Work with the Festival this Summer

Administrative Interns assist in the day-to-day operations of the Festival and School, including box office (ticket sales and order fulfillment), marketing and publicity, clerical duties, and special projects. Administrative Interns can expect to manage at least one special project during the summer weeks. Interns assist with artist arrivals, departures, accommodations, and any special needs. They help oversee concession operations and concert production duties. They are assigned varied responsibilities at all concerts.

All Norfolk interns are assigned a special project in addition to the responsibilities noted above. These projects can range from managing a special event, to coordinating with other non-profit groups, to managing off-site concerts.

These positions are a great way to gain valuable experience in virtually every facet of arts administration.

All interns reside on the Ellen Battel Stoeckel estate, the Festival’s picturesque grounds located in the lower Berkshires of Northwestern Connecticut.

Qualifications: Previous arts administration experience, and an interest and/or background in classical music or music education is helpful. Experience working with the public is preferred. Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs is a plus.

Compensation: Stipend, housing, and meals are included. May be eligible for college credit.

The Music Librarian is responsible for all activities of the Festival's music and recording library. Responsibilities include purchase and rental of scores and parts, cataloging the Festival's collection, maintenance of card catalogs and lending records, marking bowings, and operation of library's audio equipment. They will also produce weekly Emerging Artist Series printed programs.

As Director's Assistant they will assist the Festival Director and General Manager in preparation of weekly and daily schedules, correspondence, and other duties as assigned.

All Norfolk interns are assigned a special project in addition to the responsibilities noted above. These projects can range from managing a special event, to coordinating with other non-profit groups, to managing off-site concerts.

All interns reside on the Ellen Battel Stoeckel estate, the Festival’s picturesque grounds located in the lower Berkshires of Northwestern Connecticut.

Qualifications: Applicants should have a bachelor's degree or be enrolled in a college program.  One to three years' related work experience is preferred. Previous library experience and knowledge of classical music performance is a plus.  A valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle are helpful to have but not required.  Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs is a plus.

Compensation: Stipend, housing, and meals are included. May be eligible for college credit.

The Development Assistant is a key position managing donor relationships throughout the 2023 Festival. They will organize post-concert receptions, maintaining guest lists and invitation RSVPs, honoring special requests by sponsoring donors, and overseeing the menu and inventory of refreshments for these events. They will be assigned a range of responsibilities related to running Norfolk’s annual Gala, the most important donor cultivation event of Norfolk’s season. The Development Assistant will also introduce donors and the musicians they sponsor over email and encourage in-person interactions at concerts or events.

All Norfolk interns are assigned a special project in addition to the responsibilities noted above. These projects can range from managing a special event, to coordinating with other non-profit groups, to managing off-site concerts.

All interns reside on the Ellen Battel Stoeckel estate, the Festival’s picturesque grounds located in the lower Berkshires of Northwestern Connecticut.

Qualifications: Applicants should have a bachelor's degree or be enrolled in a college program. One to three years' related work experience is preferred. Previous experience working with donors and/or in development with a non-profit organization is a plus. A valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle are helpful to have but not required.  Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs is a plus.

Compensation: Stipend, housing, and meals are included. May be eligible for college credit.

The Production Coordinator is responsible for the preparation and upkeep of all concert spaces (Music Shed, Battell Recital Hall, and Brookside Studio) as well as for all performances and events. Additional responsibilities include upkeep and inventory of all concert and rehearsal equipment (chairs, stands, percussion equipment, etc.); stage management and supervision of all performances, master classes and lectures; operation of stage lighting with occasional re-focusing of lights; load-in, load-out and maintenance of equipment; assist with concert hall scheduling; coordinate and oversee stage crew; assist Recording Engineer when needed.

All Norfolk interns are assigned a special project in addition to the responsibilities noted above. These projects can range from managing a special event, to coordinating with other non-profit groups, to managing off-site concerts.

All interns reside on the Ellen Battel Stoeckel estate, the Festival’s picturesque grounds located in the lower Berkshires of Northwestern Connecticut.

