They were huddled in a circle, the five of them, heads down and arms around each other. As I approached, they suddenly high-fived each other and turned away, enormous grins on their faces. Who were they? A new sports team at Juilliard? No… Just the gregarious and hard-working students who were about to go onstage for their performance of the "Trout" Quintet in Juilliard’s first-ever chamber music festival.

György Sándor coaches Marie No, violin, and Tim Carter, clarinet. (Photo by Peter Schaaf)

ChamberFest 2002 featured trios, quartets, quintets, and one octet, each made up of Juilliard students and coached by Juilliard faculty. The 50 participating students and 10 coaches returned from their winter break on January 6 (one week early) for this tuition-free event. An opening-night pizza party kicked off the week, bringing students together with participants from the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar Week (which ran concurrently in the building, January 7-11). ChamberFest’s schedule included eight hours of coaching for each ensemble, though most ensembles ultimately received more. Each ensemble was assigned a fifth-floor studio, which was theirs for the week to rehearse whenever they wished. The octet, working in Room 309, performed with their coach, Mark Gould. Special events included an open rehearsal by the Juilliard String Quartet and a seminar, "Chamber Music Career Choices," led by Craig Combs of Chamber Music America.

The six concerts of ChamberFest (attended by a total of approximately 2,500 people) took place the following week (January 11-19) in Paul Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Juilliard Theater, after all the students had returned from the winter break. Chamber Fest concluded with a reception after the final concert for all the participants. Audience members from that

Frank Rosenwein, oboe; Edward Parsons, bassoon; and Hong Lin, piano, rehearse under Joseph Kalichstein’s watchful gaze. (Photo by Peter Schaaf)

concert also crowded in after an elegant invitation issued from the stage by Michael Nicolas, the cellist in the closing work, the aforementioned "Trout" Quintet. This popular work for piano and strings was coached by Baruch Arnon, who said that the quintet’s members—who had never before played together—prepared the piece in just five days.

"The students had to find a common language and manner of playing," Arnon said. "It was something to behold. The total dedication and seriousness of purpose were there from the first moment. The enthusiasm never sagged. Every minute was taken advantage of. It was a joy working with them."

Several of the ensembles came to ChamberFest pre-formed, ranging from groups begun in September to others such as the Claremont Trio and Zoroastran Trio, already embarking on significant professional careers. Others were matched up by the Chamber Music Office and met for the first time on January 7.

Students worked with an intensity that is not possible in their regular chamber music program. Repertoire put together that week included the Messaien Quartet for the End of Time; Schubert’s "Trout" Quintet and "Death and the Maiden" Quartet; Bartok’s Contrasts; Brahms’s Horn Trio; Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 3 and Trio for Flute, Bassoon and Piano; Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds; Barber’s String Quartet; and Stravinsky’s Octet for Wind Instruments, among others. In addition to Baruch Arnon, the participating coaches were Toby Appel, Mark Gould, Joseph Kalichstein, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Curtis Macomber, Charles Neidich, György Sándor, Peter Serkin, and Carol Wincenc.

Feedback from students who took part in the festival has been overwhelmingly positive. Responding to a follow-up questionnaire, one wrote, "The opportunity to work in peace, with our own studio space and no classes to consider or juggle was dreamlike—truly wonderful." Another wrote, "ChamberFest was one of my favorite weeks at Juilliard, ever. The opportunity to really focus on chamber music was unique and much needed. This program was incredibly well organized and an ideal experience for me. I can’t wait for next year’s ChamberFest!"

Plans for next year’s festival, which is scheduled to take place from January 6 through 18, are already underway. So be sure to mark your calendar now and come hear some of the best chamber music around!

Bärli Nugent is administrative director of chamber music; she earned her B.M. and M.M. degrees in flute from Juilliard.