Manitou Chamber Music Festival

Manitou Chamber Music Festival A 2 week pre-college chamber music intensive with coachings by world class faculty. CSYSA sponsored.

The Manitou Chamber Music Festival and String Quartet Program, a program offered by the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association, is a unique environment for the study and performance of great works of classical chamber music. Both the founding director, violinist Jeri Jorgensen, and the artistic director, pianist Cullan Bryant, bring a wealth of performing experience and teaching expertise to

the endeavor. The goal is to teach young musicians how to interpret music at the highest artistic level, to show by example what is possible for them to do, and to present them in public concerts both in their own work and in partnership with their mentors. Immersion teaching, the belief that the most essential technical and interpretive skills are best developed in the medium of the string quartet, and the idea that side-by-side performance of students and faculty bring about the most exponential development, are all ground-breaking features of MCMF that differentiate it from other local and national festivals. Manitou Springs was chosen as a home for the festival to complement the town's thriving visual arts community.

Returning cello faculty Matt Armbruster shares some of his thoughts on chamber music!What was your first chamber music e...
05/24/2026

Returning cello faculty Matt Armbruster shares some of his thoughts on chamber music!

What was your first chamber music experience? đŸŽŒ
- My first chamber music experience was at Indiana University’s Summer String Academy performing the Mozart G Minor Piano Quartet in the summer of 2007. My prior musical experiences to this were with my solo repertoire performing with a piano collaborator who would follow me no matter what. I learned so much that summer about listening and communicating with my collaborators and made so many life-long friends (including my Manitou faculty colleague Sophie Verhaeghe!). (That’s right! Matt and Sophie have known each other for almost 20 years! đŸ˜±)

Do you have a favorite composer or musical work? đŸŽ»
- It’s so hard to choose just one, but right now my favorite work is Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin de temps [Quartet for the End of Time].

What are you most looking forward to for this year’s festival? 😀
- As I enter my second year as faculty, I am looking forward to seeing familiar faces and the personal and musical growth they’ve developed over the past year as well as meeting new students, friends and colleagues.

What do you like to do for fun/in your spare time? đŸƒâ€â™‚ïžđŸ”ïž
- I love distance running and wilderness backpacking!

05/14/2026

The time is here! Get your tickets to faculty concerts at the link in our bio. We can’t wait to see you this summer for our four ticketed concerts.

04/28/2026

“Wait
if your focus is on chamber music, why is there an orchestra component?”
Watch the video to find out! Then, keep an eye on this page for a link to tickets when they become available!

04/16/2026

More student testimonials! We đŸ«¶ you all and can’t wait for another season in only a few short months.

04/08/2026

Another week, another set of students telling us what they got out of MCMF last year!

03/27/2026

You’ve heard from our faculty
now some of our former and future students tell us what they love about MCMF.

Calling all flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, and horn players! đŸȘˆ 📯New this year, we are offering a woodwind quintet progr...
03/13/2026

Calling all flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, and horn players!
đŸȘˆ 📯
New this year, we are offering a woodwind quintet program, to be coached by faculty member Ian Buckspan. Improve your playing by delving into the world of chamber music. Tuition includes daily coachings, masterclasses, performance opportunities, entrance to faculty concerts, and more. Link in bio for the application form!

Introducing our woodwind faculty member this year, clarinetist Ian Buckspan! You’ll hear him play the Brahms Clarinet Qu...
03/10/2026

Introducing our woodwind faculty member this year, clarinetist Ian Buckspan! You’ll hear him play the Brahms Clarinet Quintet on July 14. Keep reading for his first chamber music experience


“My first serious chamber music experience was playing Prokofiev Quintet for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and bass through Denver Young Artists chamber music program. DYAO collaborated with Colorado Chamber Players where the coach would also be a member of the ensemble. It was so difficult! But also amazing and memorable to get to be a part of it!

I enjoyed it so much that I participated in many other groups including one that programmed Brahms Clarinet Quintet. It is my absolute favorite chamber music piece and I’m so happy I get the opportunity to be able to play it again this summer at this year’s festival!”

Welcome, Ian! We’re looking forward to working with you this summer!

Please help us welcome our new piano faculty for 2026, Jennifer Hayghe! Here are some of her thoughts on why chamber mus...
03/05/2026

Please help us welcome our new piano faculty for 2026, Jennifer Hayghe! Here are some of her thoughts on why chamber music is important


“Playing chamber music helps every aspect of your own playing, from developing pulse and rhythm to understanding singing phrasing and varieties of articulations. The repertoire is truly fantastic - from piano trios through piano quintets and crazy combinations for sextet and more. Chamber music teaches you to listen to each other musically *and* in spoken communication; you learn how to collectively come to an interpretation (which means you have the opportunity to learn about and understand different points of view about the same piece of music); you learn how to work together and trust your colleagues.

This year, I’m looking forward to working with new colleagues and especially to learning a new piece of chamber music by Rebecca Clarke. One of the most memorable performances I’ve played was in a stunning venue in Italy (Chiesa di San Francesco) - it was a ruined cathedral that was used as a theater, completely open air. At night, you could see the stars above. For fun in my spare time, it’s definitely playing with our two rescue pups Murphy and Dugan. Mostly they lie down next to the piano when I practice, but sometimes they get involved too!”

Hanna Pederson, our viola faculty, shares some of her teaching philosophy around chamber music as well as other tidbits ...
02/11/2026

Hanna Pederson, our viola faculty, shares some of her teaching philosophy around chamber music as well as other tidbits about her. She also has the cutest practice buddy!

Why should a young musician study chamber music? đŸŽ»
- To learn trust, personal responsibility, collaboration, and musical spontaneity! Young musicians who study chamber music become stronger musicians all around in their orchestral and solo playing, and they develop skills that transfer to whatever path they choose in life. All while having a great time and bonding with fellow musicians. 

Do you have a favorite composer or musical work? đŸŽ”
- I love Dvorak and Stravinsky! 

What are you most looking forward to for this year’s festival?
- Recreation, obv. 

What do you like to do for fun/in your spare time? đŸŒ± 💃
- Admire my plants and go swing dancing! I also love board games, reading, biking, and NYTimes word games (esp mini crossword and strands!). Every few weeks my fellow coach Sophie ( ) and I text each other screenshots of the puzzles that we are proud of and/or the ones that we think are unfair!  

Do you have any pets, and do they tolerate/enjoy/hate/try to become involved in your practicing? 🐕
- My friend’s labradoodle who I pup-sit for regularly is the most patient practice buddy and only snores a little bit while I practice.

Address

Manitou Springs, CO

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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