Chamber Music Summer Intensive

Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is proud to partner with Saint Mary’s College to present the annual Chamber Music Summer Intensive. This five-day program brings together young musicians and renowned professionals for an exciting week of chamber music study, masterclasses, workshops, solo and ensemble performances, and community engagement opportunities. The program is open for intermediate to advanced strings, brass, wind, and piano students in grades 6-12. With the beauty of Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN as a backdrop, the Fischoff Chamber Music Intensive is a transformative musical experience for our students!

2025 SUMMER INTENSIVE: JUNE 9 - JUNE 13, 2025

Audition Requirements

All applicants must submit an unedited video recording. Recordings should be uploaded to YouTube, or shared from Google Drive, Dropbox, or similar file-sharing service. Please be sure your audition videos are clearly titled (e.g. John Smith, flute – Humoresque, Op. 101, No. 7 by Dvořák). Audition videos must clearly display the hands and face of the applicant at all times during the performance.

Strings, Wind, and Brass

Two major and two minor scales of your choice
One solo work demonstrating technical skills and musical expression

Piano

Two major and two minor scales of your choice
One solo work demonstrating technical skills and musical expression

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit-based Scholarships

Merit-based camp scholarships are available, covering up to 50% of tuition costs. Scholarships are competitive and determined by audition. If you would like to audition for a merit scholarship, please send your audition video recording to Dr. Geena Kam at geena@fischoff.org before you complete the registration form. Qualified students will receive a scholarship promo code to apply to your payment. Earlier submissions receive priority consideration. Students who are receiving financial aid are not eligible for a merit scholarship.

Financial Aid

We also have financial aid available. To receive financial aid for the program, please complete this form.

2024 Faculty

Kevin Kwan Loucks, Piano Faculty-in-Residence
Sponsored by SBAMTA Stickley Scholarship Fund

Pianist Kevin Kwan Loucks enjoys a multifaceted career as international concert artist, educator, and arts entrepreneur. He has been described as “impeccable” (La Presse, Montreal), “a shining talent” (Völser Zeitung, Italy), and “a pianist of exhilarating polish, unity and engagement” (The Orange County Register, California). He has earned ovations from Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, to Prösels Castle in Italy, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kumho Art Hall and Seoul Arts Center in South Korea, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and Prague’s Lichtenstein Palace. He has been featured on National Public Radio, CBC Radio 2, Classical KUSC, the Public Broadcasting Service, KABC-TV Los Angeles, and the Korean Broadcasting System, and was a top prize winner at the Schlern International Competition in Italy, the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in Boston, the Beverly Hills International Auditions in Los Angeles, and the American Prize in Performance.

As a collaborative artist, Kevin Kwan Loucks has appeared in recitals with Rachel Barton Pine, Colin Carr, Paul Coletti, Robert deMaine, Glenn Dicterow, Karen Dreyfus, Eugene Drucker, Edgar Meyer, Johannes Moser, Kyung Sun Lee, and Carol Wincenc. He has been featured in collaborations with the Afiara, Argus, Arneis, Cecilia, Jupiter, Lyris, and Rus String Quartets, and has performed and recorded as a member of Gruppo Montebello, an all-star ensemble of acclaimed Banff Centre resident artists based in Canada.

Loucks has performed hundreds of recitals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia with his wife, violinist Iryna Krechkovsky, as part of the award-winning Krechkovsky/Loucks Duo. In 2012, the Duo formed Trio Céleste with cellist Ross Gasworth and served as Ensemble-in-Residence at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UC Irvine where they also directed the annual Trio Céleste Summer Chamber Music Festival.

A Korean-American adoptee and graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City, Kevin Kwan Loucks was mentored by pianist Julian Martin. He is an alumnus of programs at the Aspen Music Festival and Music@Menlo, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University where he served as Head of Piano for the Pre-College Division and Teaching Assistant for the Emerson String Quartet. He is Co-Founder of Chamber Music | OC, which earned him recognition from Orange County Business Journal and OC Weekly who named him one of Southern California’s most influential people. In addition to his artistic training, Loucks holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from the Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University where he studied entrepreneurship, finance, management, and strategy, and completed his Executive Education at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He previously served as Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, and Director of Innovation and Program Development at the Music Academy of the West. He currently serves as CEO of Chamber Music America in New York City, dividing his time between New York and Orange County.

