Young Artist Fellowship Program

Session I & II: June 18 - July 31, 2025
Session I: June 18 - July 10, 2025
Session II: July 10 - July 31, 2025

The Rushmore Music Festival’s flagship program is the intensive Young Artist Fellowship, which takes place in the heart of the Black Hills in Rapid City, South Dakota. With a strong focus that combines individual technical mastery and artistic growth rooted in communication, the Festival fosters a challenging, immersive musical environment. Over the course of 3 or 6 weeks, students will have multiple solo, chamber, and Conductorless Chamber Orchestra performance opportunities on campus and throughout the community. Studio classes, distinguished guest artist masterclasses, and competitions provide students with high and low-stress environments to build and refine their performance skills.

About:

The Festival places a strong emphasis on personalized instruction, ensuring each participant achieves their maximum potential. Each week student receives:

  • 2 one-hour private lessons

  • 2 one-hour chamber music coachings

  • 2 two-hour chamber orchestra rehearsals

  • 4 one-hour classes in Audience Engagement such as Improvisation, Stage Presence, Singing, and Drama

Every day, except Sundays, students have 3 designated hours of individual practice time and 2 hours of chamber music rehearsal. 

Students experience music-making at its highest standard of excellence by attending the Rushmore Concert Artists Series (a faculty performing collective) each weekend.

  • Violin
    Viola
    Cello
    Piano

  • 13-18 years old

    Applicants younger than 13 are encouraged to email the Festival prior to submitting an application.

    Over-18 students may apply as a Counselor. Learn more on “Become a Counselor” page.

  • Early Advanced-Advanced
    (Suzuki Book 9+)

    • Annual Chamber Music Competition

    • Outstanding Musicianship Award

    • RMF Chamber Orchestra Solo Competition

  • Early Decision Deadline:
    Wednesday, January 15th, 2025
    *Application Fee: $75

    General Application Deadline:
    Saturday, February 15th, 2025
    *Application Fee: $95

    Late Application Deadline:
    Saturday, March 15th, 2025
    Application Fee: $125

    Priority Decision Notification available. See Fees & Deadlines for more information.

Application Requirements:

  • Video Recording of 2-3 contrasting pieces from different time periods that demonstrates musical and technical ability, such as a movement of a standard Romantic concerto, a show piece or an etude, and a movement of Bach.

  • Recorded Video Interview (see Fees & Deadlines for prompt)

  • Completed Online Student Application

  • Application Fee (non-refundable)

Highlight Performances

Guest Artist Virtual Masterclass

Distinguished Guest Artist
Virtual Masterclasses Series

Previous artists include: Zlatomir Fung, Nicholas Cords, Tanya Carey, Atar Arad, Philip Setzer, Hagai Shaham, Lawrence Dutton, Ann Setzer, Alison Wells, Daniel Heifetz, Michael Klotz & Kurt Muroki.

Competitions

Each session, students have the opportunity to compete for various prizes & performance opportunities in the Chamber Music Competition and Solo Competition.

Outstanding Musicianship Award

Each summer one student is chosen per session to perform on the future season of the Faculty Concert Series.

Distinguished Guest Artist-in-Residence

In 2024, Distinguished Guest Artists-in-Residence included violinist Philip Setzer from the Emerson String Quartet and world-renowned bandoneonist and pioneer of Astor Piazzolla’s music, Daniel Binelli. In 2023, the Festival welcomed violinist Hagai Shaham (Tel Aviv University & Stony Brook University).

PILLARS OF GROWTH

  • Private Lessons

    Private instruction lies at the heart of growth for every musician. As the key to the success for all of our students, a minimum of 2 hours of private lessons are provided to every student each week. In order to make immense strides in their development during this short amount of time, all students have 3 hours of daily pre-scheduled individual practice time.

  • Chamber Music Coachings

    Chamber Music provides students the opportunity to focus on honing their abilities as artists while learning fundamental lessons in communication and collaboration, all while exploring various Western Classical works. Our faculty work intensely with each chamber group a minimum of 2 hours per week. Students are expected to rehearse 90+ minutes daily on their own.

  • Conductorless Chamber Orchestra

    All string players will study standard chamber music repertoire as a large ensemble, in addition to learning works to perform with fellow student soloists for the Solo Competition. Students gain invaluable skills rehearsing in a conductorless orchestra setting and often rotate section leaders in order to further strengthen and develop their leadership and communication skills.

Audience Engagement

Audience Engagement classes are the catalyst behind the success of each student’s experience at the Rushmore Music Festival. Students are challenged daily to more deeply understand themselves while learning to create, build, and maintain relationships that will serve them for their entire lives. Students develop verbal communication skills to engage effectively in ensemble settings and present interesting perspectives about the works they will perform for their audiences. Through Audience Engagement, students forge deep social bonds while maximizing their unique expressive potential.