The following information will introduce you to the Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Summer Music Institute (SMI). Through an initiative of the NSO National Trustees, young musicians ages 15-20 are eligible to apply. SMI is a pre-professional intensive for dedicated high school and college student instrumentalists interested in pursuing a career as a 21st Century professional musician.
Program Description: The Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute is a 4-week summer music program hosted by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for student instrumentalists. The program is designed to expose and prepare students for a 21st Century orchestral career through individualized training that removes barriers to access.
Each student accepted into the Program attends on scholarship, which includes the following benefits: housing and local transportation during their stay in our Nation's Capital. Round-trip transportation to and from Washington, DC is not included. Additionally, a stipend for cost of food during the institute is not provided.
Program Philosophy: National Symphony Orchestra Education desires to raise up the coming generation of music professionals to be powerful change-makers in an orchestral world with equity and inclusion, racial and gender diversity, and assurances of safety and belonging. We want to develop musicians who have both a strong classical base and multi-genre facility; who will make informed career decisions in the future; who will become healthy, lasting musicians; lead in their chosen pathways; be empowered in their individual artistic expression; and engage with the world as Citizen Artists. This program provides performance opportunities, high-caliber technical training, practical tools, and rich experiences aimed at empowering students as leaders and thinkers in their chosen fields.
Citizen Artistry: With a focus on supporting the needs of 21st century students and cultivating the skills of 21st century artists, The Kennedy Center pre-professional artist training programs are committed to nurturing the emerging visionaries who are the future change-makers and culture-shapers.
As an integral part of Kennedy Center Education’s mission to foster understanding and uplift communities, each program provides a space where young artists will explore the intersection of artistic practice and civic responsibility, engaging the world as Citizen Artists.
2023 Goals
- To provide students with individualized instruction through private lessons, master and studio classes, ensemble and orchestral instruction, and practice and audition skills.
- To introduce students to the skills needed for a 21st century musician, including professionalism, entrepreneurship, citizen artistry, innovative solutions, public speaking, and audio/video recording.
- To develop student’s experience as citizen artists by encouraging them to engage with their communities through an individual or group performance project.
SMI 2023 will convene in-person over the four-week program.
Monday, June 26 – Monday, July 24, 2023: Students will arrive on Monday, June 26 by 6pm and depart on Monday, July 24 by 11am. In these four weeks of the program, students will receive:
- Private lessons taught by a member of the National Symphony Orchestra
- Chamber music coaching by NSO musicians
- Master classes and seminars
- Side-by-side orchestra rehearsal(s) with the NSO
- Attendance at selected rehearsals and performances of the NSO
- Participation in the NSO Summer Music Institute Orchestra
- Performance opportunities in DC metropolitan area
- Exposure to internationally renowned conductors, soloists, and musicians
Eligibility: The Program is open, by recorded video audition, to students ages 15-20 (as of July 24, 2023) who are seriously considering music as a career and willing to devote themselves to a holistic musical education.
Instruments: National Trustees’ fellowships may be awarded to students who play any of the following: violin, viola, cello, string bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, and harp.
Percussionists who live locally may apply to perform with the NSO Summer Music Institute Orchestra and receive the following components of the program. Housing is not provided. While there are no specific excerpt requirements for percussion, we ask that you submit up to two video samples of orchestral repertoire.
- Participation in rehearsals and full-orchestra performances of SMI orchestra.
- Sectional rehearsals coached by NSO musicians
- Side-by-side rehearsal(s) with the NSO
- Observation of NSO-led master classes
- Participation in select enrichment courses and seminars
Pianists who live locally are eligible to apply as part of the chamber program and receive the following components of the program. Housing is not provided.
- Chamber rehearsals and performances coached by NSO musicians
- Observation of NSO-led master classes
- Participation in select enrichment courses and seminars
Standards of Acceptance: The program is intended for serious music students with the primary acceptance standard being musical proficiency. Two essay questions and a recommendation letter will be reviewed carefully to assess student commitment and character. To allow for relative orchestral proportions more instrument types may be accepted than others.
