It wasn’t until Stella and her husband François welcomed a second daughter, Clara, that the Pradeaus felt that something was missing: music. “All of a sudden, this idea of having music in my children’s life started to feel really important to me,” she says. She found the Colorado Music Festival and the annual Family Concert, created especially for families with young children. “Within two weeks of Clara’s life, we were at [the Festival’s] Family Concert.” 

That was years ago. Now every summer you can find Stella at Chautauqua Auditorium as frequently as three times a week as she volunteers as an usher for the Colorado Music Festival. “It feeds my soul,” she says. “I love the idea of all these people coming in from different places, settling in, and making music together.” 

To Stella’s joy, the Pradeau children — youngest daughter Lily makes three — have kept the Colorado Music Festival in their lives as well. “They love going to concerts as young adults, which makes me so happy,” beams Stella. 

Volunteering as an usher means more to Stella than simply something to fill her summer nights; she feels that music — and live performances in particular — are important to share as a family. “I think about how much we’re in front of our screens,” she sighs. “It’s so special to have a concert experience and to be all together, united. That’s something we need to hold onto in society. We can’t let it slip away.” 

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After its sweep of all the prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, critics regularly applauded the Dover Quartet as an emerging ensemble with abundant talent and huge potential.

But what once was potential has become undeniable achievement. Simply put, the Dover has arrived. Now in its 17th year, kind of the start of middle age for such an ensemble, it is solidly embedded as one of the finest string quartets not just in the United States but also the world.

“I don’t think we really spend much time thinking of ourselves in any historical context,” said cellist Camden Shaw, “or comparing ourselves to other groups. What I can say is that at this age, we’re really comfortable playing with one another, and we’re comfortable being ourselves, which takes a long time.”

The Dover Quartet Makes Their Colorado Music Festival Debut

Colorado Music Festival audiences will have a chance to hear for themselves July 29, when the Dover makes its debut on the series, with a program featuring the inaugural string quartets by three great composers: Leoš Janáček, Robert Schumann and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The Stories Behind the Setlist

Such an unusual grouping of firsts would seem to be deliberate, but Shaw called the combination a “crazy coincidence.” A Dover policy is that each player gets to request a no-veto selection each season, what the players call “dream pieces,” and Schumann’s Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41, was violist Julianne Lee’s selection.

Second violinist Bryan Lee’s choice was Tchaikovsky’s Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11, another beloved masterpiece of the chamber-music repertoire. Rounding out the line-up is the Quartet No. 1, The Kreutzer Sonata, by Janáček (1854-1928), a Czech composer whose fame came late in his career in 1916 with the opera, Jenufa.

Janáček’s two quartets are among the most important of the 20th century and reflect his interest in folk music and extended tonality. The first, written in 1923, was inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s novella, The Kreutzer Sonata, about a man who kills his wife in a jealous rage after becoming convinced she has become romantically involved with a violinist with whom she had been performing the celebrated Beethoven sonata.

“It’s really wonderful,” Shaw said of the Colorado line-up. “because all three of those pieces are wildly different styles and all really inspired. That’s a cool program – quite intense.” 

Guest Artist Spotlight: Pierre Lapointe Joins the Dover

Pierre Lapointe, a founding member of the 20-year-old Escher Quartet, will serve as guest violist for this concert and three subsequent ones elsewhere, substituting for Julianne Lee. He knows the four members of the Dover well, because the two ensembles have toured together previously, performing Felix Mendelssohn’s celebrated Octet, and second violinist Bryan Lee has substituted with the Escher a few times. 

“Our styles are similar, so I think it works well,” Lapointe said. “Whenever Bryan joins us, it doesn’t require that much rehearsing, and I’m figuring it’s going to be the same with them, because I’ve recorded most of the pieces we’re playing [with the Escher.]”

Given that the Escher and Dover quartets are both highly respected and at similar stages in their careers, it might seem only natural that they would be rivals or competitors, but they don’t see it that way. “Basically, the Escher and Dover go way back and help each other out whenever possible – we admire each other,” Shaw said. 

Reinventing the Quartet Model

The Colorado Music Festival concert comes as the Dover is about to embark on a major – and potentially risky – new chapter spurred by Lee, who joined the quartet in Fall 2023. “With Julianne, we really felt like we had the dream team,” Shaw said. “She is an amazing colleague and an amazing player, and she really fit into the group in a way that was, frankly, uncanny.”

But after touring for a year with the quartet, Lee realized she could not handle its punishing schedule and heavy-duty traveling. Not wanting to disband or lose her, the quartet instead decided to massively curtail the number of concerts it does each year from 90-120 to about 25.

Lee will return to the Boston Symphony in July as assistant principal second violin, and it has agreed to give her time in her schedule so she can tour with the quartet in concentrated doses. That same month, the Dover’s first violinist Joel Link, will take over as concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and will also split time between the two ensembles.

Such a huge reduction in performances is all but unprecedented for a quartet of the Dover’s standing. While ensembles might start out with light schedules as they try to establish themselves or pare back as they look toward retirement, rarely do they do it when they are at their peak.

Shaw, who plans to devote more time to concerto and recital performances, sees it as a positive. “I’m really thrilled at this opportunity,” he said, “to keep playing together but in a really focused capacity, because it’s like we’re turning it into a passion project that is not going to go stale.”

A Beethoven Milestone and a Chamber Music Legacy

Two important developments mark the Dover’s arrival in the top tier of the quartet world, starting with its recording of the complete set of quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven, which was released in 2023 as an eight-disc boxed set on the Cedille label.

Performing all 16 of the works, which span Beethoven’s career and incorporate a vast range of moods, stylistic variations and technical challenges, is seen as the ultimate test for any string quartet. Shaw called the mammoth project a “pinnacle” moment for the group.

“The amount of effort and sheer willpower that went into that – it was like nothing I’ve ever done before,” he said. “When that was over, I remember waking up after the last session, three years of recording done, and it just felt like a vacation everyday for at least a month.”

Carrying the Torch After Legends Retire

The second big development was the recent retirements of the famed Emerson and Orion string quartets and dissolution of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, which left a void at the top of the field that the Dover was perfectly positioned to fill. 

“In all honesty,” Shaw said, “some of us have experienced a little bit more pressure on stage, feeling like there is a serious reputation to uphold, and when you’re younger, if you sound great, it’s seen as an amazing accident. But I think we always held ourselves to an excruciatingly high standard.”

What’s Next for the Dover Quartet?

What comes next for the Dover Quartet remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: when they take the stage on July 29, listeners can expect the same uncompromising focus, chemistry, and passion that have defined their rise to the top.

The Dover Quartet performs at the Colorado Music Festival on Tuesday, July 29 at 7:30 pm MT.

One often-followed path to classical-music success is the field’s network of high-profile and high-pressure international competitions, which can bring instant recognition to the winners and quickly ignite a professional career.

