealth of experience with the Walden community each summer during a two-week residency at YMP. They will present a concert of cutting-edge new music and premiere student works on three Festival Week Composers Forums. The 2024 Walden School Players are Mabel Kwan (piano), Chris Wild (cello), Laura Cocks (flute), Zachary Good (clarinet), Kyra Sims (horn), Erica Dicker (violin), and Dennis Sullivan (percussion).

Walden is Hiring!

Join our summer team.

Walden is hiring for 2024 summer positions at our Young Musicians Program (YMP) in Dublin, New Hampshire. We are seeking new teammates to join our creative community, and we hope that you might help spread the word about these opportunities to your friends and colleagues.

The positions currently open are:

• Faculty Member—Young Musicians Program (June-August 2024; Dublin, NH)

• Staff Member—Young Musicians Program (June–August 2024; Dublin, NH)

Please contact us with any questions and inquiries. All positions are open until filled.

Young Musicians Program (YMP) Online Information Sessions

Join us to learn more about the music camp that changes lives.

Do you know a student who writes songs or arranges music? Or a young improviser who wants to strengthen their musicianship and meet like-minded peers? Or a music teacher who might like to learn about Walden’s unique curriculum?

Join us at one of our online interactive information sessions, featuring presentations and Q&A with Walden’s Executive Director, Seth Brenzel, alongside YMP leadership, faculty, staff, and students.

All YMP Info Sessions are held on Zoom and begin at 7 pm Eastern / 4 pm Pacific.

These events are open to prospective students, music teachers, and anyone else who would like to learn about Walden’s flagship program for musicians ages 9 to 18.

Walden Leadership Retreat

February 10-11 in San Francisco

Members of Walden’s year-round administration and program leadership teams met for two days of planning sessions on February 10-11 in San Francisco. On the agenda were Walden’s curriculum, strategic framework, marketing and recruiting efforts, year-round programming, finances and budget, Musicianship Course Update Project, and more. It was a productive, inspiring weekend that generated lots of great ideas and momentum as we prepare for Summer 2024—and beyond!

Call for Memories and Photos

Attention alumni! We are renewing a call for treasured memories and photos from your time at Walden or the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), to be included in a 50th/70th-Anniversary memory book.

Please aim to keep your reflections to a maximum of 250 words.

Alumni are also invited to share up to five treasured photos with the community to be included in the memory book.

Please send your memories and photos to us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Community News

Loretta Notareschi releases new premiere recording

YMP alumna and YMP/CMR faculty-member Loretta Notareschi’s Scourge Songs, recorded by the Nebula Ensemble, was released on streaming platforms in January. The poetry, about the Covid-19 pandemic, was written by Denver-based poet Alyse Knorr. In addition to the streaming audio, a video with subtitles is also available for viewing on YouTube. The cover art was partially created by YMP alum Ruby Garlow.

Katherine Balch work premiered by Pittsburgh Symphony

On February 16, the Pittsburgh Symphony premiered former YMP faculty member Katherine Balch’s musica pyralis, a work that takes inspiration from the sounds of the firefly. musica pyralis was co-commissioned through New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices program. The commission was led by the Pittsburgh Symphony and the New York Philharmonic in collaboration with the Ann Arbor Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, and Santa Rosa Symphony. The New York Philharmonic will perform the work on April 12-14. Balch was interviewed by WQED Pittsburgh in advance of the premiere.

Sarah Riskind presents “Baroque Music of the Synagogue”

On February 25, Sarah Riskind presented a concert of Jewish baroque music with the group she directs, the Baroque Artists of Champagne Urbana (BACH). In advance of the concert, Sarah was interviewed on Illinois Public Media. Riskind is a longtime Walden faculty member, having served as Choral Director at YMP for several years, and she will return to Walden as Choral Director at the 2024 Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR). A livestream of the February 25 concert can be viewed here.

David Roberts and teammate win table tennis tournament

David Roberts (at far right in the accompanying photo), a member of Walden’s Board of Directors and parent of YMP alum Marco Roberts, along with his teammate won the Over-50 Men’s Team Championship in Lima, Peru, at the 32nd International Table Tennis Open held at the Juan XXIII Peruvian Chinese School. The pair went undefeated against four teams, one from Chile and three from Peru, to win the event. Congratulations, David!

