The Krakauer Institute for Intensive Summer Study

Hello Friends, Colleagues, Fellow Artists, Teachers, and Family:

This fundraiser represents the start of a dream I've had for nearly 30 years, since the day I took my first violin lesson with Barbara Krakauer as a teenager. As someone who came to serious study of the violin a bit late, I was consumed with fear of an unknown future and a crippling amount of questions about my emerging love of the violin and the prospect of a life in music. Thanks to the referral of a dear friend at Mannes Pre-College, I found myself in Barbara's apartment having the most magical lesson: one filled with encouragement, humanity, and support. That summer, I travelled with Barbara and her other students to Provence, France, for three weeks of intensive study - what I came to learn the French refer to as a "stage" (pronounced "stahj"): a term that loosely translates to a focused period dedicated towards the study of an art form or other endeavor. While many meanings and synonyms resonate, such as “training”, “course”, “formation”, “éducation”, and “préparation”, the general intent of a stage is to provide the participants with a place free from the many distractions of daily life, within a like-minded community of co-learners, in which concentration, progress, and joy can flourish. These studies were profoundly enriched by an immersion in French culture, and the forming of lifelong friendships and musical collaborations.

I went on to attend Barbara's stages for the next 6 years, and was so grateful to serve as a teaching assistant for 5 of those years. It was during this time that I knew I wanted to go into music, and for the first time felt that I could. Barbara's teachings were not just an inspiration to me, but to countless other violinists and aspiring teachers who would learn the sheer joy of sharing their art form with others through a caring and nurturing approach. After Barbara's untimely loss due to breast cancer in 2001, the stages as we knew them would come to an end.

Now, with the blessing of her family and a newly-assembled faculty of Barbara's former teaching assistants, Colin "Pip" Dixon and Barbara Podgurski, we are establishing a new stage devoted to Barbara Krakauer's legacy. An 8-day musical retreat in the idyllic setting of Vaison-La-Romaine nestled in the heart of Provence, France, The Krakauer Institute for Intensive Summer Study (or K.I.I.S.S.) will be a place for string players and pianists age 18 and above to focus on their personal artistry with the support of renowned faculty. With daily lessons, masterclasses, ensemble opportunities, public performances, workshops in technique, theory, composition, arranging, pedagogy and more, K.I.I.S.S. aims to provide a learning environment for anyone looking to renew and strengthen their relationship with their instrument and their love of music.

As a performer who teaches, and who researches performers who teach, I've learned all too well the many ways that musicians can struggle to maintain connections to their artistry when they are living amid the obligations of teaching their own students, or the distractions of daily life, school, and so much more. Our aim is to help participants maintain that connection, and in many cases, rekindle it. We hope to pass on the love and nurturing that Barbara Krakauer so generously gave to us and so many others with this initiative: honoring and sustaining her legacy.

This is where you come in.

We are seeking to raise funds to provide scholarships for deserving participants in need, and to help us to pilot the first year of this initiative and its general operating costs. With your support, we hope to bring 20 musicians to France with us this coming June to experience their first stage. Can you help?

This giving Tuesday, please consider a generous donation to our mission. We are aiming for a starting budget of $25,000.00 in order to cover operating costs, travel, and tuition for as many students as possible. Thank you for your time, your consideration, and most of all, your good wishes and support. Even if you cannot donate at this time, if you knew Barbara Krakauer and/or studied with her, please leave a comment with your memories or good wishes.

With much love and thanks,

Katie