Director Leonard Matczynski announces the appointment of Jesse MacDonald as the new violinist of the Apple Hill String Quartet. He joins Elise Kuder, violin, Mike Kelley, viola, and Rupert Thompson, cello, in the Quartet. “It’s such an honor for me," Jesse says. "Apple Hill is where I am meant to be now and I cannot wait to get started on this new journey with Apple Hill and the Quartet.” “We love the passionate musicianship Jesse brings to the Quartet, and we're thrilled to welcome him as our new artistic colleague,” say the other resident musicians. If you missed Jesse's Virtual Tuesday Summer Concert Series performance, visit our YouTube channel to listen anytime, or click here to read an interview.
In light of the present challenging times, our virtual programs will be presented to all free of charge. Especially now, your donations make this possible. We encourage you to donate now.
I'd like to donateJoin us Tuesday, August 11 at 7:30pm for our final Virtual Tuesday Summer Concert Series event, featuring Apple Hill resident musicians Elise Kuder, violin, and Mike Kelley, viola. A link to listen will be available here on the concert day. Missed an event? All our past online concerts and workshop events will be available on our YouTube channel.
With our campus closed this summer, we are building community online. Our next online summer session, led by Apple Hill resident violist Mike Kelley, is August 10-16. The week will include a presentation on Alexander Technique by alumna Lisa Sailer; a concert by Mike and Apple Hill resident violinist Elise Kuder; Director Lenny Matczynski's Reading and Listening Club, featuring composer Amy Beach; a viola master class taught by Mike and Lenny; a "Lives in Chamber Music" set of interviews with faculty and collaborators Vanessa Holroyd, Jeff Louie, and Dana Lyn; and a student sharing concert and dance party. Links will be available here the day of each event. Videos of June and July events are available any time on our YouTube channel. Learn more.
OUR STORIES
There are so many fascinating people associated with Apple Hill—students, faculty, resident musicians, employees, and board. Read about some of them here. Our latest Alumni Highlight is Lupe Vargas-Garcia, a music teacher in Dallas, TX.Click here to read more.
THE APPLE HILL CENTER FOR CHAMBER MUSIC
Apple Hill is recognized worldwide as a center for the teaching and performance of chamber music at the highest level. Founded in 1971, Apple Hill offers educational and mentoring programs each summer as part of its Summer Chamber Music Workshop consisting of five, 10-day sessions held on its 100-acre campus of farm buildings and cabins in Nelson, NH. 300 students, ages 13 to 85, participate in pre-assigned, small instrumental ensembles coached daily by a renowned teaching faculty of 45 instructors. Apple Hill provides a supportive and inclusive atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance, regardless of a participant’s skill level or background. Apple Hill’s success and richness of experience derives from its geographically, culturally, and economically diverse spectrum of students and faculty. In 2019, the students and faculty hailed from 31 states and 14 countries: Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Syria, Turkey, and the United States.
Apple Hill's programs are guided by its overarching vision of Playing for Peace, developed by Apple Hill in 1988 as a way to enable musicians from areas with a history of political conflict to play chamber music together. Over the span of 30 years, Playing for Peace has built more musical communities throughout the world, bringing together musicians underrepresented in classical music, separated by racial or ethnic discord, or separated by gender, orientation, religion, age, and playing level. Apple Hill’s unique approach to community building and connection is taught through the skills of chamber music—being sensitive and flexible, watching, listening, taking risks, and adjusting within a group. In this context, musicians learn to trust, communicate, and connect with each other in ways that transcend boundaries they may encounter in their home communities. Through partnerships with music education programs throughout the country and the world, Apple Hill ensures access and diversity through a generous tuition assistance program.
The Apple Hill String Quartet serves as Apple Hill’s artistic directors, traveling, teaching, and performing 60 concerts and educational residencies locally and internationally throughout the year to recruit workshop participants and to serve as ambassadors for Apple Hill’s mission of creating community and fostering artistic growth through chamber music.
Apple Hill presents a popular, public Summer Concert Series of ten live chamber music recitals in its Concert Barn, preceded by ListenUp! talks and buffet suppers. Concerts feature the Apple Hill String Quartet, summer session faculty, renowned guest artists, and Apple Hill alumni playing standard repertoire of the classical chamber music canon, newly-commissioned works, premieres, music of other cultures, lesser-known composers, and music of our time.
Mission of Apple Hill
Apple Hill exists to perform, teach, and create chamber music at the highest standard, broaden the appreciation of chamber music through the development of educational programs, and cultivate connection and understanding among people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, playing levels, and ages through the Playing for Peace program.