Hub New Music premieres work by Marcos Balter

Hub New Music, a past ensemble-in-residence for Walden’s Faculty Commissioning Project, performed on February 24 as part of the Celebrity Series of Boston. The program, “to hear the things we cannot see,” included a world premiere by Marcos Balter, a past Composer-in-Residence at both of Walden’s programs. The work by Balter was commissioned as part of Hub New Music’s 10th anniversary season.

Joan Tower honored by Da Capo Chamber Players

The Da Capo Chamber Players honored one of its founding members, the composer Joan Tower, with a concert on February 25 at the Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City. Tower, who is a past Composer-in-Residence at YMP and who has moderated a Walden Alumni Composers Forum, has described Walden as “one of America’s greatest hidden treasures.” The concert, in celebration of Tower’s 85th birthday, featured four of her works, spanning almost 50 years of Tower’s compositional activity.

We Want to Hear from You!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friend,

I hope your year is off to a great start! This winter has been a busy time for Walden, with lots of plans afoot for an amazing season of programs in 2024.

Here is some of what you’ll find in this edition of InterNetzo: an exciting new scholarship created in memory of Lance Reddick; the winter-round deadline to apply to Walden’s summer programs—Thursday, February 1!; summer employment opportunities at Walden; an upcoming Walden event in New York City on March 16; and much more, including news from around the Walden community.

I hope our paths cross at a Walden event or program in the months to come. Summer is coming!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Lance Reddick Scholarship Announced

Earlier this month, The Walden School launched the Lance Reddick Scholarship, an exciting new initiative made possible by a $450,000 anonymous donation in memory of esteemed alumnus and actor, Lance Reddick, who passed away suddenly in the spring of 2023. The donation will fund ten full scholarships per year for the 2024 through 2026 seasons of the Young Musicians Program (YMP), enabling deserving young musicians the opportunity to experience Walden’s summer five-week program free of charge. Five of the ten scholarships will be awarded specifically to students from the Baltimore area in honor of Mr. Reddick’s hometown and the birthplace of The Walden School.

The news was featured in a January 24 article in the Keene Sentinel of New Hampshire, which quoted Walden’s Executive Director, Seth Brenzel: “We’ve always been committed to providing financial aid, and I’m just thrilled we’re going to be able to grow that number quite significantly and create even more access opportunities.”

Applications for the Lance Reddick Scholarship are due Friday, March 1. Click here to apply to Walden, and here to learn more about the scholarship.

Walden is Hiring!

Join our summer team.

Walden is hiring for 2024 summer positions at our Young Musicians Program (YMP) in Dublin, New Hampshire. We are seeking new teammates to join our creative community, and we hope that you might help spread the word about these opportunities to your friends and colleagues.

The positions currently open are:

• Faculty Member—Young Musicians Program (June 2024; Dublin, NH)

• Staff Member—Young Musicians Program (June–August 2024; Dublin, NH)

Please contact us with any questions and inquiries. All positions are open until filled.

Year-End Giving

Thank you for your support!

Thank you to the many generous donors who made year-end gifts to Walden! Your contributions will help us offer life-changing musical experiences next summer to 100 students across our two programs, including critical student scholarships and inspiring artist residencies.

During the last three months of 2023, our donors contributed more than $150,000 to Walden’s Annual Fund. This represents 40% of our goal to raise $375,000 during Walden’s 2024 season (October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024). Thank you! Your support brings a life-changing summer experience that much closer for our students. If you missed our year-end campaign, it’s not too late to support Walden today with a tax-deductible gift. Thank you for your support!

Donate Today

Upcoming Fundraising Event

Saturday, March 16, from 6 to 8 pm

Save the date for an evening of music, community, and refreshments at the beautiful Salmagundi Club in New York City.

Pedja Mužijević, a “refined pianist” (The New York Times) and former Walden School faculty member, will perform.

This reception and concert will celebrate Walden’s mission of inspiring artistic expression and personal growth through experiential music education. Contributions to Walden’s Annual Fund will underwrite critical student scholarships and inspiring artist residences at Walden’s 2024 summer programs.

For more information or to RSVP, contact us or call (415) 587-8157.

