Chamberre in the Rockies

August 18-22, 2010

Chamberre in the Rockies is a program for mature amateur and professional musicians. It provides a magical setting and opportunities for the participants to play string chamber music, often in sessions pushing late into the night. The participants develop lasting friendships, forged in five days of music, great food, and finish with a public concert. Many players have returned from around the world for more than 20 years. Chamberre and Rocky Ridge have been partners with a common vision for 51 years. In 2008, the partnership was formalized, with a merging of the organizations. We are proud of this addition to Rocky Ridge.

 

Introduction to Chamberre

Chamberre in the Rockies is a group of string players, pianists and some wind players, with a love for classical music.  We gather together once a year in late summer to play at the Rocky Ridge Music Center near Estes Park, Colorado.

Activities

Eugene Hilligoss established some guidelines as to how Chamberre is organized. We have kept to these guidelines through the years because they work so well!

• About half the sessions - 3 per day, each about 1 to 1½ hours long - are assigned. As far as possible we assign everyone to groups with no segregation by ability level - although we do try and accommodate individual requests not, for example, to be assigned first violin if (s)he prefers not to be. We also try the best we can, to "mix people up" so that attendees play with a wide variety of players, in a variety of ensembles.

• We do not specify music that shall be played in the assigned session. That is the decision of the group. A large library of music owned by Rocky Ridge is available, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own music and share with the group.

• The other half of the sessions (usually 3 more each day) are "free" - you play with others of your choice.

• There is no coaching.

• Occasional sessions (usually no more than 3 of the assigned sessions - and more often 2) are dedicated to orchestra rehearsals for the Sunday concert. There is no obligation to play in the orchestra if you prefer not to.

The Dining Hall and many cabins have good grand pianos. The other cabins (some with good upright pianos) can accommodate anywhere from 3 to 8 people. For late night playing (after 9:00 p.m.) only selected cabins, as well as the Dining Hall and Lodge, are available for the last "free" session. For assigned sessions, we try to accommodate special needs - some of the cabins are accessible only by rocky footpaths.

History - Chamberre in the Rockies

In the summer of 1957, Dr. Eugene Hilligoss organized the first meeting of a group of classical chamber music enthusiasts, to gather together and play at the Rocky Ridge Music Center near Estes Park. In the early days of Chamberre, the group congregated at Rocky Ridge in late afternoon Friday until Sunday afternoon. A tradition was soon established whereby members of Chamberre, as well as other performers, organized a Sunday afternoon concert to which the public was invited. This tradition has been maintained over the years.

Dr. Hilligoss continued organizing the annual Chamberre event until his untimely death in 1982. At that time Craig Billings, a cellist student of Dr. Hilligoss, organized a group of people initially with the idea of running Chamberre "one last time" in memory of Gene. Luckily for all of us the "last" Chamberre was such a success that Craig decided to continue organizing Chamberre on an annual basis. He continued in this role through 1997, at which time Michael Holmes took over as the principal organizer with invaluable help and support of other board members.
Chamberre in the Rockies continues today through the leadership of Joseph Pope, Chamberre President and  Rocky Ridge Trustee.

General Information

Chamberre runs in middle to late August from early Wednesday afternoon through Monday breakfast. Attendees have a choice of 3, 4 or 5 days, starting either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday about 4:00 p.m.
Usually about 65 – 70 people participate. Some non-playing participants can be accommodated, so long as playing participants are not excluded because of space limitations.

Costs includes accommodation, all meals, and full use of the facilities.
Most attendees are string players, with some pianists.  Occasional wind players attend, but need to be aware that they should bring appropriate chamber music (involving string players) with them. Alternatively, we would welcome a wind ensemble that would be willing to play, on an occasional basis, with string players.

Sample Daily Schedule

7:30 a.m	Wake up Bell
8:00 a.m	Breakfast
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.	1st Assigned Session
10:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon	Free Session #1
12:00 noon	Lunch
1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m	2nd Assigned Session
3:30 to 6:00 p.m.	Free Session #2
6:00 p.m. (Except Sunday 5:30 p.m.)	Dinner
7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.	3rd Assigned Session
9:00 p.m.	Chocolate
9:30 p.m. to ?	Free Session #3

There is no obligation to play the "free" sessions. In the immediate vicinity are hikes of varying degrees of difficulty - Longs Peak is an all day event and should only be attempted by the experienced hiker. Remember that Rocky Ridge is at 9200 feet elevation, and even some who live in Denver are affected by the altitude.