Join us for an intense retreat designed for musicians from a variety of backgrounds who seek to  improve their relationship with music through intense work on score study, interpretation, rehearsal  planning and technique, leadership, rhythm work, physical gesture, and creative linking with other  arts. All interested musicians are all welcome to apply regardless of their principal instrument, voice  type, or professional focus. One need not be primarily a conductor to gain a tremendous amount  from this retreat as this is about about becoming a better musician, falling more in love with music at  its core, and being more courageous about how you embrace your musical world!  

A Heretic's Guide to Musicianship works to debunk some of the most pervasive myths that have clouded  the world of musicianship — distractions that have gradually left it bereft of its true force and  beauty. We will talk deeply about score study and the lost art of interpretation, and we will actually  learn how to make interpretive decisions about how the music goes (faster/slower, louder/softer,  cooler/warmer, this articulation or that, the phrase goes here… and this is why!) We will talk about  courage, performing, a life on the stage, leadership, community, getting into good trouble, and the  audience — our greatest truth-tellers! We will look at all of this with a rather heretical eye… an eye  we believe bends toward truth! And we will work on developing musical skills that will help us do all of this better!  

And yes - anyone who wants to will have opportunities to lead/conduct the orchestra, which will be  comprised of participants who are string and wind players from all over the country as well a  remarkable lineup of guest artists with us this summer who will be playing in the group!  

We plan to have some astounding musicians from The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble  (www.PNME.org) returning! Our mind blowing pianist and musical renaissance artist Oscar  Micaelsson, the Chagall level colorist of the flute Erika Boysen, and returning tour-de-force cellist and serious equestrian Amanda Gookin.

We also snapped up an incredible opportunity to bring one of the most inspiring American  musicians of our generation — GRAMMY winner Nick Photinos, cellist and former founding  member of Eighth Blackbird will be a special guest artist with us this summer. Nick will perform in  the orchestra with you all, help coach all the musicians, and help us dig into the music even deeper!  Yes - you get to lead and conduct Nick Photinos while he plays in the orchestra, and hear what he  has to say about your work — all week!  

Kick ass composer and powerhouse human Gilda Lyons from the Hartt School of Music will be  our guest composer in residence this summer! She’s not only an out of the box creator and tour-de force singer, Gilda is one of the most and enlightening humans we know!  

We will be studying along Gilda and performing some of her music right alongside her — in fact…  we even plan to coach Gilda while she sings along with our other guest artists on one of her own  works! Yes — you’ll get to coach a composer on how to perform her own music! Did someone say…  Heresy?

AND YES OF COURSE the great Grammy nominated soprano and soul-filler Linds Kesselman will be back with us to sing, inspire, coach, add layer upon layer of depth, and help all of us heal from our year :) Guess what friends? Lindsay has been conducting all year and will bring with her some new insights on musical leadership and culture building with her choir! And yes —  she’s gonna SING with all of your leading her as only Lindsay can!  

If you are a music educator (regardless of the age or experience level you usually work with) – this is for you. If you work mostly as a professional conductor or with collegiate programs, this is for you. If you are a composer who is interested in how to use fundamental tools of expression in your own music with greater impact and may occasionally wind up leading your own rehearsals, this is for you. If you are a performer who wants to be able to study, understand, and deliver from the stage with a more compelling and lasting impact on the audience without copying someone else’s version, this is for you. If you just want to feel closer to music… this is for you.  

Avaloch Farm Music Institute is both an ideal collaborator and the perfect location for this kind of creativity; they specialize in finding creative souls to partner with who bring diverse cultural value to the area. Avaloch’s founders envisioned creating a professional musician’s retreat which would provide the resources and opportunities enjoyed by artists in other disciplines, but which were unavailable to performing musicians… and they’ve done it.

Gilda Lyons - Chrysalis  - (Flute/Voice, Piano/voice)

Gilda Lyons - Essex Songs - (2 Sopranos, Cello)

Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring - (Strings, Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Piano)

John Kandor - A Letter from Sullivan Ballou - (String orchestra, ‘Harp’, and Soprano) 

Tuition costs: $850 pp

All food and lodging costs: $1080 pp

Space is limited to 28 participants.

Deposits of $500 are now being accepted to hold your place! Click this link to reserve your spot!

https://www.pnme.org/give

Select “Deposit for Heretic’s Guide to Musicianship retreat” from the pull down menu, and please note that if paying by credit card, you must click the “add 3% processing fee”. If you’d like to avoid the fee you can mail us a check instead. The check should be made out to The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and can be mailed to us at:

Kevin Noe and Lindsay Kesselman
8222 Abbottsgate Ln.
Charlotte, NC 28269

June 16 arrive (dinner provided)

June 22 depart (8 am breakfast provided)

Any questions? Call Kevin Noe at: 512-785-6255 anytime!

“Kevin Noe is without a doubt one of the most important artists and teachers of our lifetime. For me, choosing to study  with him was the most pivotal decision of my career and he will forever sit on my shoulder each time I take the podium.  Every conductor, no matter the level, must find a way to learn from this master pedagogue and artist. Attend one of his retreats and you will understand.”

