Adult Academy
A chamber music coaching program for adult amateur musicians who seek to learn and perform chamber music in a variety of configurations.
ACMC Education Programs
Young Artists Academy
Chamber ensemble program designed for young musicians that meet on Saturday afternoons during the fall and spring semesters.
Coltman Chamber Music Competition
Launched in 2010, the annual nationwide Coltman Chamber Music Competition provides performance experience and expert commentary to advanced applicants. Winners of the competition are offered a cash prize in addition to multiple performance opportunities including a live-broadcast on KMFA 89.5.
In-School Coaching
Since 1997 ACMC has formed sustainable and valuable collaborations within middle and high schools in the Austin area reaching students throughout the year teaching them the intricacies of musical communication and expression within small ensembles.
School Concerts
Through School Concerts, ACMC is able to educate by presenting interactive performances of chamber music to elementary, middle, and high school students. Each professional ensemble offers a unique presentation on what it means to play and listen to chamber music.
Summer Workshop
A multi-week chamber music camp in July. The Summer Workshop provides musical opportunities for musicians youth to adult.
“It is easy to point to musical growth and education when talking about my time at ACMC, but as a physicist I don’t spend as much time as I would like playing the cello let alone chamber music. On a daily basis in any profession, especially those with strong personalities, you have to know how to connect and communicate with people. One has to be able to share ideas, listen, and engage in dialogue. This sort of soft skill is hard to teach and is easiest to learn by doing. Chamber music is the pinnacle of small group discussion, several people conversing with one another through their tone, body language, and focus both during rehearsal and performance. This dialogue during rehearsal can be literal but during performance takes on a whole new scope; an artistic representation of people communicating, yielding the floor, and speaking in tandem. For me chamber music was the perfect way to learn this pervasive part of life as a soft skill. Of course my coworkers would argue that chamber music’s greatest impact on them has been my playlists; can you ever get tired of Schubert’s double cello quintet?”
– Tate Deskins, PhD Graduate Student, Case Western Reserve University, ACMC Alum 2008
“Chamber music played a large role in my teenage years, and is still my favorite way to make music today. I learned so much about diplomacy and communication playing in smaller ensembles, lessons that have carried through to other areas in my life. I was particularly struck by the similarities between chamber music and competitive sports whilst rowing for the University of Cambridge. You have to be a leader in your own right at all times, whilst simultaneously being unerringly in sync with the people around you, relying on all your senses to communicate. Of course, it helps that both activities are so dependent upon rhythm and tempo to maintain forward momentum!”
– Caughlin Ryder, Development Officer, University of Cambridge, ACMC Alum 2006