Message from Seth Brenzel,
Executive Director
Dear Walden friends,
Happy Fall! Our inspiring 2026 season officially ends next Wednesday, September 30, with the conclusion of Walden’s 2026 fiscal year.
In this edition of InterNetzo, we share highlights from the 2026 Young Musicians Program (YMP). I hope these reflections and photos will give you a taste of the Walden magic that our students, staff, faculty, and visiting artists created during this amazing summer. It was a banner year, marked by exceptional creativity, community spirit, and joy!
The end of our fiscal year on Wednesday, September 30, means that we are campaigning to reach our fundraising goal of $440,000 for Walden’s 2026 Annual Fund. I am deeply grateful to our community of supporters, whose tremendous generosity makes possible all of what we do each season. We are 86% of the way toward our goal, and we still need to raise $60,000 to close this remarkable season on a high note and plan for a successful 2027. Every gift, no matter the amount, is deeply appreciated. Please consider making a gift today, and read on for more information about supporting Walden.
This Sunday, September 27, we will celebrate the conclusion of Walden’s 2026 season with a Walden celebration and fundraiser in San Francisco. There is still time to RSVP and join us at what promises to be a festive afternoon, with delicious food and drinks, warm Walden community, and a performance by the San Francisco-based choral ensemble Nebula Consort. Read on for more information.
This newsletter also includes a link to a survey about our 2026 Summer Concert Series, which was offered both in person in Dublin, New Hampshire, and through high-quality livestreams on our YouTube channel. Whether or not you attended any events at Walden this summer, we would so appreciate your taking a few moments to respond to the survey so that we can better understand our audience and plan next season’s programming. Participants will have a chance to win a beautiful Walden hoodie!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful start to the fall season.
Sincerely,
Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
A Banner Summer: The 2026 Young Musicians Program (YMP)
By Seth Brenzel, Executive Director and Director of YMP 
When I return to California after a summer at Walden, I’m constantly peppered with some version of the question: “How was your summer at Walden?” In response, I’ve found myself smiling and exclaiming, “It was a banner summer!”
What made it so great? For starters, we were again on the beautiful campus of the Dublin School, welcomed by their gracious and helpful staff and faculty for our 43rd summer in residence on their campus. The weather was mostly great with just a few summer thunderstorms, a couple of too hot days, only one smoky day, and otherwise generally warm summer weather that allowed for lots of outdoor time.
Above right: Seth Brenzel (right) with YMP student Henry on faculstaff lookalike day
52 talented, creative, and engaged students from all across the United States, China, and England, joined us at our Young Musicians Program. Eight of our younger students departed after the first three weeks, and 44 students remained through until the end of Festival Week. About half of this year’s students were returning students from previous summers, and they ranged in age from 10 to 18, with varied experiences as performers, composers, improvisers, and choral singers. Among our amazing students, there was a harpist, a handpan performer, and a competitive yo-yo player, who incorporated his yo-yos into a Composers Forums piece!
We were treated to visiting artist residencies by Duo della Luna, W4RP Trio, members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, Aurora Nealand and friends, and our resident ensemble The Walden School Players. Composer/percussionist Nathan Davis was this year’s YMP Composer-in-Residence. Nathan, who was joined by his family in Dublin, had previously been a member of The Walden School Players and co-founder of Non Sequitur, back in the day when they were the Festival Week ensemble-in-residence. It was simply a delight to have him (along with his family) back to Walden, and we were delighted to perform one of his choral works on our choral concert, which was inspiringly led by choral director Kari Francis.
We had a lot of fun, too, including a faculstaff look-a-like/dress up day, daily “Words of the Day” punning opportunities, swim trips, nail painting, World Cup watching, 4th of July games and treasure hunt, frisbee on the lawn, and so much more. We were able to hike three of our four mountains this summer, with only one rainout. We hiked on the Dublin School campus for the first time ever this year as one of our Saturday hikes, and we made it to the top of Monadnock for the first time since 2023! Halloween in July offered lots of fun trick-or-treating for candy, and the creative team, led by faculty member Francesca Hellerman, transformed faculty and staff offices into a spectacular haunted house. One of this year’s most inventive rooms was one that featured analog doom scrolling—a physical wheel that you kept spinning as it scrolled through printed out memes—endlessly.
Above left: A visit to the Friendly Farm in Dublin, New Hampshire; right: Analog doom scrolling on Halloween in July
We were joined by two new faculty members, Hannah Rice (a Creative Musicians Retreat alum) and Josíah Garza, a student of former Walden faculty member Sky Macklay at Peabody. Other faculty included returning teachers Paul Zito, Luke Schroeder, Aidan Gold, Veronica Kao, Camara Kambon, Emi Ostrom, and Theo Trevisan, who this season joined the Leadership Team. Other faculty members on the leadership team were director of operations Sammi Stone and Academic Deans Nate Trier and Cara Haxo. Faculty members taught many musicianship and composition classes, the core of Walden’s curriculum, and also offered such varied specialty classes as Writing for the Voice, Computer Musicianship, Conducting, Musical Storytelling, and Music and the Visual Arts, among many others.
