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Beautiful Beachside Campus in Santa Barbara, CA.
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Summer Music Festival & School
- Perform in concerts, masterclasses, competitions & more
- Learn from the top teaching artists in the field
- Create a lifelong network of exceptional musicians
Sing!
- Tuition-free choral program for grades 1-10
- Foster a lifelong love for listening to and making music
- Admissions
2026 Summer Music Festival & School Admissions
Fellowship Institute
- Ages 18-34
- 6 Weeks
- Full-Scholarship
High School Intensive
- Ages 14-18
- 2 Weeks
- Tuition-Based
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805-969-8787
ticketoffice@musicacademy.org
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805-565-5400Main Office
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Ben Palmer
conductor, JAWS
Ben Palmer is Artistic Director of Covent Garden Sinfonia and Chief Conductor of the Orchestra da Camera di Pordenone and Babylon Orchester Berlin. From 2017-24 he was Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck. As a guest he works with orchestras such as the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé, Hong Kong Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the five BBC Orchestras. Forthcoming debuts including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Personally authorised by John Williams to conduct his film scores in concert, and acclaimed as “a masterclass in conducting" by Hans Zimmer, he is one of the world’s most sought-after specialists in conducting live to picture.