South Korean cellist Hayoung Choi followed that formula to a tee, winning first prize at the 2022 edition of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Belgium. Its jury featured such heavy-hitters on the instrument as Gautier Capuçon, Mischa Maisky and Sharon Robinson.

“It was a transformative experience,” said Choi who is now 27. “It opened many doors, not only in terms of international performance opportunities but also in giving me the artistic freedom to shape my own programs and collaborate with musicians I deeply admire. It marked the beginning of a new chapter, with greater creative autonomy and exciting challenges.”

A Spotlight Performance at the Colorado Music Festival

Colorado Music Festival audiences will have a chance to hear this fresh talent Sunday, July 20, at 6:30 pm when she joins guest conductor Maurice Cohn for a program that includes one of the most beloved works ever for cello and orchestra – Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, the Fitzenhagen edition.

The Charm and Challenge of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo

Its title is a bit confusing as Tchaikovsky, who also composed such popular works as the 1812 Overture and The Nutcracker, did not use a pre-existing theme from the mid-18th-century rococo period, a transitional time from the Baroque to the Classical eras.

Instead, the 19th-century Russian composer wrote his own theme in the rococo style, which put an emphasis on lightness and refinement, and he was especially looking back to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote in the rococo style early in his career.

Composed in 1876-77, this 20-minute work is composed of a main theme and seven variations, and offers multiple challenges to the soloist, including playing almost non-stop throughout and often in high register. Choi learned the piece when she was 11 and performed it with an orchestra a year or so later. 

“It’s elegant, virtuosic and full of charm,” she said. “Tchaikovsky’s love for Mozart comes through in a way that’s both playful and lyrical, and there’s a joyful spirit in how he brings Classical grace to life through a Romantic lens. Performing it in Colorado’s vibrant summer setting feels like a perfect match.”

A Globally Shaped Musical Journey

Choi was born in Bielefeld, Germany, but moved with her South Korean parents back to their homeland to attend elementary school and begin taking cello lessons. When she was 11, she undertook studies with noted soloists Myung-wha Chung and Hyoung Won Chang at the Korean National University of Arts.

“Our home was always filled with music,” Choi said, “My parents aren’t musicians themselves, but they’re classical music lovers, and that passion was passed on to me and my two sisters – both of whom play violin. I explored many forms of expression – I played harp, sang, performed in musicals, painted and figure skated. But the cello’s voice spoke to me in a very personal way, and it gradually became the heart of my artistic world.”

Her somewhat nomadic childhood continued with middle school studies at England’s Purcell School of Young Musicians and then a return to Germany when she was 16. Choi earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music in 2016 and ‘17 respectively from Germany’s Kronberg Academy.

“Growing up in such diverse cultural and educational environments has had a big influence on me,” Choi said. “Not only musically but also in how I adapt and connect with people across different contexts.”

Falling in Love with Baroque

She has continued her studies since, including time at the Reina Sofía School of Music under Ivan Monighetti in Spain. Choi is currently based in Berlin and is studying baroque cello in the early-music department at the University of Arts Berlin. 

“While I feel deeply connected to the 20th-century and Romantic repertoire, I’ve developed a strong love for Baroque music,” she said. “There’s a clarity and rhetorical expressiveness in it that invites an intimate kind of storytelling.”

Introducing the Ex-Starker: A Voice of Its Own

Choi performs on a loaned 1707 cello, known as the Ex-Starker, by Joseph Guarnerius filius Andreae (1666-1739 or ‘40), the father of Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu, the most famous of the Guarneri family’s line of violin makers and a professional rival of Antonio Stradivari. 

“This Guarneri cello is truly my voice,” she said. “It’s a remarkable instrument – rich in color, full of depth and capable of both incredible power and the most delicate nuance. Every time I play it, it reveals something new. It’s a constant inspiration.”

Touring the U.S. and Her First Visit to Colorado

The cellist usually comes to the United States twice each year, and her trip to Colorado will be her second visit to the country in 2024-25. Her coming season includes September performances of Brahms’ Double Concerto with Maurice Cohn and the West Virginia Symphony, where he is music director, and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Baltimore Symphony.

Last year, Choi performed at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl and was dazzled by the “electric atmosphere” and the historic venue. “Summer festivals in the U.S. have a unique energy and sense of openness that I really enjoy,” she said.

Excited for the Mountains and Music

Her visit to the Festival will be her first ever to the state. “I’m excited not only to perform but also to experience the natural beauty of the region,” she said. “Being surrounded by the mountains and such a majestic landscape adds something deeply inspiring to the artistic experience.

Hayoung Choi performs at the Colorado Music Festival on Sunday, July 20, at 6:30 pm MT.

Veteran American composer Joan Tower and the Colorado Music Festival are becoming quite the pair. 

In 2021, in what is a rare event for a living composer, the summer Festival presented a program totally devoted to her music, including the world premiere of her cello concerto, A New Day, with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist. And, it is set to present another new work by her – a saxophone concerto titled Love Returns – during a set of concerts July 10 and 11 featuring Steven Banks as soloist. 

Peter Oundjian Champions Tower’s Vision

A big reason for this continuing spotlight on Tower has been Peter Oundjian, the Festival’s music director since 2019, a longtime admirer who believes the Grammy Award winner is one of the most important composers this country has produced.  

“I admire the fact,” he said, “that she, along with two other American composers, [John] Corigliano and [John] Adams, were kind of fearless in their conviction to keep a relationship with tonality through the ‘60s and ‘70s when it was very unacceptable.”

A Humble Master with Decades of Impact

Tower, who will turn 87 in September, is now regarded as an old master in the field, but she feels like a beginner. “I think being a composer is extremely humbling,” she said. “You can never assume that what you are doing is right. Once you start assuming that everything is right, you are in trouble. And as you get older, I think it gets more challenging in a way.”

But the fact that her music continues to be played regularly, especially her Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, a series of six short compositions with different instrumentations that she wrote separately from 1986 through 2016, gives her considerable confidence.

Love, Loss, and Musical Renewal

“Some of them are getting picked up,” she said of her dozens of works. “Some of them die and are never played. Others are played now and then. It’s an interesting history.”

Meanwhile, the composer remains as active as ever. In addition to her new saxophone concerto, she recently finished a work for the Cassatt Quartet, which will debut it in September at the Maverick Chamber Music Festival in Woodstock, N.Y.

“Knock on wood,” Tower said, “I seem to be writing more than usual these days. My husband of 50 years passed away [in 2022], and music became more of a haven for me. I missed him too much, so I delved into more music.” 

And, in fact, the saxophone concerto is one of three recent works she has written in memory of her husband, William (Jeff) Litfin. The 24-minute composition is a set of six variations on one of the earlier tributes, a two-minute solo piano piece titled Love Letter.

In writing this concerto, she noticed that each of the sections ends with soft rising chords, and this returning motif made her think of the ups and downs of a long-term relationship and the constant return to the love that sustains it.