Walden Holiday Parties

In January, Walden community members gathered for three holiday/new year parties in New York, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon. These events brought together Walden alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and board members for festive potluck gatherings. Delicious food and drinks were shared, music was played, Jenga towers were built and destroyed, and much merriment was had. Many thanks to our wonderful volunteer hosts: Scott Menchin and Yvetta Fedorova in New York, Ali Crockett Moore in Portland, and Michael Brotchner and Lori Cohen in Seattle.

Apply for Walden 2024

The next (winter-round) application deadline is Thursday, February 1!

The second (winter) application deadline to apply to the Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) is tomorrow, Thursday, February 1. We encourage you to share the news with your friends, family, colleagues, students, and teachers.

Walden’s 2024 programs:

• Creative Musicians Retreat: June 15 – June 23, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for musicians ages 18-98)

• Young Musicians Program: June 29 – August 4, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for pre-college musicians, ages 9-18)

Application materials for both programs are available on our website.

Write to us with any questions.

Apply Today

Young Musicians Program (YMP) Online Information Sessions

Join us to learn more about the music camp that changes lives.

Do you know a student who writes songs or arranges music? Or a young improviser who wants to strengthen their musicianship and meet like-minded peers? Or a music teacher who might like to learn about Walden’s unique curriculum?

Join us at one of our online interactive information sessions, featuring presentations and Q&A with Walden’s Executive Director, Seth Brenzel, alongside YMP leadership, faculty, staff, and students.

All YMP Info Sessions are held on Zoom and begin at 7 pm Eastern / 4 pm Pacific.

Learn more and register for one of the info sessions below:

Thursday, February 15

Thursday, March 21

Thursday, April 11

These events are open to prospective students, music teachers, and anyone else who would like to learn about Walden’s flagship program for musicians ages 9 to 18.

Walden Recordings on Bandcamp

Listen to live recordings from Walden.

Each summer, students at Walden’s Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) showcase their creativity by presenting original works on Composers Forums. Walden is proud to offer professional-quality recordings of those works for free on our Bandcamp page, where you can enjoy recordings from all the summer 2023 Composers Forums at both Walden programs, as well as last summer’s festive YMP Choral Concert featuring the entire YMP community.

Competitions and Calls for Scores

Featured opportunities with upcoming deadlines

Walden encourages the sharing of opportunities and resources for composers, including competitions and calls for scores that may be of interest to our community. We maintain a searchable list of competitions, awards, and calls for scores on our website. Opportunities are often posted in Walden’s community Facebook group as well.

Here are some opportunities we are highlighting this month:

Flute Choir Call for Scores

The National Flute Association invites composers to submit works for flute choir. Submissions must be 12 minutes in duration or less, and include at least six parts for any combination of the acoustic flute family. The winning submission will be performed in August 2024 at the National Flute Association convention in San Antonio, Texas. Apply by February 14.

Ithaca College Wohlhueter Jazz Ensemble Composition Contest

Entries must be original, unpublished compositions for instrumental jazz ensemble, including a solo part for guest artist Alexa Tarantino on alto sax, soprano sax and/or flute. Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble students participate in the judging of contest submissions, and will perform the winning composition in April 2024. The contest prize for the winning composer is $1,500. The entry fee is $25. Apply by March 1.

2024 Earplay Donald Aird Competition

Earplay sponsors the annual Donald Aird Composers Competition, open to composers of any nationality and any age. Submissions should be for the instrumentation of Earplay, 1-6 players with one player per part on any combination of flute, clarinet, piano, violin, viola, and/or cello. Works may include electronics. Earplay performs the prizewinning piece and presents a cash prize of $1,000 to the winning composer. Apply by March 31.

If you’re aware of an opportunity that Walden students, alumni, faculstaff, and friends should know about too, please contact us.

Call for Memories and Photos

Attention alumni! We are renewing a call for treasured memories and photos from your time at Walden or the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), to be included in a 50th/70th-Anniversary memory book.

Please aim to keep your reflections to a maximum of 250 words.

Alumni are also invited to share up to five treasured photos with the community to be included in the memory book.

Please send your memories and photos to us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Community News

D. J. Sparr collaborates with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

Walden alumnus and longtime faculty member D. J. Sparr, who will return on faculty at the 2024 Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR), will be featured this Friday and Saturday, February 2 and 3, with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, for a program called Shostakovich and Six Strings. Sparr is a composer and guitarist who frequently performs on electric guitar in collaborative concerts with symphony orchestras. In an interview with Buffalo Rising, D. J. said, “We’re going to play with joy. . . . [We are] going to reach out to people that wouldn’t otherwise maybe want to come, like people in the ‘guitar world’ who are really curious about the guitar being combined with classical music.” In connection with the concerts, D. J. will offer a masterclass for high school and college students.

