Inheriting the Past – Sustaining the Present – Defining the Future

While the six-week summer institute is at the core of the organization’s programming, year-round activities have traditionally been carried out through the Heifetz on Tour program, designed to offer real-world performance and outreach opportunities for promising young alumni. Historically, Heifetz touring programs span not only the Institute’s home region in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, but range from Maine to Florida, working with partner institutions to feature small cohorts of outstanding Heifetz alumni on week-long engagements to perform and educate in a variety of venues, including schools in underserved communities, assisted living facilities, major museums and concert halls, and in-studio broadcast appearances.

Against this backdrop of the global pandemic, and with the crucial support of the Augusta Health Foundation, we launched the first ever Heifetz Ensemble in Residence Program in 2021. Each residency period consists of a rotating group of top Heifetz alumni, who live and work in our home city of Staunton, VA for a multi-week period with all living expenses and professional stipends provided for the duration. Each ensemble receives intensive rehearsal, performance, and production schedules, containing a mixture of public, private, educational, and outreach activities, both virtual—thanks to the Institute’s leadership in multimedia production—and in-person within our local community.