Welcome to the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program.  For more than 60 years, the Summer Program has been in the business of broadening perspectives, deepening insights and generally changing lives for the better through intensive arts education.  In my 45+ years as a summer student, counselor, faculty member and administrator, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with thousands of students, ages 5-95, whose lives have been enriched through participation in this remarkable program.

The Idyllwild Arts Summer Program began in the summer of 1950. Our visionary founders, Max & Beatrice Krone, believed that the arts could engage the cultures of the world in an open dialogue about how deeply we're connected, regardless of language, customs or personal beliefs. Music, art, and dance spoke to the soul where no words were necessary. The Krones invited artists of the highest caliber such as Meredith Willson, Ataloa, Harry Sternberg, Pete Seeger, Ansel Adams, Minor White, Marais & Miranda, Merce Cunningham & Bella Lewitzky, among many others. These artists and teachers were at the core of a program that not only enriched the lives of adults but extended the outreach to students of all ages from every walk of life.

That tradition continues to this day. Each year, more than 1800 students of all ages and abilities are inspired by dedicated and imaginative artist-teachers for whom the process of changing lives is the expectation rather than the exception.  The Summer Program is an invigorating time of intense activity and genuine creativity packed into an eight-week season that transforms lives and motivates participants to pursue their dreams. 

I hope that you can join us this summer in Idyllwild!

Steve Fraider
Vice-President/Director of Summer Program