Many thanks for the post, AR. Icicle Creek sounds great, and I wish them well. What sort of playing levels are the participants? Are they using a college campus, or an independent conference center, or something else? Whose idea was this retreat?
We can certainly get the word out here on PW, and there are plenty of people who could afford to travel to such a workshop.
Can anyone tell us more about the Rocky Ridge program?
There's also an urban summer week in NYC at Hunter College: I believe it is called Pianophoria.
The Victoria Conservatory program feels pitched toward the advanced adult player.
Hi, Peter,
Icicle Creek Adult Piano Retreat is geared for all levels. There have been students with a year - 3 years all the way up to really advanced. It is non-competitive. To solve the wide gap in playing experience when they do the masterclasses they divide the participants into 2 groups: Beginning - intermmediate; Advanced on up. We get masterclasses with each insturctor.
The campus is the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth, WA. It is a non-profit music and performing arts center that has been here at least 20 years. It is noted for its International Chamber Music Festival, year round concerts in chamber music and solo piano concerts and more recently other genres of music. There is a youth symphony which has a summer symphony camp for junior high and high school students. In January they have the Piano Festival where highly advanced collegiate and pre-professional piano students come to be coached and perform plus master classes open to the public.
They have recently added the Adult Piano Retreats at the request of some adult pianists who have been to Sonata in VT. The one gal was the board president of Icicle Creek and the organization was in the process of expanding their programs into new directions. I am very grateful that they started the adult retreats because it is a long haul to VT.
They also recently added a Young Pianists Festival to the summer offerings, so if there is anyone on the west coast looking for a program for their child, check this program out.
The campus itself has a group of rustic cabins which can house up to 6 - 8 people. They are rustic from the outside but have nice facilities inside. They are clustered in one area and there are practice rooms with pianos and some smaller practice rooms geared for the other instruments.
There is an outside stage area, a small performance venue where they have the piano and chamber music concerts and they are in the process of building a larger performance venue with state-of-the art- everything. Lots going on.
Everything is situated in a pine, spruce and aspen setting with meandering walking paths. You can take a look if you go to
www.icicle.org to get an idea of the place and its offerings.
I have no real experience with Rocky Ridge. I have kept this one in mind on the off-chance that Icicle Creek wouldn't have a retreat.
I do think that the Victoria one does offer all levels for adults but it is more like a menu of things you can choose from to add to the piano program.
Hope this helps.
A R
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