Mostly Modern Festival

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2025 SEASON ARE LIVE—APPLY TODAY!
FESTIVAL DATES: JUNE 2-21, 2025

The Mostly Modern Festival (MMF) Institute is the educational component of the Mostly Modern Festival.

“Mostly Modern” is an immersive experience: participants perform side-by-side with faculty, both with the Mostly Modern Orchestra (MMO) and in chamber music concerts. Mostly Modern is a place for you to explore & network with faculty and participants and create new opportunities outside the normative career paths of traditional-orchestral/rep/teaching training and find work that fits your passion with new and exciting music-making.

Chamber music is a cornerstone of the Mostly Modern experience. During the three-week festival, we offer the opportunity to perform in three chamber concerts, plus pop-ups all over Saratoga Springs and in our lobby series. Participants are put in the driver's seat in a collaborative effort to program, rehearse, and perform 20th-century onward repertoire.

Participants can perform in masterclasses instructed by some of the nation's leaders in contemporary music. Participants enhance their skill set through entrepreneurial 'real-world' lectures from our Artist Faculty.

The institute accepts up to 160 students and has over 40 faculty members. Mostly Modern Festival features the Mostly Modern Orchestra, American Modern Ensemble, three guest ensembles, guest speakers, and 15 concerts. The Institute is open to musicians ages 18 and over, at ALL ages and stages of their careers.

Mostly Modern Festival takes place at Skidmore College at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. Skidmore College is ideally located in Saratoga Springs, New York, 3 hours by car from NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, and Montreal. All public performances take place at the stunning Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, a 600-seat acoustically tuned space.

Participants go home with links to fantastic 3-camera shot performance videos and top-of-the-line audio of their works and performances.

Please email us with questions anytime at carly@mostlymodernprojects.org. Also, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for further information and for answers to questions not covered here. 

For technical questions, please visit the Acceptd Help Desk.