Kutztown University to Host 2024 Summer Music Festival July 6-13

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Forty-five talented students from around the world join forces for a one-week, fully immersive musical experience, working with the festival's renowned international roster of devoted musicians and pedagogues, at the Kutztown University Summer Music Festival, July 6-13.

The festival will offer one week of intensive study to ambitious high school and college-age musicians, including daily private lessons and chamber music coaching. It is open to piano, strings, winds and percussion, with faculty from Japan, Chile, Greece and the U.S., including Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Kutztown University and the New York City Ballet Orchestra.

Participants will have the opportunity to work on solo repertoire, learn and perform works from the core chamber music literature and receive instruction on audition preparation. In addition to the intensive chamber music experience, students will have the opportunity to participate in a series of intriguing and informative seminars and workshops on a variety of musical topics.

Concerts and workshops are free and open to the public. Full schedule can be found online.

The first concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 7, Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research, Performance Hall, will feature a recital, ‘The Lyrical Xylophone and Marimba’ with our guest artist from Japan, xylophonist Mutsumi Tsuzaki and marimbist David Harvey.

The Opening Night concert will be held 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 7, Schaeffer Auditorium. This event will present festival faculty in an exciting and varied program, including the famous ‘Kegelstatt’ trio of Mozart, the romantic and evocative ‘Epitaphe de Jean Harlow’ by Koechlin and ending with the monumental Tchaikovsky piano trio.

The 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 8 concert in the Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research Performance Hall will feature festival’s faculty and students in an intriguing and varied assortment of works by composers including Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, Vaughan Williams and Eychenne.

The program for “Sunset Spectacular” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 10 at the Kutztown Park Bandshell will offer a variety of beloved and popular works for every taste, including music by Boccherini, Mozart, Gardel, Rossini, Velazquez in mixed chamber ensembles and works for small string orchestra.

The remainder of the week will showcase the talented students of the festival in mixed chamber ensembles and works for small orchestra, including a concerto competition for the festival participants 1 p.m. Thursday, July 11.

Please join us for a week filled with music that excites and inspires.