Decoda Chamber Music Festival 2025 Information

application deadline is February 14, 2025

Decoda Summer Faculty 2025: Catherine Gregory, flute; Brad Balliett, bassoon; Clara Lyon, violin; Claire Bryant, cello; and David Kaplan, piano; Additional faculty and special guest artists to be announced soon.

DCMF takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina.
For questions about applications, fellowships, scholarships, or for any other information please email DCMF@decodamusic.org.

General information

Join Decoda, Carnegie Hall’s Affiliate Ensemble, for a week of musical discovery in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. This summer’s ten-day session in our partnership home of Warren Wilson College, is focussed on cultivating a creative and collaborative community through chamber music and audience engagement. Young artists will be coached by Decoda faculty and festival guest artists in a variety of repertoire, and will work side by side with Decoda, learning and honing best practices of community engagement.

DCMF is accepting applications from instrumentalists who play violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and other instrumentalists that are interested in working with Decoda. Must be 18 years or older. Pre-formed ensembles are also encouraged to apply as this is a unique opportunity to work with an ensemble that was founded by and is run by the artists themselves.

We are also accepting applications from composer/performers. These participants will be part of one chamber ensemble and have an opportunity to work with Decoda’s Brad Balliett (bassoon and composition), as well as have works-in-progress workshopped by Decoda faculty and young artists.

Curriculum includes  

  • Decoda Chamber Music Festival young artists will be placed in a dedicated chamber music group that will meet for daily rehearsals and coachings with Decoda faculty.

  • Groups will perform in a concert hall setting and a community venue, and will receive resources and feedback on “framing” their performances for different audiences.

  • Opportunities for optional private lessons with Decoda artists, focussing mostly on chamber music repertoire, solo works at the discretion of the faculty. Participants are encouraged to seek out lessons outside their primary instrument.

Sample daily schedule

7:30 - 8:45am Breakfast
9am - 10:50am Chamber Group Coachings
11am - 12pm Town Hall with the entire DCMF Community
12pm - 1:30pm Lunch
1:30 - 3pm Chamber Group Coachings
3:30 - 5pm Private lessons/individual practice
5pm - 6pm Bird watching, hikes, ultimate frisbee, and other fun activities!
6pm - 7pm Dinner 7:30pm master classes, workshops, performances, and community building activities

Past DCMF guest artists have include: Caroline Shaw, Kim Kashkashian, Andrew Norman, Lembit Beecher, Charles Neidich, Jennifer Koh, and Sarah Kirkland Snider, among others

Application Requirements

Click HERE

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition for DCMF: $1,800
Room and Board: $1,150 - which includes:

  • Double occupancy in air conditioned dorms

  • Three hot meals a day on a farm-sustained campus; vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options will be available at each meal

  • A BBQ welcome-dinner on Tuesday, June 17th, 2025; Departure breakfast on Saturday, June 28th, 2025 before 10am; linens and towels; free laundry services in the dorm

payment schedule

Details coming soon.

Financial Aid Information

  • Need-based scholarships are available. We encourage you to apply with your festival application. Applicants will need to supply a letter of need as well as the first two pages of their (or their parents’) most recent tax return. Submit your scholarship materials by February 14, 2025 to DCMF@decodamusic.org.

  • A limited number of competitive, fully-funded fellowships may be available. To apply for a fellowship, submit a personal statement detailing your chamber music experience, community engagement background, and any other information that you would like to share about yourself. We also require a letter of recommendation. Submit your fellowship materials by February 14, 2025 to DCMF@decodamusic.org.

    *Note: financial aid is awarded on an individual basis, not by group. Each member of a pre-formed ensemble who wishes to apply for financial aid must also submit one solo video in addition to the group’s videos, along with the normal fellowship application.

FAQ

  1. Who will be on faculty at DCMF this summer?
    Faculty this summer will include Catherine Gregory, flute; Brad Balliett, bassoon; Clara Lyon, violin; Claire Bryant, cello; and David Kaplan, piano. A special guest artist will be announced soon! Keep checking back for more information.

  2. Where will performances be held?
    There are many opportunities to perform at DCMF! This summer, participants will perform on campus, as well as in several venues in the community of Asheville and Swannanoa, North Carolina.

  3. What is the age limit?
    DCMF welcomes college-level musicians to apply ages 18+. If you have specific questions, please email us at dcmf@decodamusic.org

  4. When do I arrive and depart?
    Check in will be on Tuesday, June 17th between 2 - 5pm. Check out is by 10am on Saturday, June 28th.

  5. Where can I fly in?

    Asheville Regional (AVL) is the closet airport to Warren Wilson College; Greenville/Spartanburg International (GSP) is about a 90 minute drive, and Charlotte-Douglass International (CTL) is 2 hours away.