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2026 Camp

Fees & Deadlines

The program, housing, and meal plan fees are described in detail on the fees page.

Camp Dates

2026 Camp is Monday July 27th to Sunday August 2nd.

The first event of camp is registration from 2pm-7pm on Monday, and the last event is the Creekside Farewell on Sunday from 9am-10am.

Housing, Meals, Facilities, and Travel

MMR offers on-campus dormitory housing for campers, and campers are welcome to stay off-campus as well. Read about camp accessibility and camper expectations while on campus.

  • See the fees page for on-campus housing and meal fees for this year.
  • For those registered as of February 2026, note that on-campus housing options have changed. Please log into the MMR registration portal for more information details.
  • MMR partners with nearby hotels to get discounted rates for campers wishing to stay off campus. More info here.
  • We have airline partners that offer a discount if you choose to fly into Walla Walla! Visit our information page about housing, travel, and discounts to learn more.

Faculty

MMR is proud to have a wonderful professional faculty, many of whom return to MMR year after year. Visit our Faculty Listing page to meet each faculty member.

Explore Walla Walla

Arrive a day or two earlier and take advantage of all that Walla Walla has to offer. Perhaps awine or food tour? Golf?  E-bike ride through wine country? Lots of walking tours, historical sites and activities.  Linked here are suggestions to make the most of your time here, on your own or as part of a guided tours:

Please note:  since the Whitman dorms are not available until Monday night, MMR has arranged for hotel discounts for the Saturday and Sunday nights before camp.

Things to Bring

  • If you are an instrumentalist, bring your instrument and anything you need to transport it between buildings (case, cart)
  • Music stand that can break down for easy transport between buildings
  • Water bottle
  • If you are a percussionist, here is a list of mallets to bring.

MMR 2026 Repertoire

Large Ensemble Repertoire for this year’s MMR is listed below. You will receive a folder with your music at check-in. Part assignments are based on policies indicated on the Large Ensemble page.

Some sheet music is public domain and is downloadable through imslp.org. Links to pieces that are available for download are listed below. String parts are not bowed. You will receive a bowed part the first day at check in.

Please be aware that the sheet music links are for referencing parts. Due to the level of work involved in part assignments, we are unable to tell you which part you will be playing until the day of check in.

Concert Band, Michael Burch-Pesses

Choir, Nicole Lamartine

String Orchestra, Sandi Schwarz

Symphony Orchestra, Nikolas Caoile

MMR 2026 Electives

There are three afternoon periods to select electives. Here are the list of electives for MMR 2026:

Free Time
An unscheduled hour for relaxation or personal practice. Select the number of Free hours on the Afternoon Preference Form when you register.

Gentle Yoga, Lydia Van Dreel
This gentle yoga class will involve slow, mindful movement, relaxing, restorative poses and deep breathing. No experience necessary. Bring a yoga mat and loose, comfortable clothing!

Baroque String Ensemble, Sandi Schwarz
In this elective we will explore:

  • It’s all in the BOW! Difference between Modern bowing and Baroque bowing.
  • Shaping and direction of a phrases.
  • The importance of harmony.

Drum Circle, Patrick Roulet
You do not have to be a master drummer to succeed in this class. After learning the basic technique for hand drumming we will learn African and Latin drumming patterns. Through these patterns we practice our ensemble skills of listening, feeling the internal pulse and fitting our rhythm into the pattern. Past students have said that transferring what they learn in this class to their other instruments helps them in rehearsal and performance settings. 

Brass Ensemble, William Berry
Open to all brass: uses standard, modern instruments.

Jazz Big Band, Jim Sisko
An ideal group for all who enjoy performing large ensemble jazz. The group features traditional big band instrumentation: saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm section players — piano, bass and drums. Repertoire is drawn from a mix of unique arrangements of jazz standards and originals. Will include one evening rehearsal on Wednesday. The band performs at Saturday night following the Festival Banquet. 

Afternoon Elective Orchestra,  Roger Nelson
An afternoon ensemble for strings and classical brass, winds. Repertoire drawn from all eras. Lots of sight reading; low key performance. Very fun! 

Saxophone Ensemble, Patrick Sheng
The saxophone ensemble rehearses and performs a variety of repertoire primarily from the classical and jazz idioms (but, as Cole Porter would say, we’re not afraid to dip our toes into the “anything goes” category). Instrumentation can vary from sax trio to sax choir, depending on camper instrumentation. All saxophonists of all levels are welcome!

Flute Choir, Faculty

Clarinet Choir, Faculty

Percussion Ensemble, Faculty

Jazz Improvisation, Jim Sisko
Open to instrumentalists and vocalists, this class will cover the basics of improvising: chord progressions, what scales to use with what chords, articulation styles, and how to develop a melody. 

Barbershop Harmony, Scott Fikse
Explore the unaccompanied close harmony of Barbershop music and gain knowledge and insight into this unique American musical tradition including voice types, terminology, tags, swipes, chord ringing, overtones, and stage presentation with a bit of history mixed in for good measure.

Brain, Body, and Breath. Stacey Mastrian
Explore practical ways to release tension, reduce anxiety, and reconnect awareness—the starting point for change. Vivid imagery and gentle self-touch enable you to learn anatomical landmarks so you can feel and function better in performance and in life: dynamic alignment, deep breathing, and focused calm. Accessible for all levels of mobility. This is not a performance-based elective, although it will transform the ease of your singing and/or playing.

Festival Chorus: Empowering the Individual, Nicole Lamartine
Becoming a fluent singing musician involves the intertwined skills of music reading, listening, and creating beautiful pitch and tone with the voice. This elective will empower singers in their literacy using proven methods to decode rhythm and pitch. Additionally, we will explore how to listen in rehearsal to aid in individual and section intonation and develop vocal habits that ensure beautiful tone and enhanced musicality.

Great American Songbook, Margaret Green
Rekindle your love of songs from the Great American Songbook or dive into a genre of music that you haven’t yet experienced. We will explore music made famous by quintessential female artists. This elective will involve listening, lively discussion, and singing. Prior singing experience is recommended.

Voice Lessons for the Recreational Singer, Teresa Lin
Ignore what your 2nd grade teacher or classmates said about your singing voice! In this elective, we will explore practical ways to boost your singing confidence through vocal techniques, character study, and performance practice. All are welcome, no prior voice instruction is necessary!

Midsummer Musical Retreat