Professor Piret Vainmaa has written a report on the ECMTA Annual meeting in Tallinn for 'In Corpore', the Estonian Chamber Music Teachers' Association.

Professor Urve Lippus (Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre) presented a conference on 20th-century Estonian composers of chamber music at the ECMTA Annual meeting in Tallinn.

We are especially looking for students to participate in the Orlando Academy. More information about the Academy you will find by clicking on the following link: http://www.orlandofestival.nl/index.php?490

From Aldo Campagnari, a summer camp for musicians with techers from Europe and USA running between 1 and 22 July 2012 in Umbria.

More information: www.narniafestival.com

For the 2012-2013 academic year the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole is establishing a new Chamber Music Department with the following professors: Bruno Canino, Natalia Gutman, Andrea Lucchesini, Trio di Parma, Pavel Vernikov.

Each participating group can have lessons with one professor or various lessons with all members of the Department. The new Department is part of an exchange project with HEMU of Sion, Switzerland, director: Jan Dobrzelewski.

We Play Music with Friends celebrates the 10th anniversary of its annual Festival/Competition for young performers. For complete information about this year's events: www.kamerfest.lv

From Maja Nosowka (F. Chopin University of Music, Warsaw). Summer Courses in Warsaw in August for different instruments, vocal and piano chamber music as well as composition and jazz improvisation.

Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory is proud to present the 3rd N.Rubinstein Chamber ensemble and string quartets competition named after the founder of the Conservatory. The competition will take place at the end of September 2013. All information can be found on www.mosconsv.ru

As a co-organizer Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory presents the 3rd Tatiana Gaidamovich Chamber ensemble competition. Tatiana Gaidamovich was an absolutely extraordinary person – musicologist, scientist, writer, and teacher. For many years she was one of the leading chamber ensemble professors in the Moscow Conservatory, training hundreds of student, among them Yuri Bashmet, Vladimir Spivakov, Alexander Bonduryansky, among others.

The competition will take place at the Mikhail Glinka Magnitogorsk Conservatory, 1-5 December 2012. The deadline is 1 September 2012. Further information can be found on www.magkmusic.com

• Information brochure
• Application form

VIII International Forum For High Musical Development in Southern Europe will be held August 9-17, 2012. The meeting has been created in order to bring together young students from all over the world. It is a place where professors, students, artists and public gather around music, lutherie and fine arts, developing a cultural and artistic exchange through concerts, exhibitions and masterclasses.

Masterclasses:

• Massimo Paris (Viola and Chamber Music)
  August 9th to 17th
• Michael Wolf (Doublebass and Chamber Music)
  August 9th to 17th
• Concerto Malaga, resident orchestra

For detailed information: www.concertomalaga.com/fiapmse/inscripcion

We have received notification that the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama has changed its name to Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the following announcement for their 2012 Chamber Ensemble Summer School.

• Chamber Ensemble
• 6-10 August (5-days)
• £450 per trio, £600 per quartet and £100 per performer thereafter
• Robert Irvine, Jacqueline Shave and Jane Atkins

Throughout this intensive summer school you will supported by the expert teachers of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. This team of experienced performers and practitioners is world-renowned and their teaching practice is well established within the UK conservatoire setting.

This five-day summer school is for existing chamber ensembles who wish to study intensively together and alongside other string trios, quartets, quintets and sextets in the development of high quality performance practice.

More information >>

ECMTA can now accept as a full member any chamber ensemble with 2 to 5 members, possessing a legal identity and engaged in significant pedagogical activity. Membership fees are 100 euros for the year, and entitles the ensemble to two votes in the General assembly. Our membership forms on the website have been modified, and paper copies can be modified by hand.

Orlando Festival 2012 – enlist now!

People can now enlist for the Orlando Festival. Musicians form all ages and proficiency levels come together in the beautiful abbey of Rolduc from the 10^th until the 19^th of August. Amateur ensembles, professional ensembles, adults and youngsters; nine days everybody enjoys chamber music in all its splendour. The ensembles receive lessons during the day from professionals who in their turn perform in concerts at night in the theatres of Kerkrade and Heerlen (South of the Netherlands). At Rolduc there are, besides the lessons and master classes, workshops, inspirational lectures, several meet&greet opportunities, concerts and more.

Dr David Dolan, Head of the Centre for Creative Performance at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, will participate in an interdisciplinary conference on improvisation in artistic performance on March 15. (take a look at the poster)

The I’M Piano Duo, which ECMTA member Maxim Puryzhinskiy, participated the 5th International Piano Duo Competition, last September in Bialystok (Poland). It is one of the most important events in musical life in Poland and the biggest competition for piano duets in Eastern Europe, which attracts constant interest from both the public and musicians. This year there were 35 applicants from 16 countries. The Jury selected 5 teams from Korea, Ukraine, Georgia and Russia to perform in the final round. After the third round, the Jury awarded the 2nd Prize and Prize for the best performance of the ‛Variations on Paganini’s Theme‛ by V.Lutoslawski to I’M Piano Duo – Irina Silivanova, Maxim Puryzhinskiy – ECMTA member since 2010. The jury included ECMTA board member Anna Prabucka-Firlej – More information can be found at www.classic2piano.com and www.pianoduo.pl