HEIR - Heifetz Ensemble in Residence

The Heifetz Institute is pleased to announce the resumption of our Heifetz Ensemble-in-Residence Program, or HEIR program, to take place in three sessions in 2022.

Winter/Spring 2022:  Mar 6 – Apr. 24
Fall Session I: Sept. 4 – Oct. 29
Fall Session II: Oct. 30 – Dec. 24

Each of these residencies in Staunton will feature:

• Weekly intensive coaching sessions with Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen
• A public concert series in and around Staunton and Shenandoah Valley
• Continuation of our “HeartStrings” program with Augusta Health, offering both virtual “bedside performances” and in-person performances. “This program has been made possible by Project: Music Heals Us through a PMHU Vital Sounds Initiative Grant.
• Private lesson and chamber-coaching opportunities via the new Crescendo program with Stuart Hall School
• Educational partnerships with the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School and Mary Baldwin University
• Outreach, house concerts, run-out concerts, and other public and private events on behalf of the Heifetz Institute.
• Opportunities to record high-quality music videos in both a concert and studio setting

Selected Heifetz alumni participants will be formed into chamber ensembles for both solo- and chamber-ensemble performances. They will live and work in our home city of Staunton, VA for a two month period. Housing, meals, and salaries will be provided for the duration of the eight weeks. Intensive weekly rehearsal, performance, and production schedules will be prepared for the ensembles, augmented by the educational and outreach elements outlined above. Clear and strict policies regarding quarantine periods and social distancing will be enforced to ensure the safety of our artists and of our community.

The artists will work under the direct supervision of the Institute’s Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen, exploring and performing both familiar and new repertory with an emphasis on underrepresented composers and artists of color, and the Institute’s management team led by President & CEO Benjamin K Roe, gaining valuable insight into the business side of the music world and a first hand view of arts administration. Live streamed performances will be arranged with cultural and educational partners, both regionally and further afield abetted by the Institute’s vast experience with professional quality live concert streaming. The HEIR participants will also work closely with our Multimedia Producers to prepare, curate, and assemble recorded performances that will broadcast via the Institute’s industry leading video platforms, including its YouTube channel with over 46,000 subscribers and more than 11 million views. If and when appropriate, live performances for small socially distant audiences will also be produced for the HEIR musicians, which will provide an invaluable resource to our region, which like so many others has been starved for access to high quality arts programming and the community it fosters throughout the pandemic.

2021 Session I Artists in Residence:

Julia Angelov (Heifetz 2019, Heifetz on Tour), violin – Washington, DC
Zhenni Li-Cohen (Heifetz on Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), piano – New York, NY
Matt Cohen (Heifetz 2012, 2013, Heifetz On Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), viola – New York, NY
Yezu Woo (Heifetz 2014, 2015, Heifetz on Tour), violin – Berlin, Germany
Coleman Itzkoff (Heifetz 2013, Artist in Residence, Heifetz On Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), cello – New York, NY
Noemie Raymond-Friset (Heifetz 2018, Heifetz On Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), cello – Quebec, Canada