To Apply: Updated application information for SMI 2023 will be posted on www.kennedy-center.org/SMI. Check the site regularly for details and updates. A $30 non-refundable application fee is due upon application submission.
Please contact Emily Heckel, NSO Education Program Manager, NSOSMI@kennedy-center.org for further information if you need to request a fee waiver due to financial circumstances or are unable to complete the online application process for any reason.
Deadline for Applications: Materials must be submitted online by Sunday, January 22, 2023.Students will be notified of the results by the end of March 2023.
Repertoire (submitted online): Recordings are required to be video files; no audio files will be accepted.
1) orchestral excerpts by instrument: www.kennedy-center.org/smi
2) a prepared solo piece not to exceed 20 minutes in length, showing contrasting musical elements (fast/slow, dynamics, etc.) Prepared solo piece may, but need not, include piano accompaniment.
Concerto Competition (OPTIONAL): The SMI Concerto Competition is open to all full-time participants. Repertoire for the competition must be for full orchestra and must be a piece readily available for purchase or rental. Details for the concerto competition will be shared upon acceptance to the program.
Obligation of Participants: Seriousness and desire to pursue a holistic musical education are most important. Students selected for the Institute will be expected to enter into a contractual arrangement with the Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra.
All private lesson and ensemble coaching fees will be paid for by the Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra. Fees for any unexcused absences at lessons or coachings must be paid for by the student.
Financial Aid: A limited amount of financial aid to help defray transportation cost and cost of food during the Institute is available for those who demonstrate financial need. Students will indicate their request for financial aid within the application. Upon acceptance, any student who requested financial aid will be contacted for further information.
Full Orchestra Program for Local Participants:
Students living in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area, who may not be available for the full four-week program, can opt for partial full-orchestra only participation in the Summer Music Institute. To learn more about this, please contact the NSO Education Program.
*Details of this program are subject to change.
2023 NSO Summer Music Institute
The following information will introduce you to the Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Summer Music Institute (SMI). Through an initiative of the NSO National Trustees, young musicians ages 15-20 are eligible to apply. SMI is a pre-professional intensive for dedicated high school and college student instrumentalists interested in pursuing a career as a 21st Century professional musician.
Program Description: The Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute is a 4-week summer music program hosted by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for student instrumentalists. The program is designed to expose and prepare students for a 21st Century orchestral career through individualized training that removes barriers to access.
Each student accepted into the Program attends on scholarship, which includes the following benefits: housing and local transportation during their stay in our Nation's Capital. Round-trip transportation to and from Washington, DC is not included. Additionally, a stipend for cost of food during the institute is not provided.
Program Philosophy: National Symphony Orchestra Education desires to raise up the coming generation of music professionals to be powerful change-makers in an orchestral world with equity and inclusion, racial and gender diversity, and assurances of safety and belonging. We want to develop musicians who have both a strong classical base and multi-genre facility; who will make informed career decisions in the future; who will become healthy, lasting musicians; lead in their chosen pathways; be empowered in their individual artistic expression; and engage with the world as Citizen Artists. This program provides performance opportunities, high-caliber technical training, practical tools, and rich experiences aimed at empowering students as leaders and thinkers in their chosen fields.
Citizen Artistry: With a focus on supporting the needs of 21st century students and cultivating the skills of 21st century artists, The Kennedy Center pre-professional artist training programs are committed to nurturing the emerging visionaries who are the future change-makers and culture-shapers.
As an integral part of Kennedy Center Education’s mission to foster understanding and uplift communities, each program provides a space where young artists will explore the intersection of artistic practice and civic responsibility, engaging the world as Citizen Artists.
2023 Goals
- To provide students with individualized instruction through private lessons, master and studio classes, ensemble and orchestral instruction, and practice and audition skills.
- To introduce students to the skills needed for a 21st century musician, including professionalism, entrepreneurship, citizen artistry, innovative solutions, public speaking, and audio/video recording.
