Special to the Register
RICHMOND — The nation’s second oldest music camp will celebrate its 75th season this summer at Eastern Kentucky University.
Founded in the midst of the Great Depression, the Stephen Collins Foster Music Camps — with numerous camp options throughout June for middle school and high school students — continue to draw young musicians from throughout the nation and even internationally.
This summer, the Camps run June 6-26, and include public performances. Special events, including participation by Foster Camp alumni, are planned to mark the 75th anniversary.
The Middle School Band and Strings Camp, designed for students with 1-3 years playing experience, will be conducted June 6-11. Students will benefit from experiences in concert band, full symphony orchestra, daily instrumental skill classes, daily small ensemble, band and orchestra concerts and small ensemble concert.
The Middle School Vocal Camp will also be conducted June 6-11.
Piano Camp I, for students in fifth through eighth grades, is designed for beginner to advanced keyboard students. The schedule is highly structured, with classes and lessons designed to improve skills and open new horizons. It, too, will be June 6-11.
Piano Camp II, for students in grades 8-12, will follow from June 13 through June 19.
World Percussion Camp, June 13-19, is designed for percussion students of all abilities grades 8-12 and will focus on various percussion techniques and studies from around the globe. Students may combine this camp with the last week of High School Band Camp for a discounted rate.
Guitar Camp, June 20-25, is geared to students ages 13 and up from all backgrounds. Participants will enjoy a week of dedicated guitar study and will learn fingerboard visualization, theory, harmony, rhythm and guitar-specific music technology. Notation skills are encouraged but not required. Performances will include various styles of music, including original compositions if applicable. Group sessions and ensembles will be formed according to age and ability.
High School Band Strings Camp will be conducted two separate weeks — June 13-19 and June 20-16 and also as one two-week option June 13-26. This camp provides an array of musical experiences that can assist the high school musician about making decisions about possible careers in music or simply expand their musical horizons and provide enrichment for future encounters in music.
High School Vocal Camp, June 20-26, is designed for high school-age singers, including those entering the ninth grade as well as those who graduate this Spring.
For the Middle School Band and String and Vocal camps as well as Piano Camp I and Guitar Camp, the resident cost is $365 and commuter cost is $275.
The resident cost for the Piano II, Steel Drum and High School Vocal camps is $385, with commuter cost of $290.
The resident cost for the two-week High School Band and Strings Camp is $615, and the commuter cost $375. For pricing and availability of the one-week High School Band and Strings Camp, email info@fostercamp.org.
Discounts are available for early registrants, and for members of all-state bands, orchestras and choruses in Kentucky and adjacent states. Group discounts are also available. For more information about all the camps, pricing and discounts, visit fostercamp.org or e-mail Ben Walker, camps director, at bwalker@fostercamp.org.
Scholarships and, for the first time, financial aid are available to campers. More information about both is also available at fostercamp.org.
Also, for the first time, the Robert W. Hartwell Scholarship for Musical and Leadership Excellence, in honor of the long-time EKU bands and Foster Camps director who passed away in 2008, will be awarded at the conclusion of the camps this summer.
Only the famous Interlochen Music Camp in Michigan has a longer history in the U.S. than EKU’s Foster Camp. Many young musicians return year after year to the Richmond campus.
The camp’s first director, in 1936, was Henri Schanbl, a former member of Kaiser Wilhelm’s personal band. Other directors through the years have been the camp’s founder, Joseph Van Peursem, 1940-63; Nick Koenigstein, 1964-67; Dr. Hartwell, 1968-99; and Dr. Joe Allison, 2000-07, before Walker took the reins in 2008.
From 1948 to 1964, a certain canine was on hand to greet the campers. The music department’s mascot, Mozart, was buried in a grave immediately behind the outdoor pavilion used for many concerts and named for Van Peursem.
Students in all camping options are housed in air-conditioned residence halls under the supervision of counselors selected and overseen by the camp administrator. Meals are provided in Powell Cafeteria. All rehearsals and other musical activities are held in the air-conditioned Foster and Campbell buildings. Planned recreational activities are provided on all evenings a musical event is not scheduled.
Campers are urged to complete their applications early to assure their place in the camp of their choice. Applications are available on the Camp’s web site, fostercamp.org.
For more information, call the EKU Department of Music, 622-3266.
