Life at Apple Hill

An Inclusive Community

Apple Hill is founded on three values: Everyone is accepted for who they are; everyone has an expressive voice; and everyone deserves to be supported and encouraged equally. Since groups are formed according to ability and not age, a chamber group may bring together professional and conservatory musicians, college students, adult amateurs, high school students, physicians, computer scientists, and schoolteachers. Participants come from all corners of the United States and such distant points as Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, Haiti, and Mexico through the Playing for Peace program. Some participants are just beginning to play chamber music; others are pursuing active professional careers.

Guidance and Supervision

During each 10-day session, nine faculty members coach a total of twenty-seven participant ensembles. Overseeing camp operations are one Music Director, three Camp Directors, and nine Counselor Workers, whose duties include planning and facilitating activities, providing rehearsal assistance, and fostering community. Each Counselor Worker is assigned to a cabin and supervises underage participants therein. Also on-site are Apple Hill’s year-round employees, including Director Sam Bergman and Summer Workshop Administrative Director Amelia Perron.

Sharing Music

Chamber groups share their music in a variety of ways. Ensembles may choose to perform for the community after a mid-week lunch or dinner. Faculty offer concerts each Tuesday, prefaced by listenUP!, a pre-concert talk. Through the session, participants can take part in faculty-led masterclasses, attend faculty open rehearsals, sight-read chamber music with fellow participants, or seek practice help from teaching assistants. Each session concludes with participant concerts, held the final Saturday evening (7pm) and Sunday afternoon (1:30pm).

Recreational Activities

Recreation and relaxation are essential balancing elements to the Apple Hill experience. Daily activities will primarily be on-campus, and include games, ping-pong, dancing, and theatrical activities. Participants and faculty hike nearby mountain trails, jog or walk the famous 4.2 mile cross-country “Loop.” In this intergenerational environment which combines structure with choice, extra supervision for younger participants is provided as needed.

Facilities

Apple Hill is located on a rural, 100-acre former farm in the Monadnock region of Southern New Hampshire. The heart of Apple Hill is the Concert Barn—home of countless rehearsals, public and participant concerts, and shared meals. There are additional gathering spaces on campus for quiet reading or group activities. On the slopes of the property are cabins that each house one to six persons. These are equipped with electric lights and outlets, foam mattresses, and screened windows. Bathrooms and showers are in two centrally-located bathhouses.

Buffet-style meals are delicious and plentiful. With advance notice, the kitchen staff can accommodate food allergies and special dietary restrictions.

There are rooms for group and individual practice in the Rehearsal Barn and practice cabins scattered in the woods.

Click here for a packing list.

Adult Housing

Adult participants who do not want to reside in cabins can stay in a private home within a ten-minute drive of Apple Hill. Nearby homeowners will provide a comfortable bedroom and the use of a bathroom. Cost of accommodation is an additional $325 for the entire ten-day session.

Sample Daily Schedule

Each participant will be assigned two chamber groups, both of which will be coached one period each day. The two remaining periods are for “crew duties” — simple chores to help the camp run smoothly — and practicing or relaxing.

Evening Activities

• First Friday: Singing, sight-reading, and get-to-know you activities.
• First Saturday: A 15 minute hike up Pitcher Mountain to watch the sunset. This is a short hike that, while steep and over uneven terrain, is accessible for most.
• First Sunday: Previous sessions have featured Alexander Technique, zumba, yoga, open rehearsals, and other guided activities.
• Monday: Trivia night.
• Tuesday: Faculty concert. Concert program will be listed online in the spring. Followed by a dance for participants and faculty.
• Wednesday: Day off from rehearsals. Activities might include a local nature walk, crafts, or movie night.
• Thursday: Masterclasses run by the faculty for each instrument. Bring solo repertoire or a challenging passage from your assignment to play, or just listen. Followed by a camp fire and s’mores.
• Second Friday: Skultures Night. Share music, dance, etc from your culture, or create a fun skit. Skit night meets cultures night.
• Second Saturday: Participant concerts at 7pm.
• Second Sunday: Participant concerts at 1:30pm.

Please note that Summer Chamber Music Workshop activities beyond the concerts are not open to the public.

For more information about life at Apple Hill, visit our frequently asked questions page.