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Education

Since 1989, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival (KCMF) has taken an active role in advancing music education for students and community members in Rhode Island. Throughout the years KCMF has brought artists into local schools for lecture demonstrations, engaged music students with masterclasses taught by world renowned classical musicians, and facilitated performance opportunities for up-and-coming young artists. During the summer of 2024, flutist and University of Miami faculty member, Jennifer Grim, taught a masterclass to campers at the URI Summer Music Academy. The students were also provided free tickets to watch Jennifer perform during the festival. One of the camp students shared, “The part that I will remember the most is Jennifer talking about her experiences growing up not seeing anyone who looks like her in the role models presented. Having that representation is so incredibly important, and quite often it is overlooked.”

KCMF offers a variety of engagement and educational experiences to excite and inform listeners of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of musical knowledge. It also provides unique opportunities for the talented young musicians. These include:

  • A newly developed Strings Advancement Program at South Kingstown High School. 
  • Masterclasses and lectures by world-renowned KCMF guest artists for middle and high school students at the URI Summer Music Academy.
  • Pre-concert artist interviews and insightful panel discussions on “Musical and Cultural Connections.”
  • Festival mainstage performance opportunities for young musicians and ensembles including: Young Artist Mini Recitals, and performances by the URI Summer Music Academy ensembles during the festival weeks. 
  • Intergenerational lecture demonstrations through the URI Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to bring seniors and students together in the exploration of music.

If your school has an interest in working with KCMF to support your music education, please reach out to Executive Director, Valerie Cookson-Botto to discuss how we can help.

Our Programs

In 2025 KCMF established a scholarship to support a student attending the URI Summer Music Academy with full tuition, room and board for the full two week camp.

URI Summer Music Academy

Through the KCMF partnership with the URI Summer Music Academy, students will improve their performing skills and knowledge of music making, increase their confidence and self-esteem, and enhance their communication skills and ability to collaborate as a team. This immersive musical experience will allow students to learn from musicians who are at the top of their field and engage in conversations about the professional music world. It’s exactly what young musicians need to experience to see that they too have a place in the field of music. The conductors, composers, and musicians of tomorrow start with supporting the young musicians of today.

In 2025, we are expanding the programming with the URI Summer Music Academy and providing more training for aspiring classical musicians in middle and high school from across Rhode Island. We are seeking funding to provide masterclasses by the twice GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet, the internationally acclaimed clarinetist Ricardo Morales, and other touring artists for the URI Summer Music Academy campers. 

Additionally, RI Philharmonic cellist Megan Koch will provide additional rehearsal time for students to prepare for their performances. Students will be learning technical mastery of their instruments, as well as how musicians work together in a chamber ensemble. Students will have the opportunities to talk with URI international touring musicians about career preparation and life as a professional musician. This type of mentorship between the student campers and top professional musicians plays a vital role in transferring the artistry from one generation to the next. These engagements help aspiring young artists bridge the gap between high school music and college or conservatory music programs.

Campers from the 2025 URI Summer Music Academy will have showcase performances demonstrating what they have learned on stage during the Kingston Chamber Music Festival. Campers will perform in Edwards Hall on August 1st and 3rd prior to the KCMF concert. All campers will attend the showcase and be provided free tickets to stay and watch the concert that evening. The families of the campers will be given 50% off tickets to stay after the showcase and watch the KCMF concert as well. Campers who attend the URI Summer Music Academy come from diverse communities in Rhode Island and stay on the campus of URI during the camp. Educational funding supports the performance opportunities for the campers on August 1st and 3rd as well as the masterclasses. The URI Summer Music Academy showcases will be free and open to the public. KCMF also provides a scholarship to one student camper with full tuition as well as room and board for the URI Summer Music Academy 2 week camp.

KCMF Strings Advancement Program

KCMF Strings Advancement Program in-school programming provides a boost to the advancement of high school student string players raising their technical and artistic skills.

KCMF aims to bring local school strings programs back to a place of growth and vibrancy through providing programming where it is needed most. KCMF will bring support to SKHS instrumental string classes in a way that is most meaningful and impactful to the students through working directly with the students during the day in their music classes.

The Kingston Chamber Music Festival (KCMF) is dedicated to advancing the art of chamber music for future generations of artists. Since the shuttering of music programs during the pandemic, strings programs for local youth have not bounced back. Arts enrollment at schools in Washington County, Rhode Island is the second lowest in the state after Providence County. When comparing data from the RIDE Arts Data Dashboard it is clear that visual arts enrollment at South Kingstown High School increased 6% from 2021-2022, whereas music enrollment has shown 0% increase for the same time period. KCMF is focused on supporting school music departments by providing the additional mentorship, instruction and support that youth musicians need to excel as our next generation of professional artists. 