New music by Freya Waley-Cohen in London

In February, several compositions by Freya Waley-Cohen, a Young Musicians Program (YMP) alumna, will receive premiere performances in London, England. On February 1, Manchester Collective will give the first performance of Freya’s song cycle Spell Book at the Barbican Milton Court Concert Hall. On February 27, the Colin Currie Quartet will premiere Freya’s new percussion quartet Stone Fruit at Wigmore Hall, on a program of percussion ensemble music by Steve Reich, Andy Akiho, Dave Maric, and Amy Beth Kirsten, who has been composer-in-residence at YMP in 2022 and CMR in 2023.

George Lewis profiled by Alex Ross in The New Yorker

George Lewis, the pioneering composer, scholar, and trombonist who has been Composer-in-Residence at both of Walden’s programs, was the subject of a recent profile by Alex Ross in The New Yorker. The article highlighted Lewis’s work as both a participant in, and a scholar of, the black-led experimental music collective known as the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), as well as his recent work as artistic director of the International Contemporary Ensemble—a frequent Walden artistic collaborative partner, which will return to Walden’s programs in summer 2024.

Julian Hofstetter honored by Lawrence University

Julian Hofstetter has received the Pi Kappa Lambda Composition Award from Lawrence University, awarded “for exceptional originality and skill in music composition.” The award committee wrote of Julian: “Julian Hofstetter is a composer who has shown consistent imagination and skill, with a strong dedication to his art. . . . The composition faculty highly commend Julian on his initiative, work ethic, and originality.” An alumnus of both YMP and CMR, Julian graduated from Lawrence University in 2023. A hearty congratulations from Walden, Julian!

Constantine Darie featured in local newspaper

YMP alumnus Constantine Darie is raising funds for a trip to perform in Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland with the American Music Abroad program. He will play cello and sing in chorus on the tour alongside 150 other music students from the United States. His fundraiser was featured in an article in North Country Now of Potsdam, New York.

Del Sol Quartet premieres Huang Ruo’s Angel Island

On January 11-13, the Del Sol Quartet, a past Walden visiting ensemble, gave the New York premiere of Angel Island, a staged oratorio for string quartet and chamber choir by acclaimed Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo. Del Sol has been working with Ruo on the Angel Project for six years, and their collaboration was profiled in a New York Times article about the performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The work is a setting of poems etched between 1910 and 1940 by Chinese immigrants to the U.S. on the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay. Del Sol Quartet, who are based in San Francisco, will give a series of performances at the historical immigration station in March.

In Memoriam

Ron Nelson

Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) composer and faculty member Ron Nelson died on December 24, 2023, at the age of 94 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He taught at Brown University for many years and was the Chair of the Music Department there.

Legions of Walden alums will recall singing Ron’s “Sleep, Little One” in chorus and in evening music. Nelson was described by conductor Leonard Slatkin as a “quintessential American composer.” You can learn more about his life and music here.

Ron put together a video with footage from the 1960 JCC season for the 2007 Walden/JCC alumni reunion. You can view the video here, to which JCC alumnus Bob Weaver added Ron’s original music as a soundtrack.

The entire Walden and JCC communities join in extending our condolences to Ron’s wife Michele, Ron’s family and friends, and all who loved him and who were touched by his life and music.

Alice Parker

Alice Parker, the renowned American choral composer, arranger, conductor, and educator, died at the age of 98 on December 24, 2023. In the summer of 2005, Parker paid a visit to Walden’s Young Musicians Program (YMP), where she led one of her signature “Community Sings.” The impact of this visit was felt for many years by those who remember her generous spirit and heartfelt musicianship. The Walden School extends its condolences to Alice Parker’s family and to all those who were touched by her legacy.

Charles Ogwo

Charles Ogwo, brother of Walden alumna, past faculty member, and past Walden board member Nnenna Ogwo, passed away unexpectedly earlier this month in Washington, DC. The Walden community joins together in keeping Nnenna in our thoughts, prayers, and hearts during this most difficult time.

We want to hear from you!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.