Exploring the Power and Flexibility of the Saxophone

Tower has really gotten to know the saxophone in recent years. Since arranging her solo clarinet work, Wings, for alto saxophone in 1991, she created a sequel titled Second Flight (2017), which was premiered by 50 saxophonists around the world through the World-Wide Concurrent Premieres and Commissioning Fund. In addition, she served as a juror for the 2022 Naumburg Saxophone Competition. 

The composer describes the saxophone as being quite different from the clarinet, one of her favorite instruments. “It has a power that is incredible,” she said. “It’s a powerhouse instrument. It can’t play as softly as the clarinet can. It can’t do those silky, pianissimo things. But it’s very fast. It’s very flexible. It can move. It can sing, and it has a big range.”

The Composer-Performer Collaboration Behind Love Returns

Because of these connections to the instrument, Oundjian knew the saxophone was very much on Tower’s mind, so he thought a saxophone concerto would be an ideal follow-up to the Festival’s earlier commission by her. The composer readily agreed to the idea.

For the soloist, Oundjian proposed Steven Banks, a 2022 winner of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. He performed at the Festival in 2021 and more recently premiered and toured a saxophone concerto by Billy Childs that explores aspects of the African-American experience. “Steven is truly extraordinary in every way, and I had a feeling they might get along really well,” Oundjian said of him and Tower.

The two collaborated closely on this new piece, with Tower asking him to record himself playing a few passages from it as she was writing it so she could hear how they fit the instrument. Once the work was essentially completed, they spent several days together at her Hudson Valley home going over a reduced version for saxophone and piano.   

“We even played together some, which was a total thrill,” Banks said via email. “Then, she made final changes and orchestrated the piece that you will all hear this summer.”

A Concerto That Elevates the Saxophone

Banks had just two requests for Tower as she began her work. While some concertos call on soloists to perform all four types of saxophones, he wanted this one to be written for just one, and Tower chose the alto. In addition, he wants to establish the instrument as an integral part of 21st-century classical music and didn’t want it to sound like a jazz piece. 

“I do believe that the piece highlights the beauty of the saxophone,” Banks said, “while also taking advantage of its power and range. The musical language is specific to Joan, but there are moments of powerful, well-employed simplicity that may surprise fans of her work in the best way.”

Don’t Miss the World Premiere of Love Returns

Tower was delighted that when the Colorado Music Festival premiered her cello concerto, Oundjian, who enjoys collaborating with composers, took advantage of the series’ more elastic schedule to find extra time for rehearsal, so that he could make suggestions and she could make last-minute revisions on site.

Tower plans to do the same thing for the saxophone concerto. She is even bringing along her copyist, so that any changes can be quickly inserted into the musical parts for all the members of the festival orchestra.

“I’m so happy the premiere is going to be in Colorado,” she said, “because of this flexibility and the ability to be able to work together.”

The Colorado Music Festival and Steven Banks perform Joan Tower’s world premiere commissioned “Love Returns” on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11.

The guitar is one of the newest Western instruments to arrive in China. Xuefei Yang believes it entered the country only about 100 years ago, and it took decades more for it to gain a foothold among audiences and players.

“But just as everywhere else in the world,” she said, “the guitar is such a charming instrument, so a lot of people like the guitar.”

Xuefei Yang: A Groundbreaking Classical Guitarist Making Colorado Music Festival Debut

She should know. Yang is the first classical guitarist to earn a bachelor’s degree from China’s Central Conservatory of Music and first Chinese-born soloist on the instrument to build an international reputation.

The 48-year-old British resident will make her Colorado Music Festival debut July 27, joining Music Director Peter Oundjian and the festival orchestra in a performance of the most famous concerto for the guitar: Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.

Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez: A Beloved Masterpiece

She should know. Yang is the first classical guitarist to earn a bachelor’s degree from China’s Central Conservatory of Music and the first Chinese-born soloist on the instrument to build an international reputation.

The 48-year-old British resident will make her Colorado Music Festival debut July 27, joining Music Director Peter Oundjian and the Festival orchestra in a performance of the most famous concerto for the guitar: Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. 

The 1939 piece is inspired by the lavish gardens at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Madrid, one of the official residences of the Spanish royal family that was built by King Philip II in the last half of the 16th century.

Yang, who recorded the concerto in 2010 with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and plays it regularly, never tires of the piece. “For me, that is the test of whether a work is great or not,” she said. “Because I find if I play a great piece of music, like [J.S.] Bach’s Chaconne, you never get bored of it. A great piece of art—you just dig in more. Every time I play it, I feel differently.”

The guitar does not have the same aural heft as the piano or even the violin. So, as Yang and most of her fellow guitarists regularly do, she will subtly amplify her performance in Boulder to make sure the instrument can be heard properly not just by the audience but also the other musicians onstage. 

Yang’s Discovering the Guitar by Chance

The Beijing native didn’t choose to take guitar lessons as a child. She didn’t even know what a guitar was. Her parents wanted her to learn an instrument, and her music teacher in elementary school liked the instrument and organized a children’s guitar group.

She remembers when her father brought home a guitar from a local music store for her to play. “I was so curious,” she said. “I opened the box and it was the first time I saw a guitar. I plucked the strings, and I thought, ‘Oh, it sounds so nice.’ So, I liked it from the beginning.” 

Yang joined the group when she was 7 and, two years later, she took part in a masterclass with an American guitarist who told her she showed promise. Another year later, she was the only child to attend and perform at the first international guitar festival in China, and she received abundant praise. “That’s kind of the first time I had this idea of being a concert guitarist,” she said. 

From Beijing to London: A Rising Star’s Path

After earning her bachelor’s degree at the Central Conservatory, she chose not to follow the urging of her parents to go to the United States. Instead, she admired Europe with its long history of art and classical music and wanted to continue her studies there.

But rather than Spain, a country famously important to the development of classical guitar, especially in the 20th century with such masters as Andres Segovia, she wanted to go an English-speaking country, settling on Great Britain, because of its rich classical-music history It helped that she received an international scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Music in London – the first guitarist to do so.

As Yang’s graduate studies were winding down, the then-25-year-old had no idea how to launch a professional career. Following the lead of her pianist roommate, she decided to send some letters to prospective artist managements in London. Before she could get around to it, the head of Askonas Holt, one of the largest such firms, attended one of her performances. “After the concert, I got signed, so I was very lucky,” she said.

International Tours and a Deep Connection to China

The guitarist has gone on to perform in some of the most prestigious concert venues in the world. Though she has continued to reside in the West, she makes frequent trips to China and has served as artistic director of the Changsha International Guitar Festival since 2015.

Yang has released 20 recordings, many of them on major labels such as EMI Classics and Decca. Coming out June 25 is Chapeau Satie, an album marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Erik Satie.

