The Conscious Performer Festival in Rome
A Nutmeg Studio Festival

May 19-25, 2027

Performing in the City Where Western Classical Music Started

Imagine performing purely for the joy of human connection,

encountering art and ruins that link history to our present moment,

living a "grazioso and leggiero" lifestyle open to your pure imagination,

sensing and feeling foreign tastes and sounds and sights that renew how we experience our world.

Perform in daily masterclasses and showcases for mixed levels, with intentional, patient, conscious preparation through Hsing-ay Hsu's "Conscious Performer" process (see the related intensive) in Rome. This is the place where Western classical music was rooted through the unification processes of the Vatican and the Italian Renaissance.

Four Tracks
Min 5 / Max 10.
1. Adult Chamber Musicians / Soloists - who perform seriously and want expert eyes on their craft - includes vocal arts
2. Music Educators - sharpen your vocabulary and toolchest for how to help your students perform
3. Pre-professionals - build stage experience for your next competition / audition
4. Auditors (Observers) - learn about what makes a great performance meaningful

*Sign up for the next Zoom Q&A on FRI October 23, 2026, 1 - 1:15pm ET. Email thenutmegstudio@gmail.com
*Watch the INTRO video:

Our venues: St. Paul's in the Wall in downtown Rome and Lammonite just outside Rome

Expanding Personal Growth

I want to create a nutrient rich environment for adult musicians to find their own voice and propulsion.

You will

expand on this Conscious Performer's process with the freshness of a traveler's senses, both in our countryside home base and in downtown Rome.
level up your performing skills and confidence through daily masterclasses in front of live people, group warmups, group reflection, and performance opportunities to explore different acoustics and instruments.
hear Italian musical terms used in connection with daily expressions.
explore the energy of the Italian culture that prioritizes human connection, at your own pace.

Exploring Artistic Possibilities

In this aesthetically rich environment - a city overflowing with evidence the tremendous human effort to inspire and affect other humans through art,

Will your physical surroundings draw out more than you expect from your usual playing?
Will you think of concert music as a collective global effort over history, rather than a solidary one that ends in the blink of an eye?
Will you know how emotional intensity and physical comfort are intertwined?

Traveling to Rome will highlight beauty and human connection through vibrant public spaces with spontaneous conversation, art and ruins in plain sight that connect us to history, and a lifestyle that awaken your senses and emotions.

Faculty

Hsing-ay Hsu, Festival Director, Steinway Artist, Nutmeg Studio NYC Director and Founder, Juilliard Extension Faculty, Vilacello Festival Piano Director
with guest Bartholomew Fortino-Shields, Sheva Artist Violinist, Vilacello Festival Director and Founder

Sample Schedule

5 days of Masterclasses (no private lessons) - modeled on many European masterclass-style academies. Each participant would receive masterclass instructional hours (4 hours x 5 days) totaling ~20 hours. 3 days at Lammonite + 2 days in downtown Rome.
10am–12pm and 1:30– 3:30pm masterclass times. 6 to 7 30min slots + warmups + discussions + talkbacks. Feel free to take breaks as needed. Non-pianists may also have breakout rooms.
Performance showcase programming is at the discretion of the faculty. Everyone is expected to attend and listen actively.
6 breakfasts + 5 gourmet vegetarian meals (lunch or dinner) at Lammonite are included.
8-10am & 3:45-9pm is optional practice time with 7 x 60min slots on each: 1 Steinway grand piano + 1 Yamaha upright + 1 electric keyboard + mental practicing. This time is for processing and polishing, not for learning new works.
3:45-9pm is also free time for walks / outings. 2 free bikes onsite. The old city of Campagnano di Roma is only 10 minutes by taxi. Downtown Rome is c. 60min one way by taxi or train or rental car.
Open to all instruments and chamber music groups; piano duets welcome. If you need a duo partner, talk to me.
2 Rome outings into to play public masterclasses/concert showcases downtown. Visit St. Peter's Basilica (the nave is longer than two football fields) or the Pantheon district (1 mile 2 hour stroll). Or the numerous museums and historical sites like the Colosseum / Roman Forum area or the Vatican Museums / Borghese Gallery / Vatican Gardens by Minibus.

