Credo String Intensive (ages 12-20)

Credo String Intensive
July 14-19, 2025

Credo has been developing talented young string players for 25 years, nurturing and mentoring their personal and professional development through an exhilarating curriculum of chamber music, chamber orchestra, master classes, career development, and musicianship.

Students who attend Credo are typically leaders in their local settings. At Credo they encounter a curriculum designed to complement their fine local training, get to know leading performers and pedagogues at a personal level, perform side-by-side with peers from around the country, and encounter life-changing instrumental and musical pedagogy.

Having found “their tribe,” Credo students often return for many summers! Prominent Credo alumni attribute their musical success to their time at Credo, and scores of others point to Credo’s pivotal role in their life. They identify Credo as the first place “in the real world” that incorporated the fruits of the Spirit into musical training – creating a powerful model for future personal growth.

"The high level of communication and professionalism shown by all the student groups, performing after just a few days of rehearsals, came from something other than technical level or coaching; it stemmed from a real commitment, a belief in working together towards a greater goal."

—theStrad Magazine

“Credo is one of the very few places where musical excellence is fully integrated with a musician's spiritual development. At Credo, the whole person is addressed, nurturing the body, mind and spirit.”

—Anne Martindale Williams, Pittsburgh Symphony

 

String Intensive students will experience:

Credo alumni and NEC students at an outreach event

  • Intensive chamber orchestra rehearsal and performance schedule

    • Under the direction of acclaimed Credo Founder Peter Slowik

    • Side-by-side with mentors from the Credo Festival Orchestra (students enrolled in major US conservatories)

  • Instrumental technique classes

  • Outreach performances/ events around Chicago

  • Comp tickets to Credo Festival Finale Concert in Symphony Center

  • Attend Grant Park Symphony Concert

  • Visit world-recognized luthier and bow maker shops in the immediate area

    • Chamber music reading and performance

    • Interpretation (musical theory and form) classes

 
 

2025 Credo String Intensive Faculty

String INtensive Director:

  • Peter Slowik, Credo Founder and Artistic Director, Oberlin Conservatory

faculty:

  • Kangwon Kim, Concertmaster, Madison Bach Musicians

  • Joshua Zajac, Cellist, Chicago

*Check back for additional names in November!

 
 

To Apply

Complete and submit an application and pay the application fee. You will need to have 1-2 completed audition recording(s) and a personal video before finishing the application. Your completed audition portfolio will consist of the following videos:

  • Audition Video: 1-2 video(s) consisting of 6-10 minutes of your best playing in a variety of styles. 

  • Personal Introduction Video: Take 2-4 minutes to help us get to know you better:

    • Include your name and hometown.

    • Tell us about your family (What do your parents do? How many siblings do you have? Are they musical?)

    • Tell us about a favorite non-musical activity or two.

    • What are you looking forward to at Credo this summer?

Credo’s String Intensive has a “Rolling Admissions” policy – the earlier you apply, the greater the chance you’ll be accepted. Don't wait until the deadline to apply!

Credo has made our programming available at low cost to everyone; however, if the fees will be a burden, please email the Credo office to receive a financial aid application.

    • Audition Video: 1-2 video(s) consisting of 6-10 minutes of your best playing in a variety of styles. 

    • Personal Introduction Video: Take 2-4 minutes to help us get to know you better:

      • Include your name and hometown.

      • Tell us about your family (What do your parents do? How many siblings do you have? Are they musical?)

      • Tell us about a favorite non-musical activity or two.

      • What are you looking forward to at Credo this summer?

  • Announce your first and last name at the beginning of each video.

    You may send different takes of each piece performed, but each take must be unedited.

  • Application fee: $40

    November 1: Applications open

    March 1 (ongoing): Students will be admitted via rolling admission as early as March 1; all students will be notified by April 20

    April 1: Financial Aid deadline

    April 20: Application deadline

    May 1: $300 non-refundable deposit due within 10 days of acceptance; no later than May 1

    June 15: Final tuition (and housing) payment due

  • Tuition: $730 (no increase from 2024)

    Discounts:

    • $200 off tuition for students participating in a local Credo festival (Boston, Colorado, St. Louis) in the same calendar year

    • $100 Early bird discount for students paid in full by April 15

    • $100 family discount for each additional member of the same family

    Discounts may be combined

  • 1) Students under age 16 should stay locally with families, friends, or relatives. Public transportation to Symphony Center is very convenient from anywhere in the Chicago area.

    2) A limited number of housing slots for students age 16 or older will be available – check back for more information after November 1.

    FOOD: Credo will provide daily snacks and a couple of special event meals. We encourage students coming from home to bring their own lunch. For those staying in the dorm, we're expecting participants to determine their engagement with Chicago’s food scene. Maybe sometimes you'll want to grab a yogurt and fruit for breakfast – there are grocery stores nearby! Dozens of restaurants are within easy walking distance, whether you prefer a quick and cheap bite, casual dining, or crave to explore the best of what Chicago has to offer!

    Questions? Contact us for more information.

 

Where

are Alumni Now?

Alumni Achievements
 

Credo alumni occupy leadership positions in major orchestras, colleges, and conservatories throughout the country, and are consistently among the major prize winners in national and regional competitions.

 

String Intensive FAQ

  • A typical day at Credo includes master classes, small string ensemble rehearsals and coachings, string orchestra rehearsal and coaching, and classes on Music Theory, conducting, and other inspiring topics.

    Sample Weekday Schedule:

    9:00-9:30 - Centering, a cherished opportunity to set the day's study in an atmosphere of truth, beauty, and growth

    9:30-10:45 – Rehearsal

    11:00-12:15 - Instrumental master class (for example, bowing or shifting techniques)

    12:15-1:15 - Lunch

    2:00-3:30 - Rehearsal/coaching

    3:30-4:00 - Field trip to local luthier

    4:00-5:00 – Mix-and-match chamber music

    5:00 - Released

  • The age suggestion is simply advisory for any Credo program. Personally and musically mature students will certainly be included in the program if they are selected through the application process.

  • Credo is open to any player who would benefit from the environment of intensive musical instruction in an independent setting (students will self-navigate among several rooms on different floors of Symphony Center). Many Credo students are prizewinners in national and regional solo competitions; many others sit at or near the front of their youth orchestra sections. We generally find Suzuki book 5 and age 12-13 are minimum levels for students to function effectively, but each student is different.

  • Yes. Credo is committed to using financial aid to make our program available to all. Typically, financial aid goes to those who demonstrate significant need.

  • So far, Credo students have come from 43 states: New York to Hawaii and Alaska to Florida! Over the years, students also journeyed from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, China, the Netherlands, Taiwan, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and Tanzania to share the Credo experience.

  • No. Credo is a music program of high-level study and performance. Credo programs use faith and service elements to enrich and deepen the student’s commitment to excellence and appreciation of the special power of music.

  • YES! Credo (Latin for “I believe”) is a place for development and strengthening of faith. The required morning sing is led from a non-denominational Christian perspective by faculty. At Credo, students from Christian denominations and several non-Christian faiths have grown together by discovering their common beliefs and respectfully discussing differences.