Mark O'Connor String Camps: Two new ones, in NYC and at UCLA

January 23, 2009 at 7:56 PM

Dear fellow violinists and string colleagues on Violinist.com,

I am happy to tell you about two new string camps this summer that I am putting on. After years of strategizing, interviewing and researching, we are able to host the NYC version of my String Camp. So the Mark O'Connor String Camp in New York City runs from July 27th - 31st, 2009 at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and the Society for Ethical Culture, just a block from Lincoln Center. Register exclusively at www.markoconnor.com. We are very excited about this camp. Some amazing teachers and players coming to this one especially in large numbers. We had a great opening enrollment weekend last week so if you are coming to this one, I want you to enroll on the early side in case this one sells out (we are accepting 200 applicants total) Intermediate to advance and professionals.

If that was not enough "camp" news, my dream of hosting these camps at a major University and music school has also arrived this summer. UCLA, where I am in residence this year will host the West Coast camp for me, so I have discontinued the camp in San Diego this year to make room for my UCLA event.

The Mark O'Connor String Institute at UCLA runs from June 29th - July 3rd at the Schoenberg Music Building, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music (where

O'Connor is currently Artist in Residence), with registration beginning January 15th, at the UCLA website.

So the Grand Daddy of the camps, the original site of the "Fiddle Camp" in middle Tennessee will also run this summer too. We are going to focus more on traditional fiddling in TN while the two new camps will be a little more progressive.

Mark O'Connor's fiddle camp in Tennessee runs from June 22nd - 26th at Montgomery Bell Park in Burns, TN. Registration begins February 7th exclusively at www.markoconnor.com.

We have gathered 36 of the world's top violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists (and counting) to give aspiring string players, as well as advanced and professional string players, an extraordinary week of instruction and performance at each camp. Featured genres range from folk fiddling to jazz, classical to world music, providing unique experiences for the students and teachers in each city.

The New York string camp will also offer a Teacher Training Course in the new O'Connor Violin Method, based on my new Method Books 1 and 2 (to be released in March by Alfred Publishing), and taught by the books' co-author Bob Phillips.

The O'Connor Violin Method includes some of the really great melodies in American music and takes an American Classical approach to modern violin playing. It was inspired by the thousands of students I have taught at my string camps and at universities and conservatories across the country, and by my belief that the modern classical violin student who develops a working knowledge of folk fiddling, jazz music and world music styles can enjoy a lifetime of music-making.

Thank you so much and just maybe we will see at one of these this summer! Much more information on the String Camps at www.markoconnor.com

Yours, Mark O'

2009 - Historic Year For The String Camps

Born 15 years ago in the hills of Tennessee and later expanded to Southern California and now New York, O'Connor's camps have given thousands of students the chance to try out new musical styles and techniques under expert guidance, play informally with their peers in jam sessions, hear performances by their teachers and fellow students in the evenings, and more - truly a life-changing program. Many current professional musicians were former students at the O'Connor camps, including:

* Natalie McMaster * Members of Nickel Creek * Members of Crooked Still * Members of The Infamous String Dusters * Andy Leftwich (member of the Ricky Skaggs Band) * Casey Driessen (plays with Bela Fleck) . .. and many more!

COMPLETE LIST OF MARK O'CONNOR STRING CAMP INSTRUCTORS

VIOLIN

Mark O'Connor, Darol Anger, Rachel Barton, Mari Black, John Blake, Kevin Burke, Daniel Carwile, Sara Caswell, James Chancellor, Tashina Clarridge, Michael Cleveland, Billy Contreras, Shane Cook, DBR, Matt Glaser, Brittany Haas, Aubrey Haynie, Bobby Hicks, Barbara Lamb, Mysore Manjunuth, Bruce Molsky, Philippe Quint, Samantha Robichaud, Tracy Silverman, Buddy Spicher, Lara St. John, Yale Strom, April Verch

VIOLA

Rebecca Albers, Kenji Bunch, David Wallace

CELLO

Maya Beiser, Mike Block, Antonio Lysy

DOUBLE BASS

Rachel Calin, Carlos Henriquez