Depending on the application video, some will be invited to perform in public showcases immediately following the masterclasses in downtown Rome.

Related Course and Workshops
1)Feb 27 - Mar 27: The Nutmeg Studio Hybrid Conscious Performer Intensive - these ideas are the basis of this international workshop.
2)Jan 9-11: Philly/New York Vilacello public workshops - practice performing.

Accommodations & Add-on's

"Lammonite" Inn, designed by architect Paolo Portoghesi, is an hour outside Rome in the countryside, near the picturesque ancient city of Campagnano di Rome, 30 km northwest of Rome in the Lazio region. On the gentle hills of the Parco di Veio, it has a peaceful medieval atmosphere and stunning Renaissance architecture. Close to hiking and biking. Outdoor swimming pool and 2 bikes onsite.

5 Double rooms with exclusive use of common spaces.
6 breakfasts + 5 scheduled meals included (gourmet vegan or vegetarian lunch or dinner).

*To turn one of the five double room into a single room, add 240E surcharge. Overflow housing: stay in the old city and commute (7min by taxi).

*Additional meals are 20E per meal, or you can eat in the old town or go to Rome. Take-out boxes are possible. The meals at Lammonite are €20 per meal a la carte, and they are very delicious even though they are limited to vegan and vegetarian options."

*In Campagnano di Rome, plan €30 per meal.

Pianos at Lammonite

We will have exclusive use of the site. Steinway grand in the music room for daily masterclasses. 1 Steinway grand piano + 1 Yamaha upright + 1 electric keyboard. This limited time is for processing or polishing or chamber music, not for learning new works.

Transportation Options

*Lammonite airport service is 90E OW - can be shared between 1-4 people. Flights usually arrive in Rome in the morning. You will all be connected by email before traveling for a chance to form "Ride Share Groups."

*Lammonite to Rome by public transport:

Car shuttle 20E can be shared between 1-4 people; 10min

Buy one ticket on the regional train through the website Trainline; €1 to go from Cesano di Roma to Valle Aurelia by train 35min

Subway - tap your credit card. €1.50 to go on the subway from Valle Aurelia to the centre of Rome 12min - valid for 100 minutes.

*Lammonite to Rome by scheduled taxi 90E OW with 1-4 people.
We will explore a Rideshare Funding Pool.

*Rental cars possible at airport, or try V8 Garage Roma, Via cassia, km 34, 00063 Campagnano di Roma RM, Italy.
Parking at Lammonite and Train Station Cesano are free. Plan for Parking for St. Paul in the Wall.

*Biking is common around Lammonite, but going to Old City is uphill. 2 free bikes on-site.

Pricing

Deposit to Hold now thru 11/1/26: $200. Will be applied towards total. Limited space Min 6 - Max 10 participants. Additional auditors welcome.

TUITION & LODGING & MEALS for Rome 6-nights 5-full days participant:
by 11/1/26 $1250 with 2 meals a day pp | after 11/1/26 $1350 pp. This price is based on a minimum enrollment with 5 rooms of double occupancy. We reserve the right to change costs or cancel/refund in case of insufficient enrollment or extraordinary circumstances.

What is Included:
Daily public masterclasses with Hsing-ay and Bart, with rotating practice time.
2 days of masterclass / possible showcase performance are in downtown Rome.
Shared double room accommodations + 6 breakfasts + 5 gourmet vegetarian meals (lunch or dinner) in our countryside home base.

Auditor / family member in shared room + entrance to all masterclasses + 6 breakfasts only: $850 with breakfast only pp. Add 20E per additional meal.

*ACMP chamber music coaching scholarships may be possible.

*Donations for scholarships and festival expenses are always appreciated.

Repertoire

*You can submit up to 5 pieces for the 5 days, and for a mix of both solo and chamber music if you want to.