The individualist French composer is best known for miniature solo works for the piano with quirky names like Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes. “I always loved his music,” said Yang, who saw the centenary as an ideal opportunity to present “reimagined interpretations” of some of these works on guitar. “Because his music is very simple and meditative – not many notes – his works are very well suited to be played on the guitar,” she said.

Also included will be three of his Mélodies, songs written for café-concerts, with soprano Héloise Warner as the vocal soloist. Yang also commissioned Warner to compose a new song for the album using the poetry of Cécile Sauvage, a contemporary of Satie. 

A New Voice for Classical Guitar

Yang is a big advocate of new music, frequently premiering works for the guitar, like Dreaming of My Hometown by famed Chinese-American composer Chen Yi. Yang premiered the concerto with the University of Nottingham Philharmonia in February 2024 and hopes to perform it more.

“If you play a Beethoven piece, that’s Beethoven’s voice about his time,” she said. “So, we need composers to write music that represents our voice and our lives.” That’s especially true for the classical guitar, which doesn’t have a large body of concerto repertoire like the piano or cello. 

The creation of the Concierto de Aranjuez was sparked during a dinner in Santander, Spain, in September 1938 that included Rodrigo, guitarist Regino Saínz de la Maza and the Marqués de Bolarqué. During the evening, his companions urged the composer to write a guitar concerto and he agreed.

“Imagine if that didn’t happen,” Yang said. “I would not have the chance to play this fantastic piece in many concerts with different orchestras. So, I think we need to continue working on new repertoire.” 

A Concerto That Reflects Our Time

This concerto, which marries elements of flamenco with the classical-music tradition, seems especially relevant now, when the Colorado Music Festival and other presenters are putting a greater emphasis than ever on inclusivity and multiculturalism.   

The Colorado Music Festival hosts Xuefei Yang on Sunday, July 27.

For Festival details & tickets > 

Anne Akiko Meyers has bucked convention and embraced all things new on an ever-adventurous path that has gained her international acclaim.

The 55-year-old American violinist has championed under-recognized masterworks from the past like Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto (1939) and has premiered dozens of works by composers like Arvo Pärt and Mason Bates – enough that she has lost count.

“I’ve always really thrived on working with living composers,” Meyers said. “It came from always wondering: ‘What would the composer say if I could play this for them?’ And there is such a freedom to hear directly from their mouths.”

Colorado Music Festival Welcomes a Bold Collaborator

This risk-taking spirit makes her an ideal match for the Colorado Music Festival, which has put a renewed emphasis on world premieres like Joan Tower’s cello concerto, A New Day, and overlooked offerings under Peter Oundjian, who has served as its music director since 2019.

Meyers will join Oundjian and the Festival orchestra July 17 and 18 for a pair of works from the present and past: Eric Whitacre’s The Pacific Has No Memory and Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane, a popular 1924 showpiece that runs about 10 minutes. (Also on the program are Berlioz’s Béatrice and Bénédict Overture and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.)

Other than a Sept. 2 appearance at the Hollywood Bowl, these will be Meyers’ only concerts of the summer, a time each year when she likes to regroup and relax after a non-stop fall-to-spring schedule.

She has worked with Oundjian twice before – a 2010 tour of Holland and Belgium with the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam featuring Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade, after Plato’s Symposium (1954) and a 2004 set of concerts with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

The Story Behind The Pacific Has No Memory

She has worked with Oundjian twice before – a 2010 tour of Holland and Belgium with the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam featuring Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade, after Plato’s Symposium (1954) and a 2024 set of concerts with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2014, Meyers has been fascinated with the music of Whitacre, an artist in residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The Grammy Award-winning composer is best known for his groundbreaking virtual choirs, which have brought together 100,000 singers from more than 145 countries. 

“I approached him,” she said, “and I was just so curious if he would consider writing something for the violin, because his work is so haunting and lyrical and beautiful and so exquisite.”

The resulting seven-minute piece, which Meyers describes as a kind of musical reflection, was co-commissioned by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Colorado Music Festival. The premiere took place on May 17 at New York’s Zankel Hall. 

The catalyst that led Whitacre to write The Pacific Has No Memory was the awful January wildfires that destroyed large parts of the Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods in Los Angeles, including the homes of some of his friends, as well as a narrative thread in the movie, The Shawshank Redemption. The lead character dreams of meeting a fellow prison inmate on a remote beach in Mexico, where the Pacific Ocean will wash away their pain and suffering and the two can start anew. “You really feel these waves within the music – gentle waves and then pain,” Meyers said.

She feels particularly close to this work because her family was displaced from their damaged home in the Palisades and has not been able to return. “It makes me very emotional to play,” the violinist said, “because it’s constantly rolling through the head just how much everyone has gone through here and the loss of community and how everything is just basically washed away. But, then, there are glimmers of new beginnings from all of the destruction.” 

From Prodigy to Pop Culture: Meyers’ Unexpected Journey

Far from such darkness was the bright beginning of the violinist’s career. Something of a child prodigy, Meyers performed twice on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at age 11 and 12 and began touring and recording after signing when she was 16 with ICM Artists, a highly prominent agency at the time.

From the start, she never followed a traditional, buttoned-up classical career path. Besides performing with artists outside the field like pop singer Michael Bolton and jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, she has been featured in television commercials and ad campaigns for brands such as Anne Klein, Northwest Airlines, and TDK. 

“They’re fun. It’s different. Why not?” Meyers said, laughing. Plus, those appearances helped her pay for a “nice [violin] bow.”

Anne and the Power of New Commissions

The violinist has been involved in new-music projects almost from the start, and they just keep rolling out. In 2018, for example, she approached Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, and he wrote a mariachi-inspired concerto for her titled Fandango that premiered in 2021 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its music director Gustavo Dudamel.

“It’s a matter of asking these composers,” Meyers said. “They’re walking amongst us, these [Franz] Schuberts like John Corigliano and these great masters. They have so much musical poetry within their minds and hearts.”

She and the LA Philharmonic made a live recording of Fandango in 2022 that won two Latin Grammy Awards for best classical album and best contemporary album. Since its debut, Meyer has gone on to perform it with 16 orchestras around the world.

“It’s so rare for a brand-new concerto that was just born in 2021 to be performed over 40 times now, and there are many more opportunities where people want to hear that concerto because the music is amazing,” she said.  

Beloved: Anne Akiko Meyers’ Latest Album of Premieres

Beloved, her 41st and most recent album, was released on May 9. It features the world-premiere recordings of Billy Childs’ In the Arms of the Beloved, Whitacre’s Seal Lullaby, and Ola Gjeilo’s Serenity. All the selections feature the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Grant Gershon.

“That just makes me so happy, to release music like that,” she said. “What story are these composers coming up with that I can sink my teeth into and share with audiences? It’s really kind of a personal choice of what I want to premiere, perform, and record, and it becomes a very rewarding process to work with all these composers, music directors, and orchestras.” 

