The UNM Summer Music Institute (UNMSMI) begins on Saturday, June 8, 2024. UNMSMI is an annual event taught by UNM Department of Music faculty and acclaimed guest artists. Professor Kimberly Fredenburgh is both Professor of Viola at UNM and a faculty member at the institute and has served as the Executive Director for years, stated that this event was created because “The UNM faculty realized this type of program was missing in the New Mexican musical landscape. Our students deserve this experience.” Professor Fredenburgh continued, “There are similar programs, but not in New Mexico, which primarily serve a small number of conservatory level students from other states or serve large numbers of younger less skilled students. Our program fills the niche in between these two types of programs.”
UNMSMI provides a vital service to the New Mexico community, allowing students to experience high level instruction in a way that was not available prior to its creation. The primary mission of the UNM Summer Music Institute is to offer student musicians masterful teaching by UNM faculty and UNMSMI guest artists who are internationally recognized as both performers and teachers.
This mission is achieved not only through musical study, but also through outreach in partnership with the UNM Hospital and UNM Arts-in-Medicine program, which allows students the opportunity to perform in the community. The institute includes daily chamber and orchestra rehearsals, as well as masterclasses with faculty and a solo competition with $2,500 in prizes.
UNMSMI has been bringing music to students for over a decade, helping to create a space where students can learn and grow. The institute usually accepts between thirty and forty students and is open to string players between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. Each audition must include two contrasting pieces that present musicality and technique.
Join us on Sunday, June 9 at 10:30AM for the UNMSMI faculty performance at Chatter ABQ (912 3rd ST. NW). Then, the following week, join us on Friday, June 14 at 7PM for the Chamber Music Finale Concert at Keller Hall.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information about UNMSMI please visit https://music.unm.edu/community/summer-music-institute/