We are committed to making camp available to all interested families, and will make every effort to work with you to find a workable fee to get your camper to camp this summer.
Partial scholarships to families with financial need are based on family circumstances, instrument played and space available in the applicant’s age and gender group. Processing of applications begins in December and continues into the springtime.
To be considered for a partial scholarship, please complete our online Camper Application. Once we receive your request for financial aid, we will send a supplementary form regarding your personal financial situation.
Memorial Scholarships
Irwin Altman Memorial Scholarship
Irwin Altman is Camp Director Cara Bergantino’s maternal grandfather, and was a beloved Educator, Assistant Principal, School Superintendent, and summer camp enthusiast. In addition to his career in education, he spent his summers working as a Head Counselor at overnight camps in Maine at Camp Naomi/Joseph and in Upstate New York at Camp Oquago.
After his death in 1993, the Middle School #172 in Queens, NY was renamed the Irwin Altman Middle School in his honor. In 2023, Altman’s children began an Encore/Coda scholarship in his name to bring one music student from the Irwin Altman Middle School to Camp Encore/Coda each summer. Irwin Altman knew first-hand the importance summer camp played in the development of young people, and he would have been thrilled to know a young musician was able to spend the summer in Maine in his name.
This yearly scholarship for one camper is funded by the generosity of Artie and Randy Altman and Candy Altman and Joe Bergantino. The family would love to be able to extend this scholarship to other deserving young people either from the Altman Middle School or another public school.
Mouhamed Cisse Memorial Scholarship
Mouhamed Cisse Scholarship
Our scholarship devoted specifically to campers of color is in the name of beloved Encore/Coda camper Mouhamed Cisse, who attended Encore/Coda for 6 summers. Mouhamed was a beloved member of Encore/Coda’s camp community, with his warm smile, great sense of humor, personal generosity and loyal friendship to others. Mouhamed was the son of immigrants from the Ivory Coast and attended the Philadelphia public schools. At camp, he was active on cello, drums and voice, across a range of styles, participating in Philharmonia, Senior Orchestra, Jazz Choir, chamber music and jazz combos.
Mouhamed was tragically lost to gun violence in the spring of 2020, in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA. To honor and remember him, we have established this special scholarship, which we hope will make it possible for many future campers of color who demonstrate a passion for music making and financial need to join us at camp.
Rebecca Lamb Conkle Memorial Scholarship
Becky Conkle,(1940-2012), pianist, vocalist, and music educator is remembered fondly for her impeccably high standards, tireless dedication to her students and colleagues, and a never-ending song in her heart. Her notoriously exuberant laughter was truly a thing of beauty!
She touched the lives of her classmates while pursuing her degree in Music Education at Murray State University in Kentucky and then again when, later in life she entered graduate school at Auburn University as an experienced teacher and parent to earn a degree in Special Education in order to bring her expertise into schools serving those with disabilities.
Becky raised her four children in a home where their creative interests were embraced, and then nurtured by her dedication to finding (and driving to!) music teachers and ensembles, purchasing instruments, and prioritizing daily practice for many years. Alongside their pursuits, she maintained an active voice studio and conducted a community chorus, all of which took place in the family’s living room on weekday afternoons and evenings! Additionally, she consistently provided exposure to what is possible when artists collaborate: opera companies, symphony orchestras, jazz bands, choral groups, singers and songwriters of all genres!
Becky was a big believer in the transformative power of attending a sleepaway music camp: finding yourself, taking risks, creating and living in a community with fellow artists also looking for inspiration and support through the expression and connection of music. It is in honor of her devotion to educating the next generation of musicians and creatives that this scholarship to Camp Encore/Coda was created.
Saltman Family Scholarship
We celebrate the legacy of the Saltman Family, who founded and stewarded this amazing camp for 72 years, with this scholarship announced at the Alumni Reunion in 2024. It will be used to bring at least one child from Maine, who couldn’t otherwise afford to attend camp, to Encore/Coda every summer.
The idea of Camp Encore (as it was first called) was conceived by Phil and Ruth Saltman, who ran a summer music program at their home in Marblehead, MA in 1950 with just one student each. The program expanded over the course of a decade until it outgrew the Saltman home and moved to its current location in Sweden, Maine, a place so many would come to call their home away from home. Over 30+ summers, Phil and Ruth provided generations of children from all over the world the musical summer experience of a lifetime.
The next generation of Saltmans, Jamie and Ellen, operated and grew the camp for 30+ more summers! They made it possible for any camper who wanted to attend Encore/Coda to do so through the camp’s very generous scholarship program. Jamie and Ellen always felt it was really important for Encore/Coda to serve the local community, both through patronizing and supporting local businesses and providing local kids with the opportunity to experience Camp.
To honor the Saltman’s for all they have done to create, build and grow Encore Coda, please consider donating to the Saltman Legacy Scholarship. To do so, please write “Saltman Family Legacy” in the “In honor of” box on the donation page.
Valerie Goldstein Memorial Scholarship
Valerie Is Pictured In The Center Wearing An Orange Sweatshirt
Valerie Is Pictured On The Right End
Valerie Goldstein of Newton, Massachusetts was a vibrant, joyful, hilarious, glorious person. She was a talented actor and singer, a budding playwright, a motivated educator, a social justice activist, a reluctant basketball player and enthusiastic leader in everything she was a part of. She was fiercely loved.
She put the extraordinary into the ordinary. She was kind to everyone, including her teachers. She was hilarious- when she started 9th grade she got a nose ring- but it was fake and to prank her mom! She loved to tie the shoelaces together of anyone sitting next to her in choir. She was full of confidence- she dated the choir’s golden boy then wrote an autobiographical play about dumping him and coming out. She was organized and curious and joyful and lit up every room she was in.
Valerie was a proud nerd- she loved Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Hamilton, The Hobbit and musical theater. She even shared a matching Lord of the Rings tattoo with her father, Matthew. In high school, Valerie wrote and directed her own play, worked crew on the freshman play every year in order to mentor the freshman, and started the Monologue Project to amplify the voices of students of color. In college she was the chief operating officer of Skills Win!, an organization that helps local middle and high school students learn often-overlooked skills, such as typing and researching. Valerie graduated from Syracuse University a year early, with honors, with a bachelor’s degree in policy studies.
Valerie then joined Teach for America to start working as a fifth-grade teacher at Baskerville Elementary in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Her story, so richly packed with friends, activism, humor, passion, and making the world a better place for all those she knew, was tragically cut short, along with her parents and sister. This scholarship extends the impact of Valerie and her love for music and education to students who will never know her. But in experiencing a summer of music, friendship, nerdiness, and joy, Valerie’s memory will live on in them.
The Valerie Goldstein scholarship is awarded to a deserving middle school musician, with preference given to vocalists, students from Newton, and students from North Carolina.
Start a Memorial Scholarship with Camp Encore/Coda
We are touched and honored when families and individuals start a scholarship fund to help give campers the best summer of their lives. If you would like to set up a memorial scholarship, the first step is to contact Cara ([email protected]). She will be happy to speak to you about this process.
General Scholarship Fund
Donating to our General Scholarship Fund guarantees that your money goes where it is most needed for scholarships.