Twelve years ago, in 1998, a Chinese-American pianist named Eileen Huang began the International Chamber Music Courses and Festivals (ICMC) in Positano, one of the most famous seaside resort towns in Italy.

In a setting of amazing beaches, serene gardens and homes, and centuries-old architecture, the festival continues the town’s link with music. An assortment of musicians have lived and composed here, including Wilhelm Kempff, who lived and taught the piano in Positano, from 1954 until he died in 1991, a total of 37 years.

Richard Wagner also lived near the Positano, over in Ravello, where he wrote an opera. In the surrounding area, there was also Enrico Caruso, the legendary tenor, born in Napoli and who spent his days in Sorrento.

The ICMC holds daily courses in the Positano high school (the Scuola Media), and teaches its students not only vocals, but a variety of instruments, such as violin, viola, piano, cello, and wind instruments. There are daily master classes, ensembles classes and lessons taught individually by musicians who are internationally renowned. Maestro Aldo Ciccolini , for instance, has taught a master class to ICMC students. A number of disciplines are conducted here, not simply music.

In the morning, for example, you’ll find students engaged in Tai Chi Quan, a traditional form of Chinese exercise, which is conducted on the seashore. Participants will also have lunch at various restaurants in town, allowing them to share in the experience of the cuisine of Southern Italy. In the evening, public performances will be given by solo and chamber groups.

A performance by the ICMC is only one of several engaging activities for a traveler who has booked one of the hotels in Positano . For anyone staying in this charming town, there are also available numerous day trips along the Amalfi Coast, or to Vesuvio, Pompei and the Isle of Capri. A few years ago, in 2007, the ICMC broadened its activities to include course work and festivals in Shanghai, China, as well.

Related posts:

1. Texas Tech University in Lubbock Texas
2. Techno Mallorca
3. Old Annapolis
4. The Southwestern Company Asks “Did You Hear Someone at the Door?”
5. Deciding Where to Live During College