- To develop student’s experience as citizen artists by encouraging them to engage with their communities through an individual or group performance project.
SMI 2023 will convene in-person over the four-week program.
Monday, June 26 – Monday, July 24, 2023: Students will arrive on Monday, June 26 by 6pm and depart on Monday, July 24 by 11am. In these four weeks of the program, students will receive:
- Private lessons taught by a member of the National Symphony Orchestra
- Chamber music coaching by NSO musicians
- Master classes and seminars
- Side-by-side orchestra rehearsal(s) with the NSO
- Attendance at selected rehearsals and performances of the NSO
- Participation in the NSO Summer Music Institute Orchestra
- Performance opportunities in DC metropolitan area
- Exposure to internationally renowned conductors, soloists, and musicians
Eligibility: The Program is open, by recorded video audition, to students ages 15-20 (as of July 24, 2023) who are seriously considering music as a career and willing to devote themselves to a holistic musical education.
Instruments: National Trustees’ fellowships may be awarded to students who play any of the following: violin, viola, cello, string bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, and harp.
Percussionists who live locally may apply to perform with the NSO Summer Music Institute Orchestra and receive the following components of the program. Housing is not provided. While there are no specific excerpt requirements for percussion, we ask that you submit up to two video samples of orchestral repertoire.
- Participation in rehearsals and full-orchestra performances of SMI orchestra.
- Sectional rehearsals coached by NSO musicians
- Side-by-side rehearsal(s) with the NSO
- Observation of NSO-led master classes
- Participation in select enrichment courses and seminars
Pianists who live locally are eligible to apply as part of the chamber program and receive the following components of the program. Housing is not provided.
- Chamber rehearsals and performances coached by NSO musicians
- Observation of NSO-led master classes
- Participation in select enrichment courses and seminars
Standards of Acceptance: The program is intended for serious music students with the primary acceptance standard being musical proficiency. Two essay questions and a recommendation letter will be reviewed carefully to assess student commitment and character. To allow for relative orchestral proportions more instrument types may be accepted than others.
To Apply: Updated application information for SMI 2023 will be posted on www.kennedy-center.org/SMI. Check the site regularly for details and updates. A $30 non-refundable application fee is due upon application submission.
Please contact Emily Heckel, NSO Education Program Manager, NSOSMI@kennedy-center.org for further information if you need to request a fee waiver due to financial circumstances or are unable to complete the online application process for any reason.
Deadline for Applications: Materials must be submitted online by Sunday, January 22, 2023.Students will be notified of the results by the end of March 2023.
Repertoire (submitted online): Recordings are required to be video files; no audio files will be accepted.
1) orchestral excerpts by instrument: www.kennedy-center.org/smi
2) a prepared solo piece not to exceed 20 minutes in length, showing contrasting musical elements (fast/slow, dynamics, etc.) Prepared solo piece may, but need not, include piano accompaniment.
Concerto Competition (OPTIONAL): The SMI Concerto Competition is open to all full-time participants. Repertoire for the competition must be for full orchestra and must be a piece readily available for purchase or rental. Details for the concerto competition will be shared upon acceptance to the program.
Obligation of Participants: Seriousness and desire to pursue a holistic musical education are most important. Students selected for the Institute will be expected to enter into a contractual arrangement with the Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra.
All private lesson and ensemble coaching fees will be paid for by the Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra. Fees for any unexcused absences at lessons or coachings must be paid for by the student.
Financial Aid: A limited amount of financial aid to help defray transportation cost and cost of food during the Institute is available for those who demonstrate financial need. Students will indicate their request for financial aid within the application. Upon acceptance, any student who requested financial aid will be contacted for further information.
Full Orchestra Program for Local Participants:
Students living in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area, who may not be available for the full four-week program, can opt for partial full-orchestra only participation in the Summer Music Institute. To learn more about this, please contact the NSO Education Program.
*Details of this program are subject to change.