SUMMER STRING FESTIVAL
Hillsdale County School of the Arts, Inc.
Summer String Festival was July 21-August 1, 2025
Summer String Festival was July 21-August 1, 2025
Summer String Festival Information
Summer String Festival is an intensive strings education program for youth in grades
1-12. Students who already play a string instrument can participate based on their experience level.
Students in elementary school also have the opportunity to begin learning an instrument.
1-12. Students who already play a string instrument can participate based on their experience level.
Students in elementary school also have the opportunity to begin learning an instrument.
Meet Our Guest Artist: Laurel Premo
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Laurel Premo is a Michigan-based artist known for her rhythmically deep and rapt delivery of roots music, voiced on fiddle, finger-style electric guitar, lap steel, and voice. She has spent her life immersed in American and Nordic folk traditions, and is internationally known from her duo Red Tail Ring. Premo holds a BFA from the Performing Arts Technology Dept. of the University of Michigan School of Music, and has spent half-year stints at both the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki, Finland and the University College of Southeast Norway in Telemark to study traditional music and dance
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Thursday, July 31 at 7:00 pm
Premo presented Guest Artist Recital, performing some of their custom mash-ups.
Friday, August 1 at 7:00 pm
Premo performed with Summer String Festival students on their final concert.
Hillsdale County School of the Arts strives to make its Summer String Festival and its public concerts welcoming to all students and patrons regardless of background or ability.
Premo presented Guest Artist Recital, performing some of their custom mash-ups.
Friday, August 1 at 7:00 pm
Premo performed with Summer String Festival students on their final concert.
Hillsdale County School of the Arts strives to make its Summer String Festival and its public concerts welcoming to all students and patrons regardless of background or ability.
The 2025 Summer String Festival is sponsored in part by a grant from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council & Creative Washtenaw.
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Apply to the Summer String Festival!!!
Beginning and Young Strings
The Beginning and Young Strings Session is a two week session for grades 1-6. Young Strings are students who already play a string instrument, but have little or no orchestral experience. Beginning Strings are students who have very little or no experience with a stringed instrument.
(2026 String Festival applications will be available early in the spring)
(2026 String Festival applications will be available early in the spring)
Intermediate & Advanced Strings
This one week session for intermediate and advanced students offers students a unique opportunity to improve their skills and to work with highly trained instructors and guest artists. String players in 6th-12th grade are eligible to participate. Students must have at least one year of ensemble experience and have note reading skills. Orchestra and small ensemble rehearsals are part of the daily activities, coached by String Festival staff and the guest artist.
(2026 String Festival applications will be available early in the spring)
(2026 String Festival applications will be available early in the spring)
Tips for Video Applications
In order to help our HCSA teachers place each student at the level that best fits them, we’ve introduced a video upload as a component of the application.
ALL APPLICANTS (except Beginners): Please send a video of a song or song excerpt (up to approximately 3 minutes) of the student playing a piece they’ve been working on.
Afternoon Session (Intermediate & Advanced Strings only): An excerpt will be given below for you to read and record as well. Please send that video in a separate email to avoid creating attachments that are too large for email.
Use the guide below to help with your application videos. If you have questions, please reach out to us at [email protected]!
ALL APPLICANTS (except Beginners): Please send a video of a song or song excerpt (up to approximately 3 minutes) of the student playing a piece they’ve been working on.
Afternoon Session (Intermediate & Advanced Strings only): An excerpt will be given below for you to read and record as well. Please send that video in a separate email to avoid creating attachments that are too large for email.
Use the guide below to help with your application videos. If you have questions, please reach out to us at [email protected]!
Afternoon Session Video Excerpts
These excerpts are only for students applying to the afternoon (Intermediate & Advanced) session. Excerpt music is below the measures to play for the video.
(Except application information will be available early in the spring next year.)
**Violinist may choose which excerpt they prefer
(Except application information will be available early in the spring next year.)
**Violinist may choose which excerpt they prefer
Previous String Festival Guest Artists
2024 - Violinist Gene Hahn and cellist David Ledoux of ESME
2023 - Hannah Holman, cellist with the New York City Ballet Symphony
2022 - Rick Robinson (aka "Mr. CutTime"), former bassist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and founder of CutTime Productions (https://cuttime.com/)
2021- Returning Guest Artists Violinist Gene Hahn and cellist Jeremy Crosmer of ESME https://www.facebook.com/esmelivemusic/
2019- Csaba Erdélyi, violist formerly with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London
2018 – Karin Loberg Code, hardingfele (Norwegian folk fiddle)
2017 – Violinist Gene Hahn and cellist Jeremy Crosmer of ESME https://www.facebook.com/esmelivemusic/
2016 – Aaron Johnson, string bass
2015 – Rachel Klaus, violinist with Detroit Symphony Orchestra David Ledoux
2023 - Hannah Holman, cellist with the New York City Ballet Symphony
2022 - Rick Robinson (aka "Mr. CutTime"), former bassist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and founder of CutTime Productions (https://cuttime.com/)
2021- Returning Guest Artists Violinist Gene Hahn and cellist Jeremy Crosmer of ESME https://www.facebook.com/esmelivemusic/
2019- Csaba Erdélyi, violist formerly with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London
2018 – Karin Loberg Code, hardingfele (Norwegian folk fiddle)
2017 – Violinist Gene Hahn and cellist Jeremy Crosmer of ESME https://www.facebook.com/esmelivemusic/
2016 – Aaron Johnson, string bass
2015 – Rachel Klaus, violinist with Detroit Symphony Orchestra David Ledoux