*You can propose a chamber music violin/piano or piano duet without a partner - just video record your own entire part. Singers welcome.
*Current students of Hsing-ay and Bart may record the video during a lesson or masterclass.

Registration Opens September 15

1)Registration Form will appear HERE.

2)Full payment to reserve, or $200 Deposit to hold and get notification if there is only 1 spot.

3)Video of your 5-8 minute performance piece to ensure a good fit. You can use your phone or Zoom app. Email the mp4 file or as a Google Drive link to thenutmegstudio@gmail.com with "Rome performance video" in the Subject Line.

*If you want to perform on the public concert following the masterclass, your video should demonstrate a piece that is performance ready, 5-8min duration.

4)Signed Participant Waiver by April 1, 2027. International travel / medical Insurance for the days of the program is required - offers come along with reservations on Expedia.

Planning Info

*Travel costs: Fly Delta ($700 if you book early). Budget barebones airlines are Norse Airlines or ITA (estimated $600), with little customer service. $ for optional meals out + transportation for 2 RT's to Rome and airport transport RT (rideshare possible).

Airport: "FCO" Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in SW Rome.

Global travel / medical insurance

Optional opera: May 22, 2027, 8:30pm La Traviata at St. Paul's in the Wall $
Alternative: 6:30pm. Opera Arias Under the Stars $$
Teatro Dell'Opera Di Roma, Shostakovich Lady Macbeth $$$

Optional travel before: Come hear our faculty duo concert Europe tour at the Splendour in Amsterdam and the Gasteig in Munich the weekend before.

Optional travel after: We recommend booking refundable reservations.

*Villa d'Este estate with gardens where Liszt found inspiration for his work - near the town of Tivoli. 1 hour taxi c.95E. (A pre-booked NCC private driver is cheaper.)
*Sistine Chapel / Raphael Rooms / Gallery of Maps Private Early Morning skip the line tour 7:45-11am private access time 125E+ $$. Or go at closing time 5-8pm. 3.5 mile walking route.

*Airbnb or VRBO self-catering

*Private apartment 2-4 people in SE Rome: https://www.casacleme.com/
*Luxury and smaller accommodations in the old city of Campagnano di Roma

Questions?
Ask Hsing-ay at thenutmegstudio@gmail.com.

The Role of Rome in Western Musical History

Western classical music is rooted in Rome primarily through the development and standardization of Catholic Church music (Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony) governed from the Vatican in Rome during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. [1]

While ancient Roman musical theory and instruments heavily borrowed from the ancient Greeks, the direct lineage of Western art music—including staff notation, modal systems, and polyphonic composition—evolved from the liturgical music sanctioned and organized in Rome. [1]

Liturgical Standardization: During the 7th and 8th centuries, the Roman Catholic Church centralized its religious practices under the Roman Rite. Institutions like the Schola Cantorum in Rome standardized the body of sacred chants meant to unify worship across Western Europe, laying the groundwork for a unified European musical language. [1]
Notation and Preservation: The need to accurately teach and replicate sacred music across vast distances prompted the invention and evolution of musical notation (neumes), which eventually developed into the modern five-line staff system used in classical composition today.
The Roman School of Polyphony: During the Renaissance (16th century), composers working in Rome's major churches—most famously Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina at the Vatican—perfected the art of polyphonic sacred music. The "Roman School" set the textbook rules for counterpoint and voice-leading that became the bedrock of Western music education.

Catholic liturgical music and chanting began at St. Peter's Basilica in the 4th century (circa 360 AD) when the original Constantinian basilica was completed and consecrated. In 1513, Pope Julius II formally established the Cappella Musicale Giulia to provide dedicated, high-standard polyphonic and choral music for liturgies at St. Peter's. [1]

Gemini, 24 Aug. 2026, Google

Resources and Practices for Managing Performance Anxiety

Resources on managing performance anxiety and stress:
Rising Above Performing Anxiety Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_YeLeXlqxA

Recommended practices that compliment course
Musical Health: https://www.hsingayhsu.com/musical-health

#ConsciousPerformerRome

The Conscious Performer Festival | Rome 2027

Piazzas to explore