And Whitacre’s The Pacific Has No Memory will give Colorado Music Festival audiences an up-close look exactly what she is talking about.

The Colorado Music Festival hosts Anne Akiko Meyers on Thursday, July 17 and Friday, July 18.

For Festival details & tickets > 

We are heartbroken and horrified by the recent hate crime in our beloved city. Boulder is a place that thrives on compassion, creativity, and connection—and this act of violence stands in direct opposition to everything we hold dear.

At the Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts, we believe that music is a force for unity, healing, and understanding. It brings people together across boundaries, fosters empathy, and reminds us of our shared humanity. In the face of senseless hatred and violence, we affirm our commitment to building a community rooted in peace, inclusion, and mutual respect.

We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, this assault on the fabric of our community. Our hearts go out to all those affected by this attack—the victims, their families and friends, and everyone in our city who is reeling from this act of cruelty. We stand in solidarity with you.

In times of darkness, music can be a source of light. We will continue to create space for people to come together, to listen, to feel, and to heal. As artists, educators, and neighbors, we pledge to use our platform not only to enrich lives through music but also to stand up against hate in all its forms.

Let us grieve together. Let us care for one another. And let us never stop working toward a world where peace and harmony—not violence and fear—guide our path.

With resolve and hope,

Elizabeth McGuire, Executive Director

Peter Oundjian, Music Director

Kathy Kucsan, Education Director

The Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts is seeking a dynamic individual to fill the role of Director of Philanthropy. With both the internationally acclaimed Colorado Music Festival and the robust community educational programming of the Center for Musical Arts under one umbrella, the organization has entered an unprecedented growth cycle. The expertise of a seasoned philanthropic professional is needed to work with the Executive Director and leadership team to develop and execute plans to expand the organization’s annual operations and ensure long-term sustainability.

The Director of Philanthropy (DP) will join the leadership team as a visible representative of the organization, appearing throughout the community and beyond as an articulate spokesperson, storyteller, conduit and advocate for the organization’s impactful and often groundbreaking work. Internally, the DP will serve in a senior executive role, exemplifying professionalism of the highest standards and helping to enhance a culture of philanthropy across all departments.

Working with the Executive Director, the DP is responsible for creating and implementing a comprehensive fundraising plan in consideration of the organization’s annual contributed revenue requirements, currently in excess of $3MM, and long-term financial goals. The scope of the plan includes all aspects of contributed revenue including but not limited to: annual funding with an emphasis on diversifying our base of support, special events, volunteer engagement, government and foundation grants, planned giving, special campaigns, legacy giving, and sponsorships.

The DP is expected to lead the strategic process of identification, cultivation and solicitation of returning and new contributed revenue sources alongside the Executive Director, and to enlist the support of the executive team, board members and community stakeholders as needed.

This individual will coordinate and in the solicitation of gifts from individuals, foundations, and government agencies as well as work with the Marketing and Community Relations Director to obtain corporate sponsorships and deliver benefits as well as creating compelling content across all communication platforms with input from the executive team.

This individual is additionally responsible for recruiting, motivating, supervising and evaluating departmental staff in daily administrative activities that monitor and support departmental achievement such as monthly reporting, recording and acknowledging gifts, donor portfolio management, and stewardship.

Working with the Executive Director, the DP will engage the Board of Directors in identifying opportunities to increase funding and community awareness through social activities and advocacy, maintaining up to date policies in alignment with industry best practices, and advising in board recruitment.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will:

• Offer seven or more years of successful experience as a senior development officer within arts or cultural organizations,
• Exhibit the entrepreneurial and goal-oriented spirit needed to level up all aspects of a strong, sustainable fundraising program,
• Possess confidence and demonstrate enough knowledge of classical music to communicate effectively and persuasively with a highly educated and successful constituency base,
• Exhibit exemplary written and verbal communication skills with an aptitude for developing relationships,
• Be able to contribute to a dedicated and talented executive team with a strong work ethic and positive energy,
• Create a positive departmental environment by providing clear expectations, constructive feedback, and by honoring talent with opportunity,
• Engage and provide support for board and other volunteers,
• Maintain familiarity with best practices in all aspects of philanthropy,
• Embrace innovation and demonstrate an aptitude for emerging technology as it pertains to leading donor identification, forecasting, tracking and acknowledgement activities,
• Be a thought leader who demonstrates open-mindedness and creativity towards community-building efforts that match the spirit of our progressive city,
• Be available to travel by car to donor visits in the region frequently, with the prospect of national travel up to 15% of the time,
• Be available to work extended and weekend hours at concerts, special events, donor meetings and organizational meetings as required.

The compensation range for this position is $110,000 to $130,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Benefits include a comprehensive healthcare plan, 401K, generous paid vacation, and hybrid work flexibility outside of meetings and events.

Applications

The Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or national origin.

Please submit a cover letter that outlines your specific interest in this field and this organization with an overview of your related experiences and salary requirements along with a resume, containing a minimum of three professional references. All materials should be submitted to: jobs@comusic.org with Philanthropy in the subject line.

Applications will remain confidential and references will not be called without the candidate’s prior knowledge and agreement.

This position will remain open until filled.

Description
This role supports the Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts, a summer classical music festival and a year-round community music school, with the goal of building our audience of music-lovers, increasing earned revenue, and inspiring first-time and repeat donations to support our mission.

Responsibilities

• Oversee organizational content plan to build awareness, increase engagement, and drive earned and contributed revenue
• Lead the development and delivery of compelling content including videos, blog posts, emails, and printed materials
• Manage local public relations efforts including writing and distributing press releases, maintaining an accurate media list, pitching stories, and managing interviews
• Collaborate with internal and external contacts to develop and manage a strategic content plan
• Manage all facets of email marketing including soliciting input from other departments, creating a schedule, writing content, designing emails, and analyzing results to improve future efforts
• With the Director of Marketing and Community Relations, ensure consistency of brand voice across all public-facing materials
• Devise organizational social media and content strategies and manage activities on key platforms as determined; ensure materials are always edited and accurate
• Maintain accurate and compelling content on websites, identify areas of improvement, and serve as primary contact with web developers
• Manage annual Festival program book to ensure that all content is strategic and accurate, content from other departments is received on schedule, and final product is delivered on time and free of errors
• Work closely with Director of Marketing and Community Relations and Director of Development to develop fundraising communications
• Lead the development of impact stories to support marketing and fundraising efforts including interviewing constituents, identifying key impacts, writing stories, and identifying appropriate outlets for distribution
• Ensure that all marketing, communications, and fundraising materials are error-free
• Manage the delivery of marketing and communications campaigns that identify and communicate with key customer and donor segments, deepen engagement, and optimize earned and contributed revenue
• Provide project management and organization for the department as well as cross-departmentally, ensuring that deadlines are met
• Lead marketing and communications efforts to bring in new audiences for educational programs, concerts, and other events
• Manage the delivery of assets for corporate sponsorships and community partnerships
• Maintain key performance indicator (KPI) dashboard and provide analysis of the data to optimize marketing and communications strategy
• Establish and document best practices for the creation and implementation of marketing and communications plans

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, public relations, or related field.
• 3 years professional marketing communications management experience, preferably in the non-profit industry
• Proven experience in development, implementation, and measurement of integrated marketing and communications plans
• Internally motivated
• Excellent writing skills
• Highly organized and dependable
• Able to work efficiently and manage multiple deadlines
• Demonstrate initiative and proactivity in seeking new opportunities and solutions
• Interest in continued learning to remain up to date with industry/market trends

Work Schedule
This is a full-time, exempt position. The typical work schedule is Monday-Friday between 8 am and 5 pm. The Marketing and Communications Manager is expected to be present for events and to work as needed outside the traditional 8-5 working hours, including some evenings and weekends.

