Educational Outreach
THANK YOU!
Educational Outreach Sponsor
Focus Areas
High Desert Chamber Music’s goal is to allow young children to experience the highest levels of music performance and cultivate an interest that can lead to a lifelong appreciation and enjoyment of the performing arts. All our programs are provided at no cost to students, teachers, or schools in Central Oregon. Our Educational Outreach efforts have three areas of focus:
1) Visits to Local Schools
2) Master Class
3) Spotlight Chamber Players
Visits To Local Schools
We provide students of local schools with direct contact to our guest musicians through performances and Q&A sessions at string orchestra classes. This has been a great and rare opportunity for students to interact with visiting professional musicians in an informal setting. In addition, we provide tickets to our performances for the string orchestra programs in the Bend/La Pine School District. Complimentary tickets to performances are arranged through instructors. If you attend a school in Central Oregon, please ask your teacher to request your tickets!
Tesla Quartet visits Sisters High School in February 2026
Master Class
Master Class (noun) definition: A class given by an expert, especially a musician, for highly talented students, usually presented in public.
Master Classes are beneficial and exciting for all those involved – they can provide artistic stimulation for the guest artist, the student musician receives valuable insight and customized teaching that they can apply to their studies, and the audience can learn and experience how the master’s advice improved or affected the student’s performance. For students, there is incredible leverage and support created by the situation. Not only are they face to face with a prominent expert, but there’s a whole audience rooting for their success!
Violin Master Class with
KERSON LEONG
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2027
Time: 1:00pm-3:00pm
Location: First Presbyterian Church - Heritage Hall
230 NE 9th St. Bend, OR 97701
High Desert Chamber Music and the Cascade School of Music are proud to present a Violin Master Class featuring Kerson Leong.
Passionate about pedagogy and music outreach, Kerson approaches teaching through a blend of physical science and expressive technique. His unique pedagogical approach centers on connecting music with other disciplines, heavily influenced by his father's lectures on the physics of string resonance and sound production.
This event is sponsored by the Oregon chapter of the American String Teachers Association and is free and open to the public, no tickets required. The entrance to Heritage Hall is just north of the main sanctuary.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Applications Available - check back soon!
Applications Due - TBD
Saturday, April 24, 1:00pm-3:00pm - Master Class in Bend
Spotlight Chamber Players
2025-2026 SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER PLAYERS
Ezra Oncken (violin), Parker Carlson (violin), Harper Renfroe (piano),
Madeleine Bloom (violin), Peyton Cape (cello)
Since 2008, Spotlight Chamber Players has provided young musicians throughout Central Oregon with the opportunity to experience the unique rewards of chamber music performance. Chamber music teaches musicians how to listen, communicate, and collaborate - this program is dedicated exclusively to developing these essential skills though the study and performance of chamber music.
Students accepted into the program receive weekly chamber music instruction with Isabelle Senger, and are expected to prepare individual parts outside of rehearsals, commit to all scheduled performance opportunities, and attend all High Desert Chamber Music events, which is provided complimentary.
In a typical season, the groups perform at many events in the HDCM Concert Series, and are featured at our Annual Gala in November at the Riverhouse Convention Center. There are also several compensated performance opportunities featuring the students in the community at locations such as Whispering Winds and First Friday Art Walk.
Auditions are held in the fall and are open to string players in grades 6-12 with at least three years of private instruction and intermediate to advanced levels of playing. A one-season commitment is required, and placement and type of ensemble will be determined after the application/audition process.
2026/27 Auditions will be held on September 6, 7, 8
Download the application for more information. To schedule an audition, click the link to email HDCM.