Smith Family Young Performers Program, ages 13–19

For Advanced String Players and Pianists
(Must be 13 years of age by July 1, 2026)

July 17–August 8, 2026
Dmitri Atapine, Co-Director
Hyeyeon Park, Co-Director

Jessica Lee, Young Performers Faculty (weeks 1 & 2)
Keith Robinson, Young Performers Faculty
Danbi Um, Young Performers Faculty (week 3)
Chelsea Wang, Young Performers Faculty

DEADLINE: January 5
APPLICATION FEE: $70 before December 22; $130 from December 23 – January 5

Music@Menlo’s Smith Family Young Performers Program offers an incomparable experience for some of the most outstanding young musicians from across the country and abroad. Designed for enthusiastic and dedicated string players and pianists ages thirteen to nineteen, the program immerses students in a rigorous yet supportive environment, fostering an intense exploration of advanced chamber music repertoire. Dedicated to developing both technical and interpretive skills, the program expects students to fully embrace a rich array of offerings, including rehearsals, coachings, master classes, and performances on the festival’s main stage.

Highlights of the program include

• An in-depth exploration of chamber music repertoire with some of the world’s best musicians in an intense and immersive environment
• Public master classes, streamed live
• Multiple student performances, all professionally produced and streamed live
• Free admission to all Music@Menlo main stage events
• Educational lectures with leading artists and musicologists
• Interactive instrument-specific sessions focusing on technique and performance skills
• Development of public speaking and communication skills
• Group activities that promote inclusiveness and friendship, including ping-pong, scavenger hunts, etc.

2026 Schedule
From Friday, July 17, through Saturday, August 8, students will be expected to participate in the program every day of the week. There are no rehearsals or coachings on Sundays, but attendance to afternoon main stage performances is required. Below is the typical schedule, although times may vary depending on evening concert schedules:

8:00 a.m.	Depart dorm for Menlo School*
8:15 a.m.	Breakfast*
8:45-9:15 a.m.	Morning Meeting
9:20-10:45 a.m.	Session I – Ensemble Rehearsal or Coaching
11:00 a.m.-Noon	Master Class or Café Conversation
12:00-12:50 p.m.	Lunch
12:50–2:00 p.m.	Session II – Ensemble Rehearsal or Coaching
2:10-3:10 p.m.	Session III – Ensemble Rehearsal or Coaching
3:15-4:00 p.m.	Interactive Instrumental Session
4:00-5:00 p.m.	Free time/Individual Practice
5:00 p.m.	Prelude Performance
6:00 p.m.	Dinner*
7:00 p.m.	Encounter lecture or concert (mandatory)
10:00 p.m.	Return to dorm*
11:00 p.m.	Curfew*
	*Students residing in festival dorm only

To learn more about the festival’s ticketed events and to view the concert calendar from the 2025 season—which will give applicants and parents an example of what to expect for 2026—click here.

Fees

Application Fee:	$70 if submitted by December 22 $130 if submitted after December 22 For application fee waivers, please email institute@musicatmenlo.org detailing the need for the exemption.
Placement Deposit:	$250 refundable deposit due at the time of acceptance; deposit will be refunded after completion of the first program day
Tuition:	Full tuition fellowship for all accepted Smith Family Young Performers generously supported through the Ann S. Bowers Young Artist Fund.
Housing Fee:	$3,900 for all housing and meals beginning on Thursday, July 16, and ending with breakfast on Sunday, August 9. Housing Support is available (see below).

Housing for Students Who Reside Outside the Atherton Area

Housing consideration is made for students who reside at least forty miles from Atherton, California. Space is limited. Accommodations are available in a Menlo College dormitory, a five minute walk from the Menlo School campus. Students are chaperoned by Music@Menlo residential life staff. The cost per student is $3,900, including all meals beginning with lunch on July 16 and ending with breakfast on August 9.

Rooms are either double or triple occupancy, and students are grouped together based on age and gender. Because students are expected to attend almost all evening concerts and lectures over the course of the three-week festival, the schedule is very rigorous and intensive and may not be a good fit for every applicant.

Students choosing to reside in the dorm are expected to be highly motivated, mature students who are capable of making their own decisions, as well as accepting the consequences for those decisions. Participants are expected to manage themselves with a high level of independence and self-sufficiency.

Housing Support
Housing support is available for students who wish to stay in the Menlo College dormitories, by completing this application form and submitting it with required documentation by February 1, 2026. Housing support applications are evaluated separately from the admissions process. Music@Menlo attempts to provide financial support to deserving students as much as possible.

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