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Draft:Chamber Music Institute at the Olympic Festival Farm

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Chamber Music Institute at the Farm (1983-1999)

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Chamber Music Institute at the Farm was a camp for teenaged string players from 1983-1998. It was the first major camp for high school aged string players in the Pacific Northwest to be dedicated to the study of chamber music.

It was held as part of the Olympic Music Festival near Quilcene, WA.[1] It was founded by Karen Iglitzin, violinist with the Philadelphia String Quartet. [2] The members were Ms. Iglitzin, first violinist, Irv Eisenberg, second violinist; her father, Alan Iglitzin, violist, and Roger Lebow, cellist. Alan Iglitzin and Irv Eisenberg were founding members of the Philadelphia String Quartet in 1960. They were established in Philadelphia, and in 1966 moved to Seattle, WA[3]

Students at the Barn in a spoof photo of their coaches in the PSQ

Karen Iglitzin was the director of the Chamber Music Institute from 1983-1987. The premises was an 83-acre renovated dairy farm on the Olympic Peninsula. The quartet performed concerts for the public every weekend in the barn audiences from a wide area. Known colloquially as "the Farm" to many students over many years. The quartet accepted about 16-25 students from around the Pacific Northwest, and they were in residence at the farm for four weeks every summer.

The high school aged students played violin, viola and cello. They were formed into string quartets or quintets, and worked on their own and received intensive coaching. Sometimes a string bass or pianist was included into the ensembles. The chamber groups had their own concert in barn at the end of every camp. The student ensembles also did outreach concerts in nearby Port Townsend; and the young people had many non-musical recreational activities.

Some alumni who became professional musicians include Grant Donnellan, professor of violin at Western Washington University; [4]Glenn Donnellan, violinist with the National Symphony Orchestra; [5]and Richard O'Neill, violist with the Takács String Quartet. [6] There are too many alumni to name here, but many are performing and teaching and continuing their chamber music experience.

The history of the Chamber Music Institute included Ms.Iglitzin departing in 1988; whereupon the directorship was shared by Irv Eisenberg and cellist Diane Farrell for the subsequent years until 1999. Then the camp was discontinued, though the Olympic Music Festival continued for many years as a a concert festival, and as of 2024 still runs as "Concerts-in-the Barn".

Iglitzin at Western Washington University (1986-1997)

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Karen Iglitzin served on the faculty of Western Washington University. Though no summer camps during this period, she started the series "Camp in a Day" for high school ensembles to attend day-long workshops on the campus at WWU. Karen co-coached with Irv Eisenberg. She also founded the "Chamber Music Anti Contest Concert' [7] as a public concert for young ensembles to be creative with skits in additional to their standard repertoire performances.

At the first "Anti-Contest- Concert"- String Quartet as mice, delivering cheese as a 'bribe' for judges

Chamber Music Madness and Camps (2000-2010)

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Karen Iglitzin moved to Seattle and started an non-profit organization known as Chamber Music Madness.[8]Through CMM, she ran programs during the academic year, and summer camps including a day camp in Seattle in 2000. Ms.Iglitzin also founded and ran and a one-week residential camp in Twisp, Wa with beloved cellist, Meg Brennand, who performed as part of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, among many other groups.[9]

Then followed years of Camp Nirvana for String Quartets, held at Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA. This was a two-week residential quartet camp for 20 students each summer. The faculty team for this period was Iglitzin, Irv Eisenberg, and cellist Leslie Marckx. Camp Nirvana ran from 2001-2008.

Student trio in Anti Contest as "Passionate Pink Pigs"

Karen Iglitzin Chamber Music Workshops and Camps in the Seattle Zen Garden (2011-present)

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Zen Garden Photo Shoot 2022

The Zen Garden period includes year-round sightreading workshops, "Camp-in-a-Day" for school groups, and the "Chamber Music Anti-Contest Concert".[1] The faculty for this period included Meg Brennand, Daniel Wing, and guests including Walter Gray, Rachel Swerdlow and Karen's daughter, cellist, Ariana Nelson.[10]

Summer camp in the Zen garden, 2024

References

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Summer Camp Recital Program July 2024
  1. ^ "Concerts in the Barn Quilcene, WA". Concerts in the Barn Quilcene, WA. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  2. ^ "Philadelphia String Quartet - Free Music Archive". freemusicarchive.org. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  3. ^ "PHILADELPHIA STRING QUARTET | THE NORTHWEST MUSIC ARCHIVES". nwmusicarchives.com. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  4. ^ "Grant Donnellan | College of Fine and Performing Arts | Western Washington University". cfpa.wwu.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  5. ^ "Glenn Donnellan | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  6. ^ https://www.takacsquartet.com/.
  7. ^ "School ensembles". KAREN IGLITZIN. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  8. ^ "Chamber Music Madness – The Counterpoint Club". Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  9. ^ Lea-Saxton, Cassandra. "PNB Orchestra | Pacific Northwest Ballet". Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  10. ^ https://www.ariana.nelson.com
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