Improv Cohort 2026
Online March 16- June 8 Iceland Retreat June 15-18
A rare artistic gathering for classical musicians ready to expand creativity.
You didn’t spend decades training your hands, ears, and nervous system just to feel like a highly skilled machine.
And yet, for many classical musicians, daily life becomes an endless cycle of preparation, service, and repetition. The work is demanding and the standards are high but the space for true creative freedom is narrow.
If you’ve ever thought, I can play almost anything, but none of it feels like mine, this is for you.
The Improv Cohort 2026 is a three-month artistic process that culminates in a 3-day in-person improvisation retreat in Ísafjörður, Iceland. A small group of classically trained musicians will come together to practice improvisation as a serious artistic discipline and to perform a collective, fully improvised work.
This is not a style course or training in a particular genre, it’s about developing more agency inside your musicianship.
The Iceland Retreat
Ísafjörður, Iceland offers what the demands of a career in music often can’t: time, scale, quiet, and perspective. The landscape shapes how we listen, how we pace time, and how we relate to sound.
Over three days, we will:
Improvise daily in focused ensemble sessions
Work with form, structures and collective decision-making
Prepare and present a public improvised performance
Experience what it means to make music without hierarchy or pre-written authority
Accommodation and 2 meals a day are included so the work can remain uninterrupted.
The three-month cohort exists to prepare us for this gathering. We arrive with shared language, trust, and practice already in place.
Who this is for:
Who this is NOT for:
This program is designed for musicians who recognize themselves here:
You are a classically trained orchestral musician or teacher
You work at a high level, but feel artistically undernourished
You’re tired of the folder treadmill and constant output
You want to try new things without abandoning your craft
You care deeply about honesty in your work
You want to keep developing, even as an “expert”
You don’t need prior improvisation experience and you don’t need to change genres but you do need curiosity and a willingness to engage seriously.
This is not a fit if:
You want theory-heavy or genre-specific improvisation training
You’re looking for quick confidence boosts or performative freedom
You prefer competitive or critique-driven environments
You are not interested in ensemble-based work
You want improvisation as entertainment rather than inquiry
This work is slow, attentive, and demanding in a different way..
An Artistic Approach to Improvisation
Most improvisation training begins with materials: scales, harmonic systems, stylistic conventions.
This work begins with listening and decision-making.
Through my Connection Method, you’ll develop:
Clarity around musical intention
The capacity to respond rather than plan
Confidence working with limitation, silence, and uncertainty
Improvisation becomes a compositional act in real time.
Many musicians find this work feeds directly back into their classical playing: phrasing sharpens, timing deepens, and interpretive choices become more personal and less habitual.
The Arc of the Work: March–June 2026
The cohort unfolds in three stages:
1. Individual practice
Developing a personal relationship to improvisation and your own expression.
2. Ensemble practice
Working with others: timing, responsibility, restraint, and trust.
3. Collective authorship
Preparing to create and perform a shared improvised work.
By the time we arrive in Iceland, improvisation is no longer abstract. It’s practical, honest and grounded.
Whats included
March 16th –June 8th 2026
Bi-Weekly Live Cohort SessionsLive online sessions led by Sæunn, where you’ll improvise, reflect, and integrate the work in real time.
Weekly Prompts & Guiding Questions Clear, focused prompts that anchor your practice and eliminate the “where do I start?” spiral.
Accountability Check-InsSupport between sessions to keep you engaged, grounded, and practicing consistently.
Private WhatsApp GroupA dedicated space for sharing, listening, questions, and community support throughout the program.
Small, Curated CohortLimited spots to preserve depth, trust, and meaningful artistic exchange.
In-Person Retreat in ICeland
3-Day Integration Retreat
Ísafjörður, Iceland June 15th-18th, 2026
Deep group improvisation sessions
Integration of the full 3-month journey
A culminating concert at the Við Djúpið Music Festival
Accommodation and 2 meals per day
Travel to Ísafjörður is not included.
Investment
Improv Cohort 2026: The Retreat Edition
$3,900 total
$1000 deposit to secure your place
3 monthly payments of $967
Includes the full three-month cohort and the Iceland retreat.
Spots are limited to preserve working depth.
Improv Cohort 2026: Virtual Track
For musicians who genuinely cannot travel.
$2,500 total
$700 deposit
3 monthly payments of $600
Includes the full three-month virtual cohort. Does not include retreat access.
If you’re already leaning toward applying, there’s an advantage to entering the process early.
Early Application Perks
For musicians who apply before February 1st
If you know early that this work matters to you, there’s an advantage to entering the process ahead of time.
Musicians who apply before February 1st and are accepted into the cohort receive early access to materials designed to orient you artistically and remove unnecessary friction once the work begins.
Early Application Perks Include:
Early Access: Foundations of the Connection Method
A concise, self-paced introduction to the artistic framework of the cohort:
A recorded teaching outlining how improvisation is approached in this work
Core improvisation prompts you’ll return to throughout the three months
Conceptual tools that clarify how listening, choice, and restraint function inside free improvisation
This establishes shared language and allows the cohort to begin at a higher level of focus.
February Orientation Session (Live, 60 minutes)
A live online session held before the first cohort meeting:
A clear overview of the three-month arc and the Iceland retreat
Time for practical questions and expectations
An opportunity to try a foundational improvisation prompt
This session is designed to let you encounter the work directly, without performance pressure, and arrive at the first cohort session already oriented.
These early application perks are available to musicians who apply before February 1st and are accepted into the cohort.
If you already know this is something you want to commit to, applying early allows you to enter the work with clarity and momentum.
Common Questions
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No. This program is designed for classically trained musicians with little or no improvisation background.
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Bi-weekly sessions plus weekly assignments and check-ins. Expect several short practice sessions per week.
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Most musicians find it strengthens focus, musical intention, and interpretive clarity across all repertoire.
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Yes. Ensemble improvisation and performance are a part of it. The process is structured and carefully paced to minimize overwhelm.
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No, but it is the core of the project. The virtual option exists for those who truly cannot attend the retreat.
Final Invitation
The Improv Cohort exists for musicians who don’t want to stop developing just because they’re already professional.
If you feel that quiet recognition, the sense that you want to try something new, not because you’re lost, but because you’re still alive inside the work, trust it.