Our staff team, ably led by Sammi, was joined by assistant choral director and assistant director of operations Brian Fancher, along with CMR alum Lu Caudle, YMP alums Justice Nious, Zach Amdur, and Lucas Blohm Villanueva, along with new to Walden staff member, Sophia Thompson. We had wonderful part-time nurses Olga DiMeglio, Carolyn Tilton, and Dawn Benson join us from the local area to help us stay healthy and manage health care at Walden in 2026. Loretta Notareschi reprised her role as a teaching mentor during faculty and staff orientation, and Rodier was back as our technical director, AKA wizard.
It was a magical summer for so many of us, and we’re already preparing for next year. One of our parents wrote this as she reflected on Summer 2026: “Thank you for creating a unique, wonderful, creative, and fun community. We all benefit from having Walden in our lives.” On behalf of all of us here at Walden, you’re welcome!
Upcoming Fundraising Event
A Walden Celebration and Fundraiser in San Francisco on Sunday, September 27, from 3 to 5 pm
Join Walden this Sunday for an afternoon of delightful music, delicious refreshments, and scintillating conversation in the heart of San Francisco. This event will celebrate Walden’s incredible 2026 season and raise funds to support essential student scholarships, dedicated facutly and staff, and inspiring artist residencies at Walden’s transformative music programs.
We are delighted to present a short performance by Nebula Consort, a San Francisco-based choral ensemble specializing in a cappella works spanning the European Renaissance to the modern day. Directed by Eric Choate, Nebula includes Chris Martin, Walden’s Development Assistant, as a bass vocalist.
You are welcome to RSVP or contact us with any questions by emailing events@waldenschool.org or calling (415) 587-8157.
Fiscal Year-End Fundraising Drive
Walden need your help to reach our Annual Fund goal by next Wednesday, September 30.
As The Walden School’s 2026 fiscal year comes to an end, we are deeply grateful to the hundreds of donors who have supported our programs throughout our 54th season of transformative music programs.
During Walden’s 2026 fiscal year (October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026), nearly 400 individuals, families, foundations, and corporations have collectively contributed $380,000 to Walden’s Annual Fund—and counting!
There is less than one week left to reach our goal of raising $440,000 by Wednesday, September 30. If you haven’t yet supported Walden’s 2026 season (or even if you have!), there’s still time to help us finish the 2026 season on a high note.
Ways to Give
- Send a check payable to The Walden School at 7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94131. To ensure that your gift will count toward Walden’s 2026 fiscal year, gifts must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, September 30.
- Give online. To ensure that your gift will count toward Walden’s 2026 fiscal year, online gifts must be made by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, September 30.
- Arrange a matching gift from your employer.
- Make a pledge. Contact us for more information.
- Make a gift of stock shares.
- Donate your car through Donate for Charity.
- Join the David Hogan Legacy Society by including Walden in your estate plans. Contact us for more information.
Contributions to The Walden School, a 501(c)(3) organization, are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.
For more information, call (415) 587-8157 or email us.
Concert Series Survey
Each summer, Walden’s Concert Series brings diverse programming and artistic excellence to the
public free of charge, with livestreams available for a global audience. Click here to see a complete listing of Walden’s 2026 Concert Series.
Regardless of whether or not you were able to attend (or tune into) a Walden concert this summer, you are encouraged to fill out this brief (5-minute) survey to help us better understand our audience’s preferences and to improve planning for future seasons of Walden’s Concert Series.
If you take the survey (and if you provide your name and email address), you will be entered for a chance to win a Walden hoodie! The survey will be closed and the winner will be selected by October 31.
Take the Concert Series Survey!
Summer of Creativity Recap
Walden’s Summer of Creativity ended on September 22. Thanks to the generosity inspired by our 
creative participants, the Summer of Creativity has raised $5,873 for Walden—and counting! Thank you to the 55 donors who have supported the campaign so far, including 33 first-time donors to Walden!
The creative work done in this campaign will remain available here: Kittie’s Halloween knitting, Dede’s modal challenge, Sarah’s fiddle tunes, Dave’s clarinet composition, Doug’s banjo arrangements, Rachel’s fungi and flora, JoAnn’s sustainable quilting, and Kate and Seven’s video pastiches based on overheard words.
We are deeply grateful to these Walden community members for their creative efforts. If you missed the campaign, you can still support Walden here.
Above: Halloween socks knitted by Kittie Cooper
Opportunities for Composers
Did you know that Walden hosts a continually updated webpage of competitions, awards, and calls for scores? Please let us know of additional opportunities that may be of interest to the Walden community.