Starting the fall of 2025 KCMF will be working with the South Kingstown High School (SKHS) Music Department to provide small ensemble instruction for student string musicians. This program grew out of communication with SKHS Instrumental Music Director, Fritz Benz.  Mr. Benz as a non-strings player is eager to have the support of a  professional strings musician to provide face to face instructional support to his students. Only ½ of the string players take private lessons, so the in-school instruction is a critical part of their growth as musicians. 

The KCMF Strings Advancement Program will be taught by Megan Koch, KCMF educator and cellist with the RI Philharmonic. The program will support basic strings skills development through technique studies for sectionals as well as full classes of up to 22 high school students. Ms. Koch will work separately with sections of the ensemble providing the violin section a boost to fundamental technique, and the cello section more advanced technical and artistic mastery. Students will work on left hand positioning, ear training, bowing technique, scale and arpeggio work, and much more in preparation for performances. 

Ms. Koch will support the SKHS string classes for 60-90 minutes once every other week for 30 weeks from October 2025 to June 2026, providing hands-on instruction to advance the technique and artistry of the music students. Additionally Ms. Koch will provide an additional 5 sessions specifically focused on performance skills prior to the school’s 4 annual concerts. With a total of 20 class sessions supporting the SKHS music program, students will get the detailed instructional attention required to raise their skill and confidence as musicians.

Scholarships

In 2004, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival established a scholarship to be awarded annually to a music major at the University of Rhode Island. The recipient is chosen by the faculty of the URI Department of Music. Congratulations to all our recipients!

Andrea Sims, 2024

Vocals

This year’s recipient of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival Scholarship Award, Andrea Sims, majors in Music Therapy at the University of Rhode Island. Andrea chose URI for its brand new Music Therapy major, and as a rising junior Andrea will be in the third class ever to graduate from URI in Music Therapy. The 5-year program includes a rigorous academic schedule, and students spend the last year in an internship position.

Andrea began singing in the chorus in elementary school. In high school she attended a dual program for art in which she studied pop, jazz, musical theater, and classical styles. She began her career at URI studying classical vocal techniques with Professor Rene de la Garza and now concentrates in Amplified Voice with Atla DeChamplain. Using a microphone requires different techniques than classical singing, and Andrea studies many different genres and vocal styles including jazz and musical theater. Understanding a wide range of genres allows Andrea to better connect with her music therapy clients and the music they enjoy.

As a relatively new therapy field, music therapists work with a team as a part of a holistic approach to treatment for patients. For Andrea, this practice means she can combine her passion for helping others through therapy with her interest in music. After her internship, Andrea plans to take the state board test and begin practicing as a music therapist while simultaneously going to school to achieve her master’s degree. Eventually, Andrea hopes to open her own practice in her hometown of New Britain, Connecticut. She sees a need for low income and immigrant families to have access to this form of therapy and hopes it may help more people feel connected to therapy in a way they may not feel connected to traditional therapy practices.

The KCMF Scholarship Award was established in 2004 to expand the festival’s ways of meaningfully support rising young artists. It is the only award of its kind given to a music student at the sophomore level. Twenty three students have been awarded since its inception. KCMF is thrilled to present Andrea Sims with this award and eager to see where she goes from here!

Past Winners

Lisa Nguyễn Bùi Gia An, 2023 Piano
Autumn Casey, 2022 Clarinet
Makayla Lane, 2021 Voice
Faares Deeb, 2019 Cello
Collin Tyrrell, 2018 Bass Trombone
Katherine Loo, 2017 Violin
Jesse-Ray Leich, 2016 Percussionist
Tyler Barboza, 2015 Trombone
Madison Cardoza, 2014 Clarinet
Lukas Chaves, 2014 Flute
Clay Nordhill, 2013 Guitar
Jonathan Audette, 2012 Clarinet & Piano
Theresa Procopio, 2011 Oboe
Erin Dawson, 2010 Euphonium & Trombone
Allison Parramore, 2009 Flute
Kyle Barboza, 2008 Electric Bass
Sara F. Dillon, 2007 Violin & Music Education
Naseer Francois Ashraf, 2006 Piano
Emily Chen, 2005 Violin
Nicholas Jemo, 2004 Trumpet

Make an Impact

Community support (individual donations, sponsorships, and grants) funds a majority of our budget, 65% in 2024. This support makes it possible for KCMF to price tickets affordably, to provide free admission to students, to offer scholarships, and to support music education locally. Without your support, this work would not be possible.

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