The first week of the Baroque Performance Institute didn’t feel too drawn out, but it did feel reasonably long! However, as the second week started and I was more settled into the routine, it felt like half the time of the first week. The days throughout the program were fulfilling, but I rarely felt totally drained by the end of them.

While many of the classes and activities were technically optional, each of my typical (non-dress rehearsal/concert) days started with a violin+viola technique class and a violin masterclass (for which we could sign up for a number of slots over the week)! After that we had a lunch period and a lot of free time, during which we could go around the campus, explore the town, practice, and rest. I actually ended up doing a lot of interesting things with friends in the area during those periods - there’s an amazing art museum that I got to go to, for example! Then there was a lecture or concert in the late afternoon we could attend, and coaching+rehearsal with our chamber group afterwards. Dinner period was a bit shorter, and then we had the option to take a baroque dance class and learn routines we could eventually perform in the concert. Finally we had orchestra, and the rest of the late evening and night was our own. We could have as many lessons as we wanted during the week by buying lesson tickets, and those would typically happen during the period of free time in the afternoon.

The campus cafeteria food was typically fairly good, and had great options for people with special dietary needs like myself! There were tons of practice rooms that we could use, and if we did all the activities every day, we had opportunities to practice before classes started in the morning, during the free time in the afternoon, and after classes ended in the evening (before curfew). If there was a reason we needed more time, we could skip any of the optional classes to practice. 

Musically, a lot of new knowledge about historically informed phrasing and beat distribution, as well as my first experience being in a chamber group with a wind player and learning about how to work with the breaths they need in the piece’s flow. It was also amazing to listen to my colleagues and friends play music I’ve previously learned or someday might, and gain new ideas from their interpretations and styles of playing! (Particularly seeing others’ historically informed interpretations of Bach.)

In addition, I gained more knowledge of baroque dance! It’s so interesting to play a minuet and be able to think of the steps that would go along with it - it adds a whole new level of understanding to the way I play different forms of music. Finally, I took away a lot from the community! I left BPI feeling even more love for my repertoire, and feeling motivated to practice and improve - I think a lot of that was due to the supportive, kind, and interesting people I had the joy to play with and learn from! Living in a community surrounded by friends who shared interests, cared about each other’s wellbeing, and were genuinely passionate about what we all were learning made me want to take back that same supportive, passionate environment to my musical communities at home. 

I think that sometimes playing doesn’t always feel as much of a choice for us as we’d like, and we end up getting too wrapped up in competition and worry instead of really understanding and loving what we’re doing. But seeing other people around my age in this rather niche circle that were really just there for the love of it made me remember there’s another way <3

Very inspiring! BPI is an all-ages camp, so throughout its two weeks I was able to work with other highschool students, college students, grad students, and adults of a variety of ages and life experiences. It was a pleasant challenge to try to find ways to relate and connect to everyone I played with, and I ended up building many positive relationships with people in a variety of stages of life. 

Even though everyone came from different places, we were all connected towards a common interest and constantly tried to help each other learn and improve! In particular, I felt the chamber groups were set up quite well so the sometimes wide age range didn’t bother me. My experiences in group felt social and productive - we all worked on the same level.

A lot of people, honestly. I feel like it caters to a variety of experiences and learning goals. I would recommend it to curious people and people who enjoy constantly learning and trying new things! I think people who want to try out historical performance for the first time in a safe space could get the same fulfilling experience at BPI as people who’ve already explored historical performance and want to understand it further while meeting colleagues in the field. I think if someone’s looking for a camp with a lot of freedom to learn and explore at one’s own pace, and customize your activities and schedule based on your preferences, BPI is a great place for that. I also think that I would recommend BPI to people that aren’t terribly competitive, as competition is the opposite of the general mindset there. And I would definitely recommend it to people who want to be in a supportive and welcoming community filled with a genuine love for music! This camp, I’ve found, is quite socially oriented and it’s been an amazing place for me to meet friends and enjoy tons of social activities+events with them.