Applications Open for UNCSA's Ochsenhausen Festival Partnership in Germany

Taking place in July each year, the festival offers cultural exchange between young American and European musicians

Applications are now open for the International Chamber Music Academy of Ochsenhausen, an annual training and performance festival for young musicians from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and from around the world.

Between July 7 and July 15, 2024, the academy takes place in a former convent among the historic castles, medieval villages, and scenic mountains of Southern Germany. Students participate in concerts, public workshops, and master classes, with the primary goal of the festival being cultural exchange between European and American students.

Repertoire at the festival encompasses all chamber works for strings, winds, and piano, covering all styles — from the Baroque to the avant-garde. Students perform side-by-side with the festival's faculty in chamber music ensembles.

Non-EU students must register by March 1, 2024, while EU students have until April 1. To learn more and apply, click here.

"We were playing music with people who have a different foundational understanding of what music is… and the opportunity to perform alongside people who don’t play like you is crucial to your progression as a musician," said Baron Young, who attended the festival in 2023.

"Being in buildings that are twice as old as our country was fascinating to me," he added. "And making music in those spaces had a completely different feeling from anything back home."

You can watch a short film about the festival below.