Work Environment
CMF&CMA is a small organization, and all staff are expected to work flexibly and collaboratively. This is a hybrid position with at minimum two days in-office work at our administrative office in Lafayette, Colorado. During the Festival, travel to Chautauqua Auditorium and other locations in Boulder is required for administrative, concert, and event support.

Compensation
The salary range for this position is $60,000–$70,000 annually. Compensation package also includes 65% paid health and dental insurance, optional 401(k) plan, paid time off, and paid holidays.

Application Procedure
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and three writing samples to marketing@comusic.org. Please include “Marketing Manager Application – [Your Name]” in the subject line.

Application Deadline
Applications will be accepted through January 3, 2025.
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Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
CMF&CMA is an equal opportunity employer. We do not practice any type of discrimination in making employment decisions. It is the policy of CMF&CMA to abide by employment practices and policies that are based on skill, ability, performance and in rare occasions, tenure of our employees. We consider irrelevant to any employment decision race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, disability, marital status, medical condition, political affiliation, United States veteran status, family responsibilities, age, sex, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. CMF&CMA’s policy regarding equal opportunity applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, job assignments, promotions, working conditions, scheduling, benefits, wage and salary administration, disciplinary action, termination, and social, educational, and recreational programs.

But today’s world doesn’t make any of that easy. Life seems to be trending toward disconnected, isolated, and online.

The solution? Turn to art, especially music.

Your support is a critical piece of the solution, too. With your help, we connect people, boost confidence, and inspire joy through music.

I hear many stories about the impact that your support has on the community.

Stella, a Festival volunteer, told me, “It’s so special to have a concert experience and to be all together, united. That’s something we need to hold onto in society. We can’t let it slip away.”

And a Center for Musical Arts parent recently shared a story about her young daughter Mae, who is very shy. Mae’s music lessons have given her the confidence to perform during an upcoming recital. With practice and the support of her teacher and fellow students, she feels ready to take to the stage.

One adult student, Stephanie, has been rebuilding her life after suffering a stroke. As a lifelong musician, the loss of music from the stroke was heartbreaking. Like learning to walk again, she had to relearn music.

Two years ago, Stephanie and her husband connected with the Center’s music therapist, Amanda Brigham. “It has been an important part of Stephanie’s journey back to music,” her husband says. I am happy to report that Stephanie has been making great progress and finding joy in music again.

Please consider joining our donor family today. Support from committed patrons like you helps to connect people like Stella, build the confidence of students like Mae, and bring joy to people like Stephanie.

With gratitude,

Elizabeth McGuire
Executive Director

Like you, I feel a wide mix of emotions at the close of the Colorado Music Festival. There is relief, for certain — after all, making music at this high level is physical and consuming. There is sadness, as the spell of the season is broken and my friends onstage and off begin their journeys home. There is utter elation for all we have managed to accomplish together in a matter of mere weeks, for the sheer triumph of music and the ways it has unified and transformed us. 

And finally there is anticipation. The final notes have hardly finished ringing out when my mind turns to all that we will create next season and beyond. Which rising stars should we commission for dazzling new premieres? Which classical gems are due for a reawakening on our stage? Which young musicians shall we invite as our Festival Fellows? It is with questions like these buzzing in my head that I walk away from Chautauqua each August. 

Having recently signed a new 5-year contract with this incredible Festival, I can’t help but feel the sky’s the limit. You, however, play a large role in our success, as the Festival’s dreams can only extend as far as our resources allow. 

Will you donate today to help us ensure the continued extraordinary success of the Festival? Your support at this time of year tells us how high we can reach, how far we can stretch, and how much our community will stand behind us as we plan for the future. 

If you feel grateful, inspired, or moved by our music this year, I invite you to donate today to help make it possible again. 

With deep gratitude, 

Peter Oundjian | Music Director

Photo Credit: Ken Jacques Photography; Harumi Rhodes appears second from left

Colorado Music Festival: Good morning. My name is Erica Reid, I’m with the Colorado Music Festival, and today I am talking with Harumi Rhodes of the Takács Quartet. How are you doing, Harumi?

Harumi Rhodes: Very well. How are you?

Festival: I’m wonderful. I’m really excited to talk to you today because whenever we have these world premiere pieces of music, it’s such a feather in the cap of the Festival, but it can be difficult for audiences to know what to expect and what to look forward to. So I just wanted to talk to you today a little bit about how it came to be, and what you know about the music so far. I know we’ve got a couple of weeks before the premiere, so there may be still some questions. 

But I wanted to start with: how did this all come about? My understanding is that our Music Director, Peter Oundjian, and the people who organized the festival wanted to bring in a world premiere and wanted to commission something for the Takács to perform. I believe you guys recommended composer Gabriela Lena Frank, can you tell me a bit about how that beginning part happened?

Harumi: Sure, yes, it’s true that Peter and the Festival were interested in having a premiere work that featured a solo string quartet and the CMF Orchestra. 

Gabriela has been a friend of mine for many years, we’ve known each other in different ways, in different capacities ever since we were both becoming professionals working in the scene. She was somebody that I thought of immediately and wanted to collaborate with. 

She’s a phenomenal composer, a wonderful, wonderful human being and loves string players and string music and string chamber music, and has written many string quartets, and is a lover of telling stories through music, and is someone who believes in expanding the repertoire and in working with musicians that she’s friends with. She believes in the idea that music can be a real celebration of friendships and connections.

One of Gabriela’s phrases that she uses quite often that I love, she has a couple of them, but one of the phrases that she uses quite often is this idea of “dreaming and scheming.” It’s a beautiful phrase that she uses in many different contexts, but we’ve used it together several times about different things that we wanted to dream and scheme about. Some of them have to do with teaching and with education and with working with the younger generation, and then some of it has to do with composing and all of that. I felt very, very lucky to be able to make this particular dream that we had together come true.

