The Sonata is an unusual seasonal keyboard program for adults who temporarily want to escape from their daily routine by studying piano in a concentrated, creative and motivating atmosphere.

Years ago, parents of Summer Sonatina campers wanted a similar music program for themselves and other adults. The Sonatas have grown into a unique seasonal program that provides a ten — or eight — day haven for adults looking for the opportunity to focus on piano study in a concentrated, creative and motivating atmosphere. Everyone is welcome: beginner to advanced pianists, professional pianists who need more time to themselves, and piano teachers who wish to brush up on their performance skills. The professional combination of intensive practice, private and group lessons, and theory and master classes helps participants improve their musical skills significantly in a short period of time.

A unique feature of Sonata is “Monsters,” ensembles made up of multiple pianos in a piano orchestra forum. This gives pianists a rare opportunity to play with as many as eight or ten other pianists. Polly says, “We’ve transformed a variety of piano duet settings into Monster scores and off we go for a great rollicking music experience!” The Sonatas have been the focus of many media articles and news programs. Autumn Sonata 1994 was featured in NPR Host Noah Adams’ book Piano Lessons: Music, Love and True Adventures. September Sonata participant, Katie Hafner, wrote a piece on the Sonatas which appeared in the December 22, 2002 Travel Section of the New York Times. The August 2003 Sonata was featured on CNN’s NewsNight with Aaron Brown and presented by Beth Nissen on August 29, 2003.

Sonatina camp has a deep history. In 1969, Rosamond and Rein van der Linde [1929-1996] searched for a summer piano camp for their children but could not find one. Summer Sonatina began when they decided to create a camp of their own.