- Soo Han, Director of Orchestras, George Mason University  

"I can think of no other person who has had such a profound impact on my musicianship. He helped me to unlock the  subtext that exists beneath and between the notes. Our work together will always remain a compass…”

- Matt Forte,  Director of Orchestras, University of New Mexico  

“Noe’s conducting symposium is life-changing because it finally unlocks the connection between the act o  conductin and the art of actual music-making. It is a place where things actually matter. Every time I walk out of it a better  musician with a fire in my belly.”

- Ho-Yin Kwok, Artistic Director Mississippi Valley Orchestra, Director o Orchestras, Ithaca College  

“The Conducting Symposium with Maestro Noe is a must for all conductors. He does a fantastic job facilitating  meticulous, deep dives into score study, and his insights are second to none..”

- Adam Torres, Music Director, Loveland  Opera Theatre and Hyperprism Music.  

"Noe’s symposiums create a space where meaningful reflection and musical curiosity are nurtured. The structure o  eac day’s sessions along with the discussions on music and score study are life-altering. Year after year I discover more about  why we do what we do.”

- Hisham Bravo, Music Director, St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra  

"A truly transformative experience that has had a lasting impact on my work. The intensive score study sessions helped  me develop stronger methods for learning and internalizing new work and the symposium is a fantastic opportunity to  meet and learn alongside other gifted conductors. I highly recommend it.”

-Michael Roest, Associate Dean & Executive  Director of Pre-College and Continuing Education, San Francisco Conservatory  

“When working with Kevin Noe, you are immediately thrown into a deeper engagement with the music at hand —  questioning the identity and meaning behind each and every note. Delightfully exhaustive, I found this process  exhilarating and this approach has transformed how I look at a score! Of course, all other matters of conducting:  rehearsing, communicating, articulating and defining one’s gestures, engaging the audience etc. naturally flow from y knowledge of the score.”

-Mark Dupere, Director of Orchestras, Lawrence University Conservatory of Music  

“Kevin Noe’s retreats have been the most momentous and impactful events on my life in music. I appreciate how, as a  school orchestra teacher, the lessons are immediately applicable to my work and I take away actionable strategies that  have transformed my classroom for the better. I walk away a new artist and human being… looking forward to the next  one!”

-Maddie Moll, Director of Orchestras, The American School in Japan 

"The Score Study, Interpretation, and Conducting retreat at Avaloch Music Institute with Kevin Noe and Lindsay Kessleman was transformative and life changing! Their innovative techniques significantly enhanced my musicality, and their influence has been felt in my public school orchestra classroom with hundreds of students this year. Every music educator should experience this retreat to refine their skills and inspire the rising generation of musicians. The PNME Musicians were phenomenal as well, adding to the overall excellence of the program. I am forever changed for the better, with newfound insights and abilities that will resonate throughout my career, and with newfound friendships that will last a lifetime.”

— Ariel Loveland, Orchestra Director, Madison Middle School and Junior High, Rexburg Idaho

"Life Changing. That's what this workshop is. It thoroughly and systematically establishes a system of score study like nothing else I've ever seen before. As a teacher, I feel that I can bring more to my kids now that I have a clear method for approaching any piece of music in front of me. Beyond that, the Heretics Guide is a place where you will find a community of passionate, diverse, kind, and overall remarkable human beings. I would recommend this to any serious musician or educator who wants to expand the lens through which they view and think about music and how it can impact the world around them.”

— Kevin Hulipas, Assistant Orchestra Director at Beckendorff Junior High, Houston, TX

Kevin Noe’s Heretic’s Guide to Musicianship dives deep into the heart of what it truly means to study. He opens a path for us to improve our use of space, sense of time, decide what questions to ask about a score and how to translate those questions into audible interpretive choices.  I’ve been to Kevin’s workshops each of the past three summers and each time I come away with my head full of ideas and my heart ready to dive into another year of music making. I always come away inspired both by his dedication and equally touched by the warmth and openness of my fellow “heretics”.  If you have considered attending the Heretic’s Guide to Musicianship and wondered about the experience, please give yourself this gift. It is truly a life-changing experience.

— Tim Maynard , Orchestra Director Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School Houston, TX

Attending my first Kevin Noe symposium was the turning point in understanding what true musicianship really is. No other experience that has provided such profound musical growth while fostering a sense of camaraderie. Beyond refining my musicianship, I’ve gained practical tools to improve rehearsal efficiency and flexibility with all levels of musicians. Each time I return, I’m met with passionate, intense score study and the support of a loving community—leaving not only as a better teacher, but also as a better human being. 

— Amadeus Twu, Director of Orchestras, Eversole Run Middle School, Plain City OH

Many conducting workshops provide conductors the opportunity to lead a fine ensemble. But the Heretic's Guide at Avaloch offered me more. It helped me discover the how and why of making great musical choices and gave me the opportunity to rehearse, not just conduct, a first-rate ensemble so I could learn how to realize those choices. (And the food was great!) 

— Ubaldo Valli, Violinist, Conductor, Educator

Any musician wanting to connect with music in a truly meaningful way should attend this retreat. To be surrounded by such wonderful musicians and even better people is a rarity in this time and should not be taken for granted. I’ve learned so many lessons from Kevin and Lindsay that will stick with me the rest of my life.

— Brennan Mason, Music Education Major, South Dakota State University