The Krakauer Institute for Intensive Summer Study

Good news if you missed the deadline! Some spots have opened up for Violin, Cello, Clarinet, and Piano. Come join us this summer in Provence! Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

August 13-22, 2026

Stage de Musique for String Players, Clarinetists, and Pianists of all levels in Vaison-La-Romaine, France. K.I.I.S.S. exists to carry forward the artistic vision and educational philosophy of violinist Barbara Liebermann Krakauer, whose lifelong commitment to musical excellence, accessibility, and responsive pedagogy inspired generations of musicians. Through performance, education, and cultural exchange, the program seeks not only to honor Barbara’s legacy, but to actively realize it in the present day.

There is are still spots available! Come join us this summer in Provence 🎶🎻🪻

The final deadline to apply for The Krakauer Institute is April 1! If you’re ready to spend ten beautiful days in gorgeous Provence with a special community of like-minded people, visit our website and click apply. 💜 🎻 🎹 🎵

Viola and violin registration is currently full, but we have spots remaining for pianists, clarinetists, and cellists. We do highly recommend applying for the waitlist as some people do change their plans. Email us for more information!

We’re so excited to share that KIISS has been featured in Strings Magazine’s Summer Study Guide!

Being included in this guide — alongside so many wonderful programs — is a meaningful affirmation of our mission: to create a holistic summer retreat where musicians of all levels can grow artistically, physically, and personally.

Thank you to for highlighting summer opportunities that nurture both excellence and wellness.

Have retreats helped you to thrive as a musician? What would you like to see summer music programs offered to their participants?
us know in the comments!

Applications for 2026 are open 💛

ChamberMusic

A reminder that the deadline for reduced tuition and scholarship is this Sunday 2/1! Are you ready to join us for a transformative summer experience?

Thank you to for your wonderful newsletter on women in music and for highlighting our work at the Institute!

We love to read the testimonials of our Stagiaires… no matter where you are on your musical journey, KIISS can help you with the next steps. We are so proud of and all she has accomplished!

🎼Please help us welcome our 2026 Clarinet Faculty, Louis Arques! 🎼

Born in the French Alps, Louis Arques has now been ascending musical heights in New York City for eight years. As a clarinetist, he performs solos with orchestras (B. Marsalis Blues, M. Gorecki Trio Concerto, Mozart Concerto), is a sought-after chamber music partner (Bridget Kibbey Trio, Diálogos Brazilian Duo, Quintet of the Americas) and orchestra principal.
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Believing in artistic creation, he commissions and champions new works by European and American composers.

He also performs as a saxophonist and singer, and you can hear him with Afro-Cuban and Jazz ensembles across the city.

As an artistic director and orchestral conductor, he created the Avalanche Orchestra to cross musical boundaries and foster education through music and arts. Louis Arques is also co-directs the Brooklyn Orchestra and is an active artistic production consultant.

​Passionate about education, he has taught clarinet at Ithaca College and saxophone at Cornell University and is on faculty at Diller-Quaile School of Music. 2026 will be his first summer at KIISS.

Since the KIISS faculty is comprised of New Yorkers and Oregonians (via Paris) it’s very special when we’re all together. We held a special Feldenkrais session and then welcomed our newest faculty member, Louis Arques (who also took the photo!)

When the days turn cold, we can always escape to thinking of a summer spent in the South of France, making music and slowing down. Listening to music that evokes this feeling can help - and there’s perhaps no better composer than Maurice Ravel, a native of Ciboure, to turn to. Evoking a Provençal morning from the first soft rays of sunlight to the sweltering heat of midday, Matinée de Provence is infused with the song of cicadas, and the beauty of an unfolding day. Ravel brings the imagery of Provence vividly to life through luminous melodies, richly colored harmonies, and brilliant orchestration, creating a wondrous musical tableau.

If you’d like to be among the sights, sounds, and smells of the place that inspired so many great artists, then KIISS is for you. Applications for 2026 are open. See our website for important deadlines and to email us with any questions.

🖼️:Cezanne’s Gulf of Marseille Seen from L’Estaque

StringPlayers ViolinLife CelloLife ViolaLife PianistLife Clarinetist MusicInFrance FranceCulture FrenchSummer MusicTravel CulturalTravel MusicRetreat ArtisticResidency CreativeEscape StudyAbroadMusic EuropeanMusic ChamberMusicIntensive FestivalLife MusiciansOfInstagram ClassicalMusicians MusicTourism SummerAbroad PerformingArtists InternationalMusic

🎼 Maurice Ravel
Matinée de Provence

Happy New Year and Bonne Année à tous !!! Applications open tomorrow! ♥️🤍💙

KIISS 2026
✨ Applications Open January 1, 2026 ✨
🎓 Scholarship Consideration Deadline:
February 1, 2026
🗓 Final Application Deadline:
April 1, 2026
➡️ Apply at:
www.krakauerinstitute.org

Come immerse yourself in an environment filled with natural beauty, free from distractions, with a community of like-minded people.

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