PRELUDE TO MUSIC@MENLO

On a perfect summer afternoon, the campus of Menlo School is ready for the 7th edition of Music@Menlo: Being Mendelssohn. In the several days prior to Opening Night, staff, students and performers met, rehearsed and worked in concert in a steady crescendo towards Orli Shaham’s Encounter on Friday evening.

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in David’s words…
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On arrival, my first sight was two ProPiano trucks unloading the festival’s precious Hamburg concert grands.

At long last, my good friend, painter and Music@Menlo 2009 Visual Artist Theo Noll (left) arrived in San Francisco from his native Germany to take up residence at the festival, bringing with him two dozen gorgeous paintings for display in Stent Hall. He’ll be interviewed at the Cafe Conversation on Open House Saturday, July 25th. I discovered Theo’s work in a "Kunstmarkt" in Berlin several years ago and have looked forward to bringing him and his work to our projects ever since.

A hearty brunch, hosted by Fran Eastman and Ed Goodstein in their front yard, welcomed the festival’s interns. The Goodstein Foundation has supported Music@Menlo’s intern program since the beginning.

Wu Han welcomed, thanked, encouraged and inspired our many invaluable volunteers at a meeting in St. Mark’s church.

The Young Performers program is for high-school age music students. They come from all over the world, and here a trio is coached by last year’s IP cellist Dmitri Atapine, who returns this year as an Institute faculty member.

A group of our senior students, the LK Quartet, about to receive a coaching from me on Beethoven’s Opus 18 No. 1. They look happy now, don