Norfolk Chamber Music Festival–Yale Summer School of Music

Study at Norfolk

Summer in Norfolk

Join the ranks of Norfolk alumni 

9 Fischoff Competition Prize-Winning Groups
5 of the 13 Banff International String Quartet Competition’s First-Prize-Winning Quartets 

Join other up-and-coming chamber musicians at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Yale Summer School of Music. The Festival begins each summer with a week-long New Music Workshop followed by a six-week Chamber Music Session for individual instrumentalists and ensembles, and ends with a week-long Chamber Choir and Choral Conducting WorkshopParticipants receive a fellowship covering the full cost of tuition, housing, and meals. 

Fellows receive daily coachings from Festival artists and perform weekly in Emerging Artist Series concerts and alongside internationally acclaimed artists in the Festival Artist Series. All performances are presented in the acoustically supurb Music Shed and are professionally recorded and livestreamed.

2025 Sessions + Application Deadlines

January 4, 2025: Application Deadline for New Music Workshop
January 4, 2025: Application Deadline for Chamber Music Session
March 13, 2025: Application Deadline for Chamber Choir and Choral Conducting Workshop
June 19 – 28, 2025: New Music Workshop
June 29 – August 10, 2025: Chamber Music Session
August 10 – 17, 2025: Chamber Choir and Choral Conducting Workshop

Study at Norfolk

"Norfolk fostered a space in which my musical ideas were valued and respected. I grew enormously from Norfolk’s emphasis on the rehearsal process, as well as the opportunities to perform alongside faculty members."   Miranda Werner, violin (NCMF  '23)

Chamber Music Session

For six weeks, advanced individual instrumentalists and pre-formed ensembles study and perform chamber music with Festival artists.
Application Deadline: January 4, 2025, 3 PM (EST)

New Music Workshop

The New Music Workshop nurtures a philosophy of equal collaboration between composers and performers.
Application Deadline: January 4, 2025, 3 PM (EST)

Chamber Choir and Choral Conducting Workshop

A week-long workshop for advanced choral conductors and singers.
Application Deadline: March 13, 2025, 3 PM (EST)

Life at Norfolk
A typical day for Norfolk fellows includes daily ensemble coachings with Festival artists and a concert or master class in the evening. There is also plenty of time for private practice, as well as an afternoon hike or swim in Tobey Pond.