Dear Friends,

The Sewanee Summer Music Festival is, first and foremost, a community. We believe it is our moral and ethical obligation to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, and patrons.

After careful analysis of the global, regional, and local impact of Coronavirus, the University of the South and Sewanee Summer Music Festival have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Festival Season. The Sewanee Summer Music Festival, one of the nation’s leading orchestral and chamber music training programs, is canceling all educational programming and performances for the summer of 2020.

All deposits and tuition payments made by students will be refunded ASAP. That process will begin immediately and may take several days to complete. If you are a parent or student expecting a refund, please check your credit card in 7-10 days from this announcement to confirm your payment has been returned. As previously mentioned, application fees cannot be refunded. Questions can be directed to ssmfadmissions@sewanee.edu

We will continue to share programming from our YouTube archives, and explore other ways to connect with our community and student population during this time. Now, more than ever, we must join together in support of the festival, and we hope these performances from past summers bring you as much joy, hope, and healing during this difficult time as they do for us.

There are many questions that remain to be answered. The festival is currently reviewing options for admitted and deposited students from the 2020 season and exploring potential online offerings during this crisis. Please check our Virtual SSMF page for information on program offerings as we continue to develop them.

Like our community, SSMF is strong and resilient. We will miss our patrons and students this summer. We will mourn the lost opportunity to make music together and share our talents with friends on the mountain, across the country, and around the world. We will long for the chance to be together in such a beautiful and historic location. But we will make it through this, together, and we will be back. Our audiences are loyal, and our programs are enduring. The power of music to transform lives and build community will be more relevant than ever once this crisis has passed. And we will be here, ready once again to bring music to our mountain.

Until then, stay safe, stay connected, be well. We cannot wait to see you again.

The faculty and staff of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival