Curriculum & Schedule
Curriculum
Virtuoso Program classes and rehearsals take place after school between the hours of 3:00 and 9:00pm. Each student participates in the Orchestra da Camera, a string quartet, Music Hour (performance and musicology class), and performance class in addition to daily hours dedicated to private practice.
All activities are carefully planned by the Music Director and Managing Director. Each year the weekly class schedule is tailored around the public performance schedule as well as the musical and educational needs of the Program's current group of students.
San Domenico is a day and boarding school, yet most Virtuoso Program students live on-campus, allowing time for intensive after-school rehearsal, practice and academic homework.
Typical day in the life of a Virtuoso student:
8:10am - 3:05pm Academic classes
3:15pm String quartet coaching
4:30pm Chamber orchestra rehearsal in Hall of the Arts
6:00pm Dinner in Dining Hall
6:30pm Relax in dorm room
7:00pm Private practice in practice studio
8:30pm Homework
10:30pm Hang out with friends in dorm lounge
11:00pm Bed
Performance
A vital component of a young musician's training is performance and the Virtuoso Program provides numerous opportunities for this critical experience. Virtuoso students receive rigorous coaching and support for their participation in 30 concerts and master classes each year, including:
• Three major Orchestra da Camera Concerts
• Five Solo Recitals
• Four Chamber Music Recitals
• Community and Outreach Performances
• Other performance activities each year
Click here to view for our current performance calendar.
Facilities
Superior facilities support superior students. San Domenico's Music Conservatory and adjacent Carol Franc Buck Hall of the Arts provide an ideal setting for intensive music study. Performances, recitals, orchestra rehearsals and chamber music coachings take place in 300-seat Bettye Poetz Ferguson concert hall, opened in 2004, which features professional-level acoustics. The Music Conservatory houses numerous practice rooms, teaching studios and an extensive music library.
