Celebrating a summer of inspired music-making in 2026
The Eastern Festival of Music (EFM) combines great classical music-making with a summer educational program enriched by incredible faculty and young artists.
Its distinguished artists come to the scenic campus of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, to immerse themselves in teaching outstanding students and performing to large audiences at the acoustical gem that is Dana Auditorium.
The school and festival last five weeks from June 30 - August 1.
The students, ages 14-24, receive private instruction and participate in orchestral performances, chamber music, and master classes during the five weeks they are in residence. Students come from around the globe to have an enriching experience, musically and socially.
All performances will take place at the Dana Auditorium on the Guilford College Campus:
Dana Auditorium
710 Levi Coffin Dr
Greensboro, NC
Interested in subscribing to the season? Subscriptions are still available for a limited time here.
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Eastern Chamber Players #1 (June 30)
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Tuesday, June 30, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Foote, Arthur: 3 Pieces Op. 1
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Piano Trio in E-flat Op. 1 No. 1
Mendelssohn, Felix: Octet Op. 20 -
All Mozart (July 1)
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Wednesday, July 1, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
An all-Mozart concerto concert with concertos for piano, flute, and bassoon.
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EFM Fellows Recital (July 2)
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Thursday, July 2, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
A recital of string solo works performed by the String Fellows.
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USA at 250! (July 4)
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Saturday, July 4, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Copland, Aaron: Appalachian Spring
Zwilich, Ellen Taaffe: Remembrance (world premiere)
Foote, Arthur: Cello Concerto (Schwarz)
Zwilich: Jubilation
Gershwin, George: American in Paris
Eastern Festival Orchestra -
Sonatenabend (July 6)
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Monday, July 6, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Rossini, Giocchino: String Sonata No. 3 in C Major
Prokofiev, Sergei: Cello Sonata in C Major
Ravel, Maurice: Sonata for Violin and Cello
Reinecke, Karl: Sonata Undine -
Eastern Chamber Players #2 (July 7)
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Tuesday, July 7, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Barber, Samuel: String Quartet
Mozart, Wolfgang: Piano Quartet in E-Flat
Perkinson, Coleridge-Taylor: Movement for String Trio
Arensky, Anton: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor -
Viva Piano (July 8)
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Wednesday, July 8, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Rachmaninoff, Sergei: Suite No. 2
Brahms, Johannes: Waltzes Op. 39
Barber, Samuel: Souvenirs
Poulenc, Francis: Sonata for Two Pianos -
The Great Mountain (July 9)
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Thursday, July 9, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Strauss, Richard: Alpine Symphony
Debussy, Claude: Two Nocturnes
Young Artist Orchestra -
Great Romanticism (July 10)
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Friday, July 10, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Mahler, Gustav: Symphony No. 5
Young Artist Orchestra -
Orchestral Showcase (July 11)
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Saturday, July 11, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Britten, Benjamin: Variation on a Theme by Purcell
Rachmaninoff, Sergei: Paganini Variations (Dichter)
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony No. 4
Eastern Festival Orchestra -
Misha Plays Brahms (July 13)
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Monday, July 13, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Brahms, Johannes: Sonata in F Minor Op. 5
Brahms, Johannes: Piano Quartet in G Minor Op. 25 -
Eastern Chamber Players #3 (July 14)
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Tuesday, July 14, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fine, Irving: Partita
Dahl, Ingolf: Music for Brass Instruments
Price, Florence: Fantasy in G Minor
Schumann, Robert: Piano Quintet Op. 44 -
The Solo Piano (July 15)
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Tchaikovsky Spectacular (July 16)
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Thursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Excerpts from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake featuring conducting fellows and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4
Young Artist Orchestra
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Interesting Stories (July 17)
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Friday, July 17, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich: Swan Lake
Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel: Hiawatha Overture
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 6
Young Artist Orchestra -
Kavakos Plays Tchaikovsky (July 18)
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Saturday, July 18, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Theofanidis, Christopher: Rainbow Body
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich: Violin Concerto featuring soloist Leonidas Kavakos
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5
Eastern Festival Orchestra -
The Great Overtures (July 20)
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Monday, July 20, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Overture to Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K. 620
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Overture to Egmont, Op. 84
Weber, Carl Maria von: Overture to Euryanthe, J. 291, Op. 81
Rossini, Gioachino: Overture to Guillaume Tell (William Tell)
Mendelssohn, Felix: The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave) Overture, Op. 26
Berlioz, Hector: Le Carnaval romain (Roman Carnival) Overture, Op. 9
Verdi, Giuseppe: Overture to La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny)
Wagner, Richard: Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Brahms, Johannes: Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80Eastern Festival Orchestra
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Eastern Chamber Players #4 (July 21)
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Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Weiser, Alex: “Airs of Awe and Affection” WORLD PREMIERE
Prokofiev, Sergei: String Quartet No. 2
Martinu, Bohuslav: Revue de Cuisine
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich: Souvenir de Florence -
Percussion & Harp Faculty Recital (July 22)
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Wednesday, July 22, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Exciting performances from the percussion and harp studios.
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Dvorak in New York (July 23)
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Thursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Bernstein, Leonard: On the Waterfront
Dvorak, Antonin: Cello Concerto featuring soloist Neal Cary
Liszt, Franz: Les Preludes
Young Artist Orchestra -
The Great Ukranian Composer (July 24)
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Friday, July 24, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Prokofiev, Sergei: Symphony No. 5
Young Artist Orchestra
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Celebrate USA 250! (July 25)
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Saturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Goossens, Eugene: Jubilee Variations
Hanson, Howard: Symphony No. 2
Rachmaninoff, Sergei: Piano Concerto #2 featuring soloist William WolframEastern Festival Orchestra
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Beethoven's Influence (July 27)
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Monday, July 27, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Sonata Op. 12 No. 2
Haydn, Franz Joseph: String Quartet Op. 20 No. 4
Brahms, Johannes: Scherzo from FAE Sonata
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Quintet for Piano and Winds -
Eastern Chamber Players #5 (July 28)
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Tuesday, July 28, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Montgomery, Jessie: “Strum”
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Piano Trio in E Minor
Schulhoff: Concertino
Tabakova, Dobrinka: “Moreni"
Strauss, Richard: Sextet from Cappricio -
US Army String Quartet (July 29)
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Wednesday, July 29, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
FREE EVENT!
Come enjoy an evening of exhilarating string quartet music performed by the US Army String Quartet.
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Young Soloists (July 30)
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Thursday, July 30, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Concerto Competition Winners with Young Artist Orchestra.
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YAO Finale (July 31)
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Friday, July 31, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Mussorgsky, Modest: Pictures at an Exhibition
Elgar, Edward: Enigma VariationsYoung Artist Orchestra
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Welcome Pinky! (August 1)
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Saturday, August 1, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Kodaly, Zoltan: Dances of Galanta
Ben-Haim, Paul: Lullaby
Bruch, Max: Violin Concerto No. 1 featuring Pinchas Zukerman
Stravinsky, Igor: Firebird Suite (1911)Eastern Festival Orchestra