Festival: Oh, Harumi, that sounds really fantastic. So let’s talk about what we know about the music so far. Gabriela Lena Frank has given us some details about her work. We have a title, Kachkaniraqmi, which means “I Still Exist” in Quechua. And other than that, I don’t know a lot about the music and maybe you know more. Can you tell us what the Takács knows so far? Have you played any of this, or have you just read it, or where are we right now in the process?

Harumi: Yeah, so we received the solo parts a couple of months ago and a copy of the full score and immediately started tearing through it and learning our parts. And we started rehearsing it as a solo string quartet. We’re not yet with the full orchestra yet, rehearsing the four of us together alone without the orchestra. But also in our rehearsals, looking at the full map of the entire score with everyone playing and imagining what that would be like, and also seeing our parts alone. So we’ve heard the piece in some fashion in the sense that we can play the orchestra part and we can play our solo parts, but we haven’t played them at the same time together. 

Festival: Will you get to do that before rehearsals or will that be your first chance to hear it all together?

Harumi: So our first chance to hear it all together will be in the first rehearsal. We will have a pre-rehearsal the day before with Peter, the four of us, the four members of Takács and Peter. Also, I think Gabriela is going to come to that. I just invited her the other day and I think her flight will get in on time. So it’d be really fun to have both the composer and the conductor in the room together. 

I think we almost feel like actors getting the screenplay for the first time. You see your parts and we’re reading them together and getting used to what the chemistry is like between the four of us, but we don’t have the full production yet. We don’t have the full staging, the full set or the full chorus or whatever the analogy is. I feel very much like we’re sort of workshopping the piece together.

And of course we’ve been in touch with Gabriela. I’ve been in touch with Gabriela periodically over the summer about questions that we have. What a privilege is this, that we can work with not only living and breathing composer, but someone who’s really interested in being part of the process, someone who’s a friend, someone who I’ve worked with before. 

Gabriela and I worked together on a project in 2022 during the pandemic where her Creative Academy of Composers and my violin studio at CU Boulder worked on a virtual partnership throughout the entire 12 months of the year and put together nine world premieres of nine different pieces for solo violin and for violin duo. These kinds of partnerships, these kinds of connections, not just me and Gabriela, but also through our students and through the next generation of musicians that we really believe in, it’s these kinds of friendships and partnerships and stories through music that I think both Gabriela and I, that’s how we want to spend our life. That’s what we want to do, that’s what we believe in. 

We’re both doing it in slightly different ways, me with the violin and her with her composing, but actually we’re all the same, right? We’re all doing the same work and being able to bring that excitement into the Colorado Music Festival and into the Quartet, and bring all of these different parts of our lives together is a really joyful moment for us. In Gabriela’s words, the “dreaming and scheming” is both idealistic, and also there’s a sense of urgency. We really want to bring this music to the world and to celebrate these stories.

Festival: Oh, Harumi, that is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with me. A couple of things come to mind, so I work in the marketing department and it can be really challenging to explain the breadth of what we do at the Festival because most people are thinking, like, Beethoven and Mozart. Most people just generally attending are thinking about the war horses, the classics. 

That’s such an important part of what we do, but there is this really exciting element of bringing new work to the forefront. I’m sure that plenty of composers are happy to write a world premiere and hand it off and maybe come to the rehearsal and the first performance and move on. But what you’re describing here, this partnership that goes so much deeper, that spans broader than just this one piece of music, and that is really tied to, I don’t know, something larger about creating new music and reflecting a current and future society. All those things that even the classical composers were trying to do for their own time. 

I don’t know, I’m just really excited to hear … I did expect to hear how the professional partnership worked, but to hear that there is a personal collaboration that works with your students, that’s larger than this piece, it’s just really inspiring. It gives me goosebumps. 

If I could magically make everybody understand this piece of the Festival’s work, of your work, of Gabriela’s work, that’s the piece that really gets me up in the morning to do this work. So thank you so much for sharing how much deeper it goes and how truly collaborative this sounds. This does not sound like a score being handed over. This sounds like something that you guys are building together over the course of your friendship and professional collaboration. That’s just something that’s harder to explain in a quick ad for a concert, so I’m really excited to be talking to you today and hearing more about how new work comes to life, and how it excites you as well. 

Can you tell me a bit about how it’s sounding? What are the characteristics of the music that you’re hearing so far?

Harumi: Yes, definitely. It has four movements and the first movement is a prelude and really features the viola and the viola section. It’s soulful and beautiful folk melodies, Peruvian folk melodies, that are intertwined with solo viola and the whole section and with commentary and the other voices. It’s sort of a magical opening. 

The second movement is much more rhythmic and edgy, really fun to listen to and a little bit more sort of fast. I think the word Gabriela used was more “craggy.”

Festival: Craggy. Mmm.

Harumi: Yeah, like a terrain. All of her music, she really describes like a landscape. Again, it’s this idea of storytelling where… she’s really a novelist. I feel like her music is very story-driven, and there are all these images that come to mind. 

And then the third movement is a quick, fast, mysterious, quick fast dance. It has different elements to it, but it goes by very quickly and that’s more of the entire orchestra and the solo string quartet really worked together to create this windy atmosphere, which is slightly dangerous. I think that movement’s going to be really fun to play, this quick six 6/8 dance music. 

The end of that movement again introduces the viola, the voice of the viola again, which takes us and transitions us into the fourth movement, which is called “Child’s Wake.” The name I believe is referencing a professional singer that sings at a funeral. Each of the solo voices is featured in a very cantorial, vocal manner that has a pleading, crying quality to it where we’ll sing through our instruments on one tone, on one note, but it often has a quivering crying grace note up around it. And so the note, very much like the human voice, is an emotional, penetrating line that has a crying quiver to it. It’s very evocative and very emotional that takes us to the climax of the movement. And the piece ends, well, maybe I shouldn’t give it away. [laughs]

Festival: Right? You can keep some secrets if you like. [laughs]

Harumi: Yeah. But again, it’s this idea of — Gabriela is celebrating her cultural heritage. She doesn’t claim to be an ethnomusicologist, but on the other hand, she has done a lot of research about the indigenous Peruvian peoples and their music and their folk music. But all of her music is original. She’s inspired by this voice, this sound, the folk instruments and the people and the spirit of the people and the history of the land, and very much influenced by the visual landscape. 

She brings all of this to the classical music concert stage and she does it in a really joyful and beautiful way. She’s not interested in intimidating audiences, she wants to bring them in. She wants to bring people together, and she wants to make space for these voices and for these stories. I can’t think of a more beautiful way of doing that than to do that with friends and with people that you’ve known for a long time and people that you’ve never met that you can bring together to celebrate these stories. 

Also, I should say, I know this is a little biased because I’m in a string quartet, but how cool is it that she’s writing for solo string quartet and orchestra? This is a genre that we’re lucky to have a few pieces in this combination, but there isn’t that much, actually. Some of it is fantastic, and some of it is a little problematic because when you have a solo string quartet and an orchestra, sometimes it’s hard to hear the soloists just by the nature of the balance of the different species. 

