In this special feature, five Juilliard students report on summer projects that took them as far afield as Korea and Costa Rica — and as nearby as Times Square. Whether bringing music to children in orphanages or participating in a 24-hour Hamlet-a-thon, the students say their experiences were both enriching—and fun.

A Summer of Reaching for the Stars... and Beyond By JIHEA HONG For Jihae Hong, the recipient of a 2002 summer grant, bringing music to children in orphanages in her native Korea was a dream come true. She shares her experiences in this article. More...

A Rochester Residency By ED KLORMAN Council Rock Primary School in Rochester, N.Y. is a far cry from Carnegie Hall, but in his summer residency, violist Ed Klorman found a responsive, enthusiastic audience of first- and second-graders. More...

The Show Must Go On... and On... and On By DAVID L. TOWNSEND Part theatrical experiment, part publicity stunt, and part fund-raiser, Hamlet-a-thon was an ambitious endeavor that set out to offer a 45-minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s most famous play, every hour on the hour for 24 hours straight. More...

In Mexico, Contest Prizewinner Returns as a Judge By JESUS CASTRO-BALBI The author, who two years ago took first-prize in the inaugural Carlos Prieto Latin-American Cello Competition in Morelia, Mexico, returned to the second competition in June, this time as a judge. More...

Summer in Costa Rica: Adventure of a Lifetime By REBECCA TAYLOR "Without knowing exactly what I was going to do once I got to Costa Rica, I packed my bags and viola and headed south," the author writes. "My love for Spanish and Latin-American culture, coupled with the possibility of playing and teaching in a foreign environment using a language I barely knew, drew me in at once." More...