About Us
Artistic Philosophy
For over 30 summers, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music has helped people of all ages find a voice in making music and revel in sharing that voice with others. I believe if we took a poll of everyone who has been transformed by their time at Apple Hill, we would be amazed at how wide the sphere is of former participants around the world.
The heart and soul of Apple Hill is the summer sessions, where musicians from as far away as Vietnam learn alongside participants from as close as Keene. It is thrilling to see the unlikeliest of people become fast friends as they discover together great works of chamber music.
Representing Apple Hill and bringing the excitement of what happens in the summer to Playing for Peace™ tours is such a privilege. Of course that means performing great music to the utmost of our ability. But there is much more to touring than the concerts alone. Our educational activities encourage instrumental and personal excellence: a private lesson in Burma may result in a sudden burst of learning and improvement, a master class for 400 school children in Jordan may show what it means to have a voice in music, a lecture at one of the major conservatories in Istanbul may reveal chamber music as a tool for conflict resolution. 
We leave for every trip with a clear understanding of what we represent, but what always surprises me is that I come back with so much more. When we tour areas of conflict around the world, what hits home is not just Apple Hill’s effect on individuals, but also the impact Apple Hill has had on musical communities. In Amman, Jordan, for example, we attended an orchestral concert and recognized about a third of the players as former Apple Hill participants. Not only do they make up a large part of the musical community in Amman, but most of these former students are responsible for the future community as teachers at the National Music Conservatory and in the public schools. Similarly, in Cyprus last year, two long-time Apple Hill Cypriot participants organized a workshop based on the Playing for Peace™ model of bringing Turkish and Greek Cypriots together to play chamber music. They organized the entire weekend—raising funds, recruiting musicians, and facilitating groups. It was amazing to see them make the Apple Hill mission their own.
A long history of transcending borders and transforming people has confirmed the importance of what happens at Apple Hill. Everything on tour—from what we represent, to the selection of scholarship participants—is an investment in musical communities around the world.
Sarah Kim, violinist,
Apple Hill Chamber Players