Smith Family Young Performers Program
Menlo School, 50 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton, CA 94027
About
The Smith Family Young Performers Program includes rehearsals, coachings, master classes, and ensemble rehearsals, along with multiple student performances that are professionally produced and streamed live. Participants take part in public master classes that are streamed live, educational lectures with leading artists and musicologists, and interactive instrument-specific sessions that focus on technique, performance skills, and the development of public speaking and communication skills. The program also includes group activities that promote inclusiveness and friendship, such as ping-pong and scavenger hunts, as well as daily elements like a morning meeting, café conversations, free time or individual practice, prelude performances, and evening encounter lectures or concerts.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
• Schedule: Session runs July 17–August 8, 2026, with a structured daily schedule that includes morning through evening activities.
• Price: Application Fee: $70 before December 22; $130 from December 23–January 5. Placement Deposit: $250 refundable deposit due at the time of acceptance, refunded after completion of the first program day. Tuition: Full tuition fellowship for all accepted Smith Family Young Performers. Housing Fee: $3,900 for housing and meals from July 16 through breakfast on August 9; housing support is available, and housing support applications are evaluated separately from the admissions process.
The Smith Family Young Performers Program is designed for enthusiastic and dedicated string players and pianists ages thirteen to nineteen, with an intense exploration of advanced chamber music repertoire and free admission to all Music@Menlo main stage events for participants. Public master classes and multiple student performances are streamed live. Housing consideration is made for students who reside at least forty miles from Atherton, California, and students are chaperoned by Music@Menlo residential life staff in the Menlo College dormitory, where rooms are either double or triple occupancy and students are grouped together based on age and gender. All accepted students receive full tuition fellowships through the support of the Ann S. Bowers Young Artist Fund.
Live auditions are strongly recommended for Smith Family Young Performers Program applicants, and if an applicant lives more than 200 miles from a live audition site, a Zoom audition is scheduled. For the Young Performers Program, an accompanist is provided at live auditions for string players. Audition results are generally sent to applicants by email, and all applicants are notified of their status by March 1, 2026, with invited applicants typically given twenty-four hours to accept or decline an invitation for admission.
The program’s leadership includes Institute Directors Dmitri Atapine (Co-Director) and Hyeyeon Park (Co-Director). Institute faculty for the Young Performers include Jessica Lee (weeks 1 and 2), Keith Robinson, Danbi Um (week 3), and Chelsea Wang.
A testimonial from Ariel Horowitz, International Program ’25, states, “Music@Menlo has changed my perspective on music-making in a profound way. It has pushed and inspired me to grow in the areas I most struggled with.”
Last updated June 30, 2026.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
• Schedule: Session runs July 17–August 8, 2026, with a structured daily schedule that includes morning through evening activities.
• Price: Application Fee: $70 before December 22; $130 from December 23–January 5. Placement Deposit: $250 refundable deposit due at the time of acceptance, refunded after completion of the first program day. Tuition: Full tuition fellowship for all accepted Smith Family Young Performers. Housing Fee: $3,900 for housing and meals from July 16 through breakfast on August 9; housing support is available, and housing support applications are evaluated separately from the admissions process.
The Smith Family Young Performers Program is designed for enthusiastic and dedicated string players and pianists ages thirteen to nineteen, with an intense exploration of advanced chamber music repertoire and free admission to all Music@Menlo main stage events for participants. Public master classes and multiple student performances are streamed live. Housing consideration is made for students who reside at least forty miles from Atherton, California, and students are chaperoned by Music@Menlo residential life staff in the Menlo College dormitory, where rooms are either double or triple occupancy and students are grouped together based on age and gender. All accepted students receive full tuition fellowships through the support of the Ann S. Bowers Young Artist Fund.
Live auditions are strongly recommended for Smith Family Young Performers Program applicants, and if an applicant lives more than 200 miles from a live audition site, a Zoom audition is scheduled. For the Young Performers Program, an accompanist is provided at live auditions for string players. Audition results are generally sent to applicants by email, and all applicants are notified of their status by March 1, 2026, with invited applicants typically given twenty-four hours to accept or decline an invitation for admission.
The program’s leadership includes Institute Directors Dmitri Atapine (Co-Director) and Hyeyeon Park (Co-Director). Institute faculty for the Young Performers include Jessica Lee (weeks 1 and 2), Keith Robinson, Danbi Um (week 3), and Chelsea Wang.
A testimonial from Ariel Horowitz, International Program ’25, states, “Music@Menlo has changed my perspective on music-making in a profound way. It has pushed and inspired me to grow in the areas I most struggled with.”
Last updated June 30, 2026.
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