Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School & Festival

With roots back to 1902, Kneisel Hall has been called “the cradle of chamber music teaching in America.”

In keeping with this heritage, we take it as our mission to foster the art of chamber music through teaching and performance in an intimate environment steeped in tradition and artistic excellence. Thus, we exist to enrich the artistic skills of our students and the cultural life of our surrounding community and to represent the highest ideals of ensemble performance.

Now celebrating its 124th year, Kneisel Hall is an internationally recognized chamber music school and festival based in Blue Hill, Maine. Kneisel Hall offers two programs for music students during the summer months: the one-week Program for Maine Students in June and the core seven-week Young Artists Program. Mentors from the Young Artist Program arrive one week early to inspire and provide mentorships for the Program for Maine Students.

Kneisel Hall’s core program Young Artist Program is a seven-week immersive chamber music school and festival for outstanding music students, a highly competitive program for pre-professional artists ages 18- 28 from around the world. These Young Artists study chamber music in an intimate setting with a world-renowned faculty whose weekly performances are open to the public. The students’ intensive weeks of study culminate in multiple free performances on the Kneisel Hall campus in Blue Hill, Maine, and in the surrounding communities.

The June Program for Maine Students is an intensive chamber music school and festival for talented classical music students living in Maine. The week-long day program is led by outstanding faculty from the area and is divided into two sessions: a two-day program for ages 9-12 and a five-day program for ages 13-19. The session culminates in two public performances on the Kneisel Hall campus in Blue Hill, Maine. Students in this program are partnered in small ensembles with mentors from the Young Artist Program.

Between these two offerings, Kneisel Hall educates more than 80 music students and presents over 50 public performances in Maine during June, July, and August.