We haven’t played it with orchestra yet, but I can tell by looking at the score, and I also know Gabriela’s music, that she’s very interested in how these voices can intertwine, how there can be a call and response feeling, how the different members of the quartet can take on different roles. 

Also, she knows us a little bit, so she’s interested in celebrating our personalities. So there are moments where we have individual moments and then other times where we’re very collaborative. There are other times where we’re leading the sections. There are other times where we move the story forward. There are other times where we’re joining the chorus. So the way she uses the quartet is very personal and also, just from a technical point of view, extremely wise in terms of the acoustical nature of the beast. 

I’m very excited about hearing how it all comes together. Again, I can only imagine what actors feel like on stage when the whole production comes together or an opera comes together and all the moving parts join forces. Just can’t wait.

Festival: I’m really glad you brought up this piece about quartet-as-soloist and the repertoire that exists or doesn’t exist for that ensemble. I know that Takács performed John Adams’ Absolute Jest a few years back with the Festival, and so if our audience have seen that, they may have some idea of what this will look like. But otherwise I think it would be surprising if a general audience member had any experience with seeing a quartet as the soloist for a concerto.

Is there anything else? I think you’ve touched on it really beautifully how this piece will operate. It’s always been sort of baffling to me because we have dozens of string musicians just to bring the volume up and make sure that the strings are sounding with this whole orchestra, making their voice heard, and so then you just have these four musicians in front. It’s really interesting to me to hear how the writing of that piece can be intentional to counteract that. 

Is there anything else you would like to say, either about this piece or in general, operating as a quartet as soloists that audiences might be interested to know or might help them understand this music?

Harumi: Yeah, I guess one thing I’d like to say is that sometimes audiences can be a little bit spooked about going to hear a new piece. New music can sometimes be a little bit spooky, because new things are scary, right? That’s a fact of life, I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. Also, when you change things up, change is hard. Change is hard for everybody. It’s probably the hardest thing in the world. 

When you ask people to come to a new music concert, you’re asking them to do both of those things, experience something new, and to change their mindset about what it is that they might like. But I think one thing that I find really exciting about new music is that it’s so liberating. We’re all experiencing it together for the first time. We’re all equals. There are no rules. How exciting is that? I don’t experience that kind of feeling very often. There’s something really fresh about it, and it’s an acknowledgement of the fact that we can still create new sounds. After all these years of music making and after everything that we’re talking about all the time, we can still create new and exciting and very beautiful new music. 

I think this piece, especially with its title, when you think of the title, “I Still Exist,” it’s more than just about the music, actually. The music is an incredibly meaningful and beautiful vehicle to express a certain kind of resilience that can really only be expressed through the arts, a very human feeling that we all have, that we can still exist, whether it’s a cultural resilience or an artistic resilience that we live through the next generation of artists and of believers, that we can still be a beautiful human race and create new and exciting pieces of art in the future through the next generation. 

So there’s a feeling of urgency, there’s a feeling of beauty, there’s a feeling of connectivity. It’s amazing how we can do that through sound and through being together and telling stories through music, through expanding the repertoire, through making space on the concert stage, for celebrating these voices and these exciting new sounds, and just sort of acknowledging that we’re still alive — not just alive, but we’re still vibrant and relevant and resilient. I think music is a really beautiful way to do that. 

I think my friendship with Gabriela has really inspired, I’ll speak personally, inspired me to never ever let that go, to always hold on and cherish this idea that we can be better than we are and we can always look to the future for hope. I think that’s what I would say to the audience. [laughs]

Festival: I can really see why Gabriela would want to work with you, and the Takács. It’s so much more than playing the notes. And you guys play the notes so well, that’s not in question at all, but the level to which you understand, first off, the piece of music that has just been handed to you and you’ve never heard in totality, but also the composer’s point of view and hopes and dreams as well as your own and that of your quartet. 

That’s what all of this is about, those deeper stories and that sense of humanness that you just described. I think you’ve just absolutely hit the nail on the head, of course, and I can see why that collaboration, I’m sure it means as much to Gabriela as it does to you actually, because it really sounds like a both ways transaction, a real collaboration. I keep saying that word, but that’s how it sounds. 

I think that’s something really important I’m starting to understand about how this new music comes to life. Again, I think I’ve always thought of it a little bit more transactional. You hire a composer to create a work, maybe it’s for an anniversary or something, they hand off the music, and the musicians play it. I think that’s so far an oversimplified view of what’s really happening. Maybe it’s occasionally happening, but I think probably the truth is more like what you’re describing me today in most cases, where composers and musicians are really coming together to affirm vitality and vibrance and life and story. 

I’m just really uplifted to hear your perspective on that today, as well as to hear what we can look forward to in the music. It sounds like a beautiful landscape of music, to use your term, that people will really enjoy. I have always, like you said, enjoyed the democratic piece of listening to new music together. Because as someone who is not myself, trained as a musician, beginning in the classical world, you hear a Mahler piece and you’re sitting with people who wrote a thesis on it [laughs], who have heard this piece a hundred times and can tell you when the horns are going to come in. And as somebody who’s listening to it for the first time, that can leave you feeling a little bit left behind. 

So to come together and hear music for the first time, music that we hope to hear many times in the future, but to hear it for the first time together, there really is something special about that and something very rare about that. When we hear this piece, you will have only heard it with the ensemble and the orchestra together a couple of times at that point, so it’ll still be very new. 

I just invite them to that experience. It’s such a live, of the moment, human experience that we should all be really grateful to get to take part in. Hopefully, I’m just mirroring back to you some of what you’ve said. You’ve just really illuminated it so well for me today. But before we close out, is there anything we didn’t cover about the experience, about rehearsing it, about working with Gabriela, about anything else that you think our audience might like to know or that you’d like to share today?

Harumi: I guess I would just say that as an audience member, sometimes it’s nice to just give yourself permission to have a really great time, to sit back and really feel like you’re able to have a joyful experience. 

I think Gabriela is someone who wants to bring people together and wants to bring beauty to the concert stage. I think she firmly believes that people in the audience can hear that, that they’ll hear the joy and the friendships and the storytelling and this feeling of celebrating the moment and the future. 

Of course, go ahead and read the program notes, and of course, go ahead and you can read up on Gabriela’s bio and all that stuff. But also you don’t need to, you can really embrace this idea of this experience being fresh and new for everybody and feeling like you’re a part of the birth of a new piece.

Festival: Thank you so much. I think we’ll end there, but come hear this piece. We’re only performing it once, it’s on one Sunday, [July] 21st I believe is the date. Just doing it the one time, be there in the room with a thousand other people just being uplifted into this really fascinating collaboration and new piece of music. So thank you for illuminating it for all of us today, Harumi, I appreciate it so much.

Harumi: Thank you. Thank you so much.