Madeline Island Chamber Music offers more than world-class chamber music training—it’s an unforgettable summer experience. Students live and learn in a close-knit campus surrounded by Lake Superior’s natural beauty, with comfortable cottages, dedicated practice and rehearsal spaces, and welcoming dining facilities. Between rehearsals and performances, you can enjoy kayaking, hiking, swimming, and exploring the island’s vibrant summer community. Our staff and counselors create a safe, supportive environment where you can focus on music, forge lasting friendships, and experience the unique rhythm of island life.
Student Life
Our campus includes student housing, practice rooms, ensemble rehearsal rooms, dining facilities, and a performance venue, along with our administrative offices.
Housing
Students live in shared cottages (2–3 per room) with common lounges, porches, laundry, and kitchenettes. Housing assignments are based on age and gender, and each cottage has a live-in counselor for supervision and support.
Meals
Three freshly prepared buffet-style meals daily in the Mary Lange Center, with dietary needs accommodated.
Activities
Optional island activities include kayaking, canoeing, hiking, biking, swimming, sports, and crafts — always supervised by staff.
Getting to Madeline Island
Madeline Island Chamber Music provides complimentary transportation between the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and our campus on Madeline Island (4.5 hour drive). Participants are responsible for arranging and funding their travel to and from MSP.
Facilities
Our campus includes student housing, practice rooms, ensemble rehearsal rooms, dining facilities, and a performance venue, along with our administrative offices.
Practice and Rehearsal Rooms
The practice facilities are adjacent to the three student lodges. The quadrangle of four buildings contains 21 rooms—9 ensemble rehearsal rooms and 12 solo practice rooms.
Mary Lange center
The Mary Lange Center houses the organization’s cafeteria, administrative offices, box office, student lounge, and music library.
Clubhouse on Madeline Island
The Clubhouse, which overlooks the golf course and marina, is used for performances, master classes, rehearsals, and presentations. All student performances at the Clubhouse are live-streamed for free on our YouTube channel.
Life on Madeline Island
Madeline Island is one of 22 islands in Lake Superior off the northwest tip of Wisconsin. Fourteen miles long and three miles wide, Madeline is reached by car ferry from the mainland town of Bayfield, Wisconsin. The island has a year-round population of about 400 people that swells to several thousand in the summer. Many summer residents come from Minneapolis-St. Paul, which is about a 4-1/2 hour drive.
Weather
Weather on Madeline Island is widely variable, especially in June; temperatures can range from 40°F-90°F.
Practicalities
- There is no drugstore or gas station on the island.
- There are two markets on the island offering limited options for food, drink, and supplies. Prices are at a premium due to its location.
- There is not a luthier available on the island.
Staying Connected
- Cell phone service is available and reliable; however, the campus is still quite remote and occasionally service is interrupted.
- Wireless high-speed internet is available in all campus buildings.
- Madeline Island has a post office and ATM. Packages can be received through USPS, FedEx, and UPS.
Mailing Address for Students
USPS:
[Student Name]
c/o MICM
PO Box 254
La Pointe, WI 54850
FedEx/UPS:
[Student Name]
c/o MICM c/o MIFL
100 Main St
La Pointe, WI 54850
Bugs and Wildlife
The number of bugs and when they arrive varies considerably from year to year. Insect numbers also vary from one location to another, due to micro-climate effects, and from day to day due to weather changes.