Program
Festival del Lago offers a very intense and immersive two weeks of music making and apprenticeship for students from precollege level to young professional. All students will receive a minimum of 5 private lessons over the two weeks and 5 chamber music coachings (If you aren’t already coming as a pre-formed chamber group you will be assigned one).
We also provide a wide range of performance opportunities to participants. From masterclasses, to intimate in-home venues to large concert halls everyone will have the opportunity to perform solo and in a chamber music ensemble and all concerts will be recorded and given to the student.
The Program
- 5 Private lessons
- 5 chamber music coachings
- Masterclasses
- Studio classes
- Orchestral excerpt training
- Concert recordings
- Flexible Schedule
- Ample practice time
- Admission to all concerts and events
- Scholarship opportunities
- Rehearsals with collaborative pianist
- Performance opportunities
Cultural enrichment
We hope that you soak in as much of the Mexican/Ajijic experience as possible. There are organic food and other fun street markets in the village, artisanal shops on almost every corner, golf, tennis, swimming, opulent spas, horseback riding and a plethora of cafes, bars and restaurants. We offer free basic Spanish classes for those interested as well as morning yoga classes. There are organized trips to the famous town of Tequila(where tequila was first created) only 2 hours away and Guadalajara, the birthplace of Mariachi, only a 1 hour drive from Ajijic. But most of all, the beauty, colours and serenity of Ajijic itself is inspiring form any artist.
Community
We give students at Festival del Lago the opportunity to get to know the faculty on a more personal basis, so faculty and students all eat in the same dining area. The hope is that you will develop healthy long-term relationships with the faculty and other fellows that might benefit you, your playing and your career in the future, not to mention life long friends. With a maximum number of students capped at 45, the student teacher ratio is only 4/1.
Typical daily schedule
Students are given the freedom to study whenever they like and are able to practice in their own private rooms. Chamber music rehearsals can either take place in another student’s living quarters or in designated rehearsal spaces.
| 8:30 - 10:00 | Breakfast |
| 10:00 - 12:00 | Masterclasses |
| 10:00 - 14:00 | Chamber Music Rehearsals / Individual Study / Private Lessons |
| 12:00 - 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 - 18:00 | Private Lessons / Chamber Music Coachings / Individual Study / Chamber Music Rehearsals |
| 18:00 - 20:00 | Dinner |
| 20:00 | Faculty or Student Recitals |
If your chamber ensemble (string quartet, piano trio etc…) is interested in coming, you have the option, if you so wish, of exchanging your private lessons for chamber music coachings so that you can have an intensive chamber music experience at FDL. (you may however not be able to exchange chamber music coachings for private lessons)
