Our mission is to advance the field of classical music through educational programs and performances - by training the world's most talented young musicians and by presenting exceptional performances of classical music to midcoast Maine audiences.

The Bowdoin International Music Festival is an important destination for conservatory students from five continents to further their artistic development through an intensive program of instrumental, composition, and chamber music training with the festival's international artist faculty.

Attendance at the festival is highly competitive. Students must be recommended by recognized teachers, and must audition for acceptance. Approximately 65% of students receive some form of scholarship assistance, which is based on a combination of merit and need. For more about our students, click here.

Our guest artists and faculty members play in major festivals, chamber groups, and symphonies worldwide. Each summer we present more than seventy concerts featuring these performers and their students, some of whom have already embarked on their own concert careers. For more about our concerts, click here.

Make a contribution: We gratefully accept contributions year-round. To make a secure online donation using your credit card, please click here. Otherwise, please download, print our contribution form, and mail it with your payment. All contributors will be acknowledged in our concert programs unless we are instructed otherwise.

Contributions are used to support scholarships, faculty and guest artist salaries, and operating costs. Donors may specify which category they would like to support.

You need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to download and print the Acrobat version of the form above. You can get it here.

Sponsor an event: Concerts and other activities of the festival are available for sponsorship, with amounts varying between $500 and $10,000. Our concert audience exceeds 10,000 mature, affluent residents and summer visitors to the midcoast area, and our combined student and faculty numbers exceed 300 serious musicians each year. Concert program advertising also helps to support program costs. If you are interested in providing business support to the festival, please contact Matt Herrick or Peter Simmons.

Make an in-kind contribution: We welcome donations of goods and services. Free or discounted lodgings for faculty and students, travel services, office supplies and equipment, and professional services are always appreciated.

Volunteer: We have excellent opportunities for serious volunteers - office work, concert ushering, hosting receptions, and hosting and transporting faculty members and guest artists.

Planned Giving: We have received significant support through bequests. If you would like to provide long-term patronage for a specific activity or program of the festival as part of your estate planning, please contact Matt Herrick or Peter Simmons.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us.