Sunday, September 29 – Friday, October 4, 2024
Also, save the date for
Spring 2025 Retreat, April 13-18
Details TBA
Inspiring and supportive instruction for adult amateur pianists
Icicle Creek Center for the Arts offers adult, amateur pianists an exciting opportunity to experience five memorable days of inspiring and supportive instruction and performance in a spectacular retreat setting in the Cascade Mountains near Leavenworth, Washington. The immersive program includes scheduled private lessons, private practice, master classes, individualized movement assessments, group Alexander Technique sessions, special topics, gourmet dining, optional outdoor activities and a faculty concert in Snowy Owl Theater.
No audition necessary. Limited to 12 participants.
$1000 tuition per person per retreat (includes 4 private lessons, admission to faculty concert, 3 master classes, 3 special topic sessions, and individualized physical assessments.
Registration requires a $325 deposit. See cancellation policy below for details.
First come, first served basis. Once cabins are filled, alternate lodging in the area is available to you at your own expense.
$160/night single occupancy, $80/night double occupancy in cabins at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts for five nights. Limited spaces – first come first served basis. Sharing cabins (double occupancy) is encouraged.
Lodging will not be included in your registration total. Payment for lodging will be billed separately after housing assignments are finalized.
$300 for catered meals including five breakfasts, five lunches, and five dinners; hors d’oeuvres at BYOB social hour; coffee/tea service and healthy snacks.
Other no-host options include conveniently located O’Grady’s Pantry and numerous restaurants/delicatessens in nearby downtown Leavenworth. Sleeping Lady’s Grotto bar available for cocktail hour and evening festivities (no host) and is within walking distance.
- Steinway D concert grand
- Steinway L
- Kawai concert grand
- Kawai grand
- Yamaha grand
- Kimball grand
- Steinway K upright
- Steinway Model 40 upright
- Chickering spinet
Check in at 3 PM on day one, check out by 2 PM on day six. Retreat includes a final, participant’s private sharing of music followed by box lunch on day six.
- $325 deposit required with registration.
- 60 days before the session start date, refund of all payments except $50 processing fee
- 30 to 60 days before the session start date, refund of all payments except $50 processing fee and $325 deposit
- 15 to 30 days before start of session, 50% refund of all payments except $50 processing fee and $325 deposit
- 14 days before start of session, no refund
2024 RETREAT
Program Director
Director Lisa Bergman enjoys exploring humor and enjoyment at the keyboard as a welcome balance to the demands of practice and the challenge of learning processes. She advocates playing “for fun” whenever possible and encourages involvement with other musicians. She focuses on expediting learning by embracing mindful, thorough practice.
October Retreat Faculty
Pianist Cori Belle’s patient and honest approach brings out the best in her students. Her years of choral collaboration influence her conviction that music should “sing,” reflecting the uniqueness of both composer and performer. She encourages focused practice, careful listening, and creative problem-solving in her approach to playing the piano skillfully and beautifully.
Born into a family of professional musicians, Rachel Matthews’ teaching reflects her lifelong immersion in the expressive language of the classical repertoire. She seeks to make this language her own and will encourage you to do the same! She brings an emphasis on building artistry and expression, as well as a passion for cultivating creative & effective practice skills for all stages of learning and performance.
Movement and wellness coach and assistant director Gayle Holeton encourages mindful exploration into optimal use of the body’s design for more ease, agility, strength and balance for pianists. An experienced private piano teacher, she embraces a teaching philosophy filled with humor and the joy of learning which she describes as “exploring a person’s boundaries to expand and live fully.”
Lisa Bergman
Program Director
A passionate promoter of classical music, Lisa Bergman is a national Gracie Award-winning radio announcer on Classic KING-FM streaming worldwide. A concert pianist specializing in collaborative piano and chamber music she is a graduate of the Juilliard School, Stony Brook University and the University of Washington, cum laude. A former member of the University of Washington Music Faculty, her discography includes six CDs.
Cori Belle
October Faculty
Cori Belle is a frequent recitalist and collaborator. Her work includes world premieres across the United States, musical theater directing, and 30+ years of choral accompanying. Cori is the founding artistic director of Indie Musikhaus: house concerts for Seattle musicians. Her self-produced solo album, Commonplace Beauty, received critical acclaim – “a beautifully constructed programme” by International Piano. Cori earned her Piano Performance degree from Grand Canyon University with additional studies at AIMS in Graz, Austria, and holds a teaching certificate from the University of Washington. Cori lives in Bothell with her husband and daughters, and maintains a private teaching studio.
Rachel Matthews
October Faculty
Over the last 30 years Rachel Matthews’ musical career has spanned performing, composing, and teaching. She has performed across the US, in Canada and in Europe, and as a composer she is recipient of numerous commissions and prizes. Her CD of original compositions, featuring performances by many of her beloved chamber music colleagues, was released in 2012 on Centaur Records to critical acclaim. Rachel is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, and holds a doctorate in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory. Passionate about sharing the love of music, she maintains a vibrant and active teaching studio in Seattle.
Gayle Holeton
Assistant Director / Movement & Wellness Coach
An educator, private piano studio professional and Nia Black Belt teacher. She practices in Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, Yoga, Martial Arts and Dance. Retreat focus will be mindful exploration into optimal use of the body’s design, for more ease, agility, strength and balance for pianists.
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