Coaching

The heart of the Chamber Music Conference is the coaching program. In daily morning and afternoon sessions, groups of participants study complete works of the chamber music repertoire under the guidance of our distinguished faculty. Each group meets with the same coach for three or four coaching sessions. Groups are carefully assembled for compatibility. Works are assigned several weeks in advance of the Conference, taking repertoire preference into account whenever possible. Participants are expected to arrive having practiced the parts and studied the scores for their assignments in their entirety. The advance scheduling, assignment, and preparation allow focused and rewarding exploration of the music in the coaching sessions.

You can personalize your coaching experience in several ways, including:

• Choosing between two coaching formats.
• Pre-forming groups and making requests for repertoire and/or coaches.
• Requesting to study and perform a work commissioned by the Conference and composed by a Composer-in-Residence or a Composition Fellow.

View the Coaching Program at a Glance table for a summary of the program and details of the instrumentation in each week of the Conference. View the Daily and Weekly Schedules page for more details of the coaching schedule.

Coaching Formats

We offer two different coaching formats during the four weeks of the conference.

Coaching Format for Week 1 – The format of week 1 includes fewer pieces, and more coaching sessions for each piece, than the format of weeks 2, 3, and 4. Participants receive three assignments for coaching, and each piece is coached for four sessions with the same coach. In addition, scheduled rehearsal times afford the opportunity for participants to practice and to assimilate feedback from coaching sessions; coaches do not attend the scheduled rehearsals.

Coaching Format for Weeks 2, 3, and 4 – Participants in these three weeks receive four coaching assignments per week and are coached on each piece for three mornings or three afternoons. The same coach is present for all three coaching sessions. This format does not include scheduled rehearsals and leaves more unscheduled time for informal ensemble playing.

Coaching Requests and Pre-formed Groups

After your application is accepted, you may submit requests, including your preferences for personnel and repertoire for coached groups. These requests help us customize your schedule to an extent not matched in other workshops. We cannot fulfill all requests, but we make every effort to honor them.

General Requests – We strongly encourage participants to express general preferences for coached groups, for example: I'd like to work with one of the following coaches or I'd like to be coached on a piano trio or I'm interested in music by underrepresented composers.

Specific Repertoire Requests – You can also request specific works that you would like to be coached on. If you provide a generous list of pieces, covering a variety of instrumentations and composers, your schedule will likely include one or more of your suggestions.

Pre-formed Groups – You may submit a request for a pre-formed group by specifying the musical composition and all other players in the group. You can pre-form one of the three groups in week 1 and two of the four groups in weeks 2, 3, and 4.

Coaching on a Commissioned Work

In each of weeks 2, 3, and 4, the Conference invites a Composer-in-Residence and a Composition Fellow to write works specifically for a group of Conference participants. Through the Composers' Forum, a significant percentage of our Conference's population has had the distinction of premiering a new work. On your application form you may indicate your interest in studying a new composition with its composer present at coaching sessions. The group will be coached by the Composer-in-Residence and will perform the commissioned work in a participant musicale. See the Composers' Forum page for more information.

Performance Opportunities

Each coached group has the opportunity to share their work with the other participants and faculty by performing a movement in an afternoon participant musicale. Our Conference emphasizes study and musical growth over performing, so performing happens only when all group members want to perform and as long as there is enough space on the time-limited program.

For more information about participant musicales, see this document.

2026 Coaching Program at a Glance

Program Element	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Dates	July 5-12	July 12-19	July 19-26	July 26-August 2
Number of participants	40 to 50	60 to 70	60 to 70	60 to 70
Number of works coached	3	4	4	4
Coaching hours per work	7	5.25	5.25	5.25
Total coaching hours	21	21	21	21
Scheduled rehearsals	✓
Commissioned works*		✓	✓	✓
Instrumentation	violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano

* For participants who indicate interest.

Acknowledgements

The chamber music coaching program and other programs of the Chamber Music Conference are made possible, in part, by support from Associated Chamber Music Players (ACMP), the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, and generous contributions from individuals.