New Chamber Music Fellowship Now Accepting Applications

Previous Ensemble-in-Residence Brazen Brass 5 won the 2014 Aspen Music Festival brass quintet fellowship.

SMU Meadows School of the Arts is calling for applications for the new Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence, a chamber music fellowship with multiple offerings including an annual stipend for two years; support for a self-directed, career-advancing project in the second year (e.g. a commission, recording, concert tour etc.); a rehearsal studio on the SMU campus; opportunities to perform in Meadows’ concert series; and more.

The fellowship was made possible by a generous gift from a graduate of SMU. “We are very grateful with this support to be able to provide an outstanding opportunity for talented chamber ensembles to further their careers while contributing to the musical life of SMU and Dallas,” said Sam Holland, dean of the Meadows School of the Arts.

The selected winning group will work closely with coordinator Matt Albert, director of chamber music at SMU Meadows, to plan artistic and pedagogical goals to place the group on a sustainable, differentiated career path after the completion of the fellowship.

“The early years of a chamber music group’s career can be very challenging,” says Albert, a three-time Grammy winner for music recorded with the new music ensemble eighth blackbird. “Early on, there is little guaranteed income, high expenses for travel to gigs, auditions and conferences and the need to spend valuable time and infrastructure on self-promotion and publicity. The Peak Fellowship is intended to provide a cushion that will allow a young group to dedicate more of their time to these endeavors while providing them a home in a large, growing metropolitan area with exciting opportunities for chamber music groups.”

Albert says the location of the Peak Fellowship can make a difference in an ensemble’s trajectory. “Dallas and the Meadows School of the Arts are fantastic places to incubate, to experiment, to plan and dream and nurture a vision that will take these groups far beyond DFW after their time here,” he says.

Albert has shepherded other successful ensembles-in-residence at Meadows recently, such as the Altius Quartet in 2013-14. During its residency, Altius Quartet won the 2013 Plowman International Chamber Music competition, the Silver Medal at the 2014 Fischoff competition and first place at the 2014 Coltman Chamber Music competition in Austin. The Altius Quartet is currently the resident quartet of the Western Slope Concert Series and has toured throughout the United States. In addition, 2013-14 Ensemble-in-Residence Brazen Brass 5 won the 2014 Aspen Music Festival brass quintet fellowship.

For application details, visit here.

For more information, contact Matt Albert, Director of Chamber Music, at mtalbert@smu.edu.

Read more about SMU Meadows School of the Arts Division of Music.