Thalea String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence

“Thalea never failed to deliver a stirring performance” (Calgary Herald); The Thalea String Quartet brings their signature vibrancy and emotional commitment to dynamic performances that reflect the past, present, and the future of the string quartet repertoire while celebrating diverse musical traditions from around the world.

Fueled by the belief that chamber music is a powerful force for building community and human connection, the Thalea String Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and China, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall, and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. They have shared the stage with luminaries of the chamber music world, including members of the Emerson, Brentano, and St. Lawrence String Quartets, and they have performed alongside celebrated artists including Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, violist Lawrence Power, acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD, Detroit hip hop icon Mahogany Jones, and visionary R+B artist Charlotte Day Wilson.

Committed to shaping and contributing to the future of the string quartet repertoire, the Thalea String Quartet has premiered dozens of new works and has collaborated on new commissions with composers including Osvaldo Golijov, Paola Prestini, Anthony R. Green, Akshaya Avril Tucker, and Tanner Porter.

Winners of the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the members of the Thalea String Quartet have been celebrated for their innovative approach to education and community engagement. The Thalea String Quartet has presented masterclasses and workshops at institutions across North America, including the Berkelee College of Music, the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and San Francisco State University. They have presented lectures and led discussions at institutions including the University of Maryland, Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, and Wayne State Medical School in Detroit, where they presented a workshop on non-verbal communication to first year medical students alongside the Emerson String Quartet. Committed to youth mentorship and community music education, the Thalea String Quartet serve as teaching artists for Washington Performing Arts. The ensemble served as faculty and artistic advisors for the inaugural 2023 Fischoff Summer Chamber Music Intensive. Pioneers of virtual educational programming, the Thalea String Quartet has developed a variety of digital content, including two digital video series for students of all ages and the CHAMPS Virtual Chamber Music Seminar, which brought together students from across North America for an eight-week intensive study of the music of Florence B. Price, Joseph Haydn, and Antonín Dvořák.

The Thalea String Quartet served as the Doctoral Fellowship String Quartet at the University of Maryland from 2020-2023. The quartet has also held fellowship positions at the University of Texas at Austin and the San Francisco Conservatory. They served as Associated Artists at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium for the 2019-20 season and were the 2019-20 Ernst Stiefel Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. They were the 2022 and 2023 resident ensemble at the Lakes Area Music Festival and were 2023 visiting artists at the Garth Newel Music Center. The Thalea String Quartet were top prize winners at the 2018 Fischoff Competition and 2018 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition.

Lara Turner

An active performer on cello, baroque cello, and viola da gamba, Lara Turner enjoys a varied career performing music ranging from contemporary to baroque. Lara has held the position of Principal Cello with the South Bend Symphony since 2004. She has been a featured soloist performing with the symphony: Milhaud’s Concerto No. 1 (2007), Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme (2013), Saint-Saens’ Concerto No. 1 (2015) and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto (2017).

Emilie Grondin

Emilie Grondin is in her seventeenth season as conductor of the South Bend Youth Concert Orchestra. She teaches the String Ensembles at Stanley Clark School, a program she began 29 years ago, as well as the Preschool music classes and a summer Chamber Music Camp. A Suzuki cello teacher for more than 40 years, first in Eugene, Oregon and since 1990 in the South Bend area, Mrs. Grondin teaches cello and chamber music through her private studio and co-coordinates the SBYSO Chamber Music Program.

Luis Enrique Vargas

Violist Luis Enrique Vargas is a member of the Euclid Quartet since 2001 and teaches viola and chamber music at Indiana University South Bend where he was appointed Lecturer in 2007.

Parent Testimonials 2024

“This was the happiest I’ve seen my daughter all year: she came home on day 1 saying, “these are my people!” thank you for fostering community, inspiring engagement in music, and making a life of music feel accessible. I am especially grateful for the community aspect of the week, the kids were really kind and generous with one another.”

“The excellence of the coaches and staff was [my student’s] favorite part. He loved working with Lauren (Thalea String Quartet) and watching the incredible quartet and quintet performances. I enjoyed seeing the staff cheering and making the performers feel like rock stars at the final concert. Chamber music is such a fun way for kids to improve their musicianship and confidence, and you created a supportive and welcoming environment for every kid.”

“Phenomenal opportunity to work with world-class musicians…amazing experience!”

“My daughter was very excited to attend each day of camp. She enjoyed getting to know new students and learned a lot and developed as a leader in her group.”

“This was an amazing program and it deserves to continue to thrive and grow.”

“This program is excellent–my kid loved it!”