Qualifications: Applicants should have either a bachelor's degree, three years' work experience, be enrolled in a college program, or have an equivalent combination. Technical stage experience, familiarity with personal computers, previous arts administration experience and knowledge of classical music performance are a plus.

Compensation: Stipend, housing, and meals are included. May be eligible for college credit.

Music in Norfolk has a long and vibrant history, dating back to the 1890s when Ellen Battell and her husband Carl Stoeckel, son of the Yale School of Music’s first professor, founded the Litchfield County Choral Union. Chamber music and choral concerts in their 35-room mansion, Whitehouse, were the beginning of the Festival that by the turn of the century was already considered one of the country’s most prestigious. As audiences grew, the Stoeckels commissioned New York architect, E.K. Rossiter, to design the larger and acoustically superior Music Shed. Dedicated in 1906, a recent restoration has returned the hall to its original glory. The stunning acoustics have remained unchanged since renowned musicians such as Fritz Kreisler, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Jean Sibelius graced its stage.

Programs from the early days of the Festival (1906-1923) demonstrate that Norfolk was a dynamic center where composers, performers, poets and authors from around the world were Honourary members of the Litchfield County Choral Union. A short list includes Alice Longfellow in 1910 (daughter of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and one of the founders of Radcliffe College); Henry Hadley also in Norfolk in 1910 (first conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, Associate Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, founder of the Berkshire Symphonic Music Festival in 1934 — later known as Tanglewood); and Frederick Stock in 1915 (Music Director of the Chicago Symphony for 37 years, succeeding its founder, Theodore Thomas, and preceding Fritz Reiner). Other Honourary members included Vincent D’Indy, Antonín Dvořák, Edward Everett Hale, Camille Saint-Saëns and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Norfolk was an important, perhaps critical, stop on the music circuit in the early years of the 20th century.

Upon her death in 1939, Ellen Battell Stoeckel left her estate in a private trust with instructions that the facilities be used for Yale University’s summer music school, ensuring an enduring artistic legacy. Now in its 77th season, the Norfolk Chamber Music — Yale School of Music has a dual teaching/performance purpose. Audiences from around the country come to northwest Connecticut to hear world-class artists, such as the Tokyo, Alexander, Brentano, Emerson, and Artis String Quartets. Boris Berman, Peter Frankl, William Purvis, Frank Morelli, Ani Kavafian and many others from around the world perform as part of a series of nearly 40 concerts over a nine-week period. These professional musicians also serve as teachers and mentors to the Fellows who come to Norfolk each year to study.

The Fellows who spend their summer in Norfolk participate in the intensive program of coachings, classes and performances. They are exposed to every aspect of their future profession: their colleagues, their mentors, and most importantly, their audience. Alumni of the Norfolk program who have enjoyed successful careers in music include Alan Gilbert, Richard Stoltzman, Frederica von Stade, Pamela Frank, the Claremont and Eroica Trios, Sō Percussion, eighth blackbird, and the Alexander, Calder, Cassatt, Cavani, Jasper, Miró, Saint Lawrence, Shanghai and Ying quartets, among many others. Recent Norfolk alumni, have also won many of the most prestigious chamber music prizes including the Young Artists’, Naumberg, Fischoff, M-Prize, and Banff competitions.

A strong bond exists with the community, as residents of Norfolk and the surrounding area host the Fellows throughout their summer experience. The Fellows perform on the Emerging Artist Showcase series, which is offered free to the public throughout the summer, as well as join their faculty mentors on our Chamber Music Friday concert series. The community of music lovers supports the young performers and becomes their most enthusiastic advocate.

Over the years, while Norfolk has become a symbol of quality in chamber music performance and professional study, thousands have enjoyed the picturesque environment of the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate and the excellence of one of America’s most distinguished musical traditions. In both the school and in our concerts we work every day to honor the spirit of Ellen and Carl Stoeckel, as stated in a concert program from June, 1922: “the sole object being to honour the composer and his work, under the most elevated conditions.”