The guiding principle

Every year the DAVOS FESTIVAL Academy invites 20 young musicians to take an active part in the DAVOS FESTIVAL – young artists in concert to further their professional, individual advanced training. Selected participants spend two weeks with daily rehearsals, workshops and visits to concerts, perfecting their art under the guidance of tutors and the Festival’s advanced Young Artists. In addition to playing in an orchestra, members of the Academy are given the opportunity to perform as part of a chamber music group at an Open Stage. Additional education opportunities for Academy participants are also part of the programme.

Open Academy positions in 2023

10 violins
4 violas
4 cellos
2 double basses

The Academy’s key components

The following components, all part of the Festival, constitute the Academy’s programme. Members and tutors are carefully selected. The success of the Academy depends on participants taking an active part in every event on the programme, acting on their own initiative where appropriate.

DAVOS FESTIVAL Camerata

Under the tuition of Holly Choe, the DAVOS FESTIVAL Camerata will develop a diverse repertoire:

• Benjamin Britten (1913–1976): Les Illuminations, op. 18
• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Chamber symphony, op. 110a
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): String sextet in D minor, Souvenir de Florence, op. 70 (arr. for string orchestra)

Holly Choe, born in South Korea and raised in Los Angeles, impresses with presence and charisma on the podium. For the past two seasons, she has served as assistant conductor of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich under Paavo Järvi. During this time, she has already conducted the Orchestre de Paris, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Orchestre national de Metz, and Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra.

During the 2022/23 season, the up-and-coming conductor will make her debut with concerts at the Komische Oper Berlin and with the State Orchestras in Hamburg, Hanover, and Darmstadt, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Munich Radio Orchestra, Kammerakademie Potsdam, and Orchestre de Chambre de Genève. She also returns to the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre de Picardie, and Musikkollegium Winterthur. With the start of the new season, Holly Choe is furthermore intensifying her collaboration with the chamber orchestra Ensemble Reflektor in the newly created position of “Erste Dirigentin”. Together, they gave their debut in 2021 at the Elbphilharmonie as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, among others.

DAVOS FESTIVAL Open Stages

Academy participants are formed into four chamber music groups to present prepared repertoire (approx. 15 minutes each) at the Open Stage at the Davos railway station. This is an opportunity for Academy participants to perform as well as to interact with the audience. In addition, the academy members are invited to perform a contemporary solo work by a female composer (5–8 minutes) at another Open Stage.

Special events

Short workshops on subjects such as mental health, self-promotion, public speaking, interview skills, programme design, and fee negotiations put the finishing touches to the Academy and its opportunities for continuing personal and professional development. The participants gain in-depth insights into practice and learn about their strengths and weaknesses. During the Festival they have the opportunity to connect with the Young Artists and receive valuable tips as well as expand their professional network.

Requirements

All applicants must:

• be in active musical training at a university or college or have completed their studies no more than two years ago (i.e., in summer 2021)
• speak good English
• as a rule, be no more than 30 years of age
• not have participated in the DAVOS FESTIVAL Academy more than twice before

Application

The closing date for applications has expired on 15 March 2023.

Selection procedure

Applicants are selected to take part in the Academy by Marco Amherd, the Artistic Director of the DAVOS FESTIVAL, and by Holly Choe, the mentor of the DAVOS FESTIVAL Camerata. The letter of acceptance or rejection is expectedly sent in April 2023 to the email address provided in the application.

Selected applicants have 10 days to accept the invitation to the Academy and sign a binding participation agreement. If they fail to do so within the time allowed, their DAVOS FESTIVAL Academy place is offered to another applicant. No further correspondence on rejection will be held.

General conditions

The DAVOS FESTIVAL Academy takes place in Davos from 7 to 20 August 2023.

Participants are expected to prepare carefully, both musically and organisationally. A web-based organisation tool provides participants with access to sheet music, schedules, and rehearsal and concert plans. Participants can also use it to clarify questions about the organisation of travel, accommodation, visas etc. with the Festival’s management and to make preliminary contact with tutors and mentors – in fact, they are encouraged to do so.

On or before their arrival in Davos, each participant will be given a personal Academy plan. All participants are required to commit themselves wholly and enthusiastically to the DAVOS FESTIVAL Academy. On its completion, successful participants are awarded a certificate of attendance.

No charge is made for participating in the Academy. Participants are provided with accommodation in double rooms and full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for the time they spend in Davos. If the participants wish to be accommodated in a single room the additional flat-rate charge is CHF 520.

Travel costs are met by the Academy according to the Festival’s guidelines: As a rule, from the location of their current university or college to Davos and back; the total cost of the return journey is limited to CHF 300. At a distance below 800 km per way the journey is generally made by train, above 800 km per way it is possible to travel by air. Travel arrangements will be made in good time in consultation between DAVOS FESTIVAL and the participants, and will then become binding. As a rule, any associated costs are met directly by DAVOS FESTIVAL. Any Academy member planning to pay travel costs in advance and claim them afterwards must obtain the consent of DAVOS FESTIVAL. Each participants receives a Davos Guest Card which allows free use of local buses and use of mountain railways at reduced price.