Chamber Music Festival

String Chamber Music Festival at East Tennessee State University

Festival Dates: Monday, June 23 - Saturday, June 28 2025

Location: ETSU Campus - Martin Center for the Arts

Participating students will be placed into chamber groups and/or a chamber orchestra based on their auditions. Each chamber group will receive daily coachings from the internationally renowned festival faculty in preparation for the final concert. All ensembles will perform selected movements from chamber music masterworks. Students will have the opportunity to participate in additional enrichment music classes during the festival. All performances will be held at the state-of-the-art Powell Recital Hall at the Martin Center. Festival is open to local, out-of-state and international students     

The ETSU campus is located in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachian mountains in northeastern Tennessee. This idyllic location, combined with the engaging and dedicated faculty, yields an inspiring setting for this incredible festival

APPLY HERE

For more information or questions, contact Dr. David Kovac

• Festival Faculty

  Festival Co-Directors

  David Kovac & William Shaub

  Violin

   
  Yu-Fang Chen - Ball State University
  William Shaub - Concertmaster: Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
  I-Pei Lin - Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
  Clarice Shaub - Knoxville Symphony Youth Chamber Program
  Sarah Nienhiser - Stuever Studios
  Marianna Brickle - ETSU
  Kyle Venlet - Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

  Viola

  David Kovac – ETSU
  Joshua Ulrich - Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
  Dana Meyer - Music City Strings
  Bergen Christensen - Lipscomb University

  Cello

  Patrick Hopkins – South Texas College
  Mathew Wilkinson - Symphony of the Mountains

  Conductor

  Chris Kelts - Missouri State University

   

• Festival Registration Information

  Tuition - $550

  Application Fee - $35 Not required until you are accepted!

  Limited Scholarships Available!!

  Application deadline to submit a video audition April 26, 2025

  Room and Board

  • $36.00/Day - Single Occupancy 

  Meal Plan (Optional)

  • $25 per day or pay per meal 

  CLICK HERE TO APPLY!

   

• Schedule 

  9:00 - 11:30 Coachings/Rehearsals

  11:30 - 1:00 Lunch and fun activities

  1:00 - 4:30 Orchestra Rehearsal/Enrichment Classes/Sectionals

  Afternoon and Evening: Fun indoor and outdoor activities, sports, hiking, museum visits and performances

• Audition Requirements

  1) Piece of your choice that best represents your current level 3-5 minutes long

  2) A contrasting solo piece (2-3 minutes) or a short excerpt of your choice from the standard chamber music repertoire that best represents your current level (duet, trio, quartet) 1-2 minutes long.
  
  

  Chamber samples are listed below, other excerpts may also be used.

  Violin Intermediate  Bar 1-20
  Viola Intermediate   Bar 1-20
  Cello Intermediate   Bar 1-20

  Violin Advanced  Beginning to letter C 
  Viola Advanced   Beginnig to letter C
  Cello Advanced   Letter E to letter G

  Submit your YouTube video links on the registration form.

• Concerts

  Faculty Recital – Wednesday, June 25 @ 7:30, Martin Center

  Student Orchestra Performance - Friday, June 27 @ 7:30, Martin Center
  

  Student Chamber Recital – Saturday, June 28 @ 5:00 - Martin Center

  CLICK HERE TO APPLY!

• Our History and Founding

  The ETSU Chamber Music Festival was founded in 2019 by Professors David Kovac and Sean Hawthorne, and immediately achieved success with both students, faculty, and families upon its arrival in Johnson City on the campus of ETSU. 

  Each summer, the Festival attracts renowned faculty artists and talented students from across the United States and around the world to study chamber music and orchestral repertoire. In just one week, students will participate in over a dozen coaching and masterclasses, and perform in both of ETSU's beautiful concert halls at the Martin Center for the Arts. 

  The festival attracts students of all levels: from young students who are new and fresh to chamber music, to students at the conservatory level looking to refine their listening and performing skills as chamber musicians. 

  The result? Families and the Johnson City community come each summer to the Festival performances featuring both students and the renowned faculty.

  The ETSU CMF is currently led by Founder and Director David Kovac and Co-Director William Shaub.

• Why attend the ETSU CMF?

  Violinist.com's Diana Salesky visited the ETSU Chamber Music Festival:

  I had the opportunity to hear both the faculty and student recitals and was not only impressed, but truly heartened to see the energy and enthusiasm for chamber music. This is a festival that has the potential to jump start a lifelong love of delving into the chamber repertoire and playing simply for the joy of it.

  I was also heartened to see that in addition to learning notes and tempi, these young people are taught how to take and exit the stage, acknowledge their audience, lead with body language, and communicate with each other while playing.

  And while the overall schedule was rigorous, it was equally apparent that a great deal of fun was had... The marathon student performances gave me a glimpse of the tremendous support these students were giving each other, as well as the outstanding support they had received from the stellar faculty.
  And Johnson City Press did, too. 

  After submitting their audition tapes and being accepted into the program, students are placed in groups of similar skill and experience levels. Then throughout the week, they rotate among experienced faculty who coach them on how to work together as a chamber ensemble, highlighting each other’s strengths and working as a team to create beautiful music.
  Students also get the opportunity to perform in front of community audiences and watch their teachers perform during a faculty concert.