Here are some featured opportunities with upcoming deadlines:
Women Composers Festival of Hartford – Call for Scores & Composition Workshop
The Women Composers Festival of Hartford invites women composers to submit works for the annual WCFH conference, April 2-3, 2027 in Hartford, Connecticut. Composers can submit works to the Call for Scores to be considered for public performance, or apply to the Composition Workshop, where selected works will be read, workshopped, and recorded. In 2027, the instrumentation for both opportunities is woodwind quintet of flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon, and chosen works will be performed and/or workshopped by ensemble-in-residence Cirrus Blue. Apply by September 25 (Call for Scores) and/or October 9 (Composition Workshop).
Ghost Ensemble is seeking musical works that create new pathways of relating through sound. Works should be fully realized and able to be performed by 2-9 players (see application for details). New scoring methods, conventional Western notation, graphic or text scores, and/or non-visual modes of communication (oral transmission, audio/video scores, etc.) are all welcome. Ghost Ensemble’s James Tenney Composer Travel Fund will support travel expenses up to $1,000 for selected composers to join for rehearsals and performances in spring or summer 2027. Apply by November 1, 2026.
Association of Anglican Musicians Call for Scores
The Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM) seeks to expand the repertoire of Anglican liturgical music through periodic calls for scores and a continuous partnership with publishers ECS and RiteSong. Composers are invited to submit pieces in two categories: Works for Organ and Choir and/or Hymnody and Congregational Service Music. Rolling submission—see website for details.
Walden Merchandise
Wonderful Walden merch is for sale on our website! We have Walden beach towels, blankets, vintage summer program shirts (YMP and CMR alums: ask about your year!), canvas totes, stickers, pens, pencils, and more.
See what’s available and fill out an order form here.
Payment can be made by check, money order, Zelle, credit card, or PayPal. Zelle and PayPal payments should be directed to billing@waldenschool.org.
Please contact Mindy Williams, Walden’s Administrative Director, or call the Walden office at (415) 587-8157 if you have any questions.
Community News
Michael Poll releases album with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor Michael Poll has released a new album, titled Portraits and Serenades, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring mezzo-soprano Simone Ibbett Brown. Poll is a past visiting artist at Walden as a classical guitarist, and he is the brother of Young Musicians Program (YMP) alum Teddy Poll, who is also a conductor. The album includes works by living composers Ian Venables, Odaline de la Martínez, Shruthi Rajasekar, and Daniel Thomas Davis, alongside Edward Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. This is Michael’s second recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, following Midsummer Light (2025), which featured Barber’s violin concerto, played by soloist Jack Liebeck, alongside contemporary works by Byron Adams and David Conte, a past Composer-in-Residence at Walden.
Wet Ink Ensemble to open their season with four world premieres
This Sunday, September 27, members of Wet Ink Ensemble, a past Walden visiting ensemble, will present their 28th-season-opening concert at the Zürcher Gallery in New York City. The program will consist of world premieres written by each of the four performers: past Walden visiting artists Alex Mincek (saxophone), Mariel Roberts Musa (cello), and Modney (violin), as well as former Walden faculty member Sam Pluta (electronics). Modney writes, “This concert showcases the first step of Wet Ink’s collaborative work-process, featuring new music that will be developed into larger-scale compositions in future seasons.”
Commissioned work by Cara Haxo to be premiered by Cornelius & Karre
Cara Haxo, a YMP alum who now serves as Academic Dean at YMP, is the first composer to be commissioned by the Cornelius & Karre violin-percussion duo. Percussionist Ross Karre is a past visiting artist and Technical Director at Walden. Both Karre and violinist Emily Cornelius are alums of Oberlin Conservatory, where they began their collaboration, and where Karre is an associate professor of percussion. Cara’s commissioned work, belongings, is a four-movement piece inspired by the late poet Wendell Berry’s poem The Dance. The work will be premiered across four concerts in Oberlin and Cleveland, Ohio, starting on September 30 at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Above: Emily Cornelius, Cara Haxo, and Ross Karre
T.J. Borden records album with Vinny Golia
Cellist T.J. Borden, a past Walden visiting artist, has recorded an album, The Pure Products of America Go Crazy. The album features multi-reedist Vinny Golia, as well as James McKain on baritone sax, and James Paul Nadien on drums. that will be released in October, and is currently available for pre-order. T. J. also has several exciting performances coming up, including two performances of Morton Feldman’s Patterns in a Chromatic Field with pianist Mari Kawamura as part of the Graphic Content Festival in New York City, celebrating the music of Feldman and Earle Brown in the centennial year for both composers.
Waldenites at Oberlin
We are grateful to Liam Fissell for sharing this photo of a gathering of YMP alums at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Pictured left to right: Arlo Bivins, Sabrina Lu, Thomas Cekleov, Frazar Henry, Oscar Bohnenkamp, Lexi Mattick, and Liam Fissell
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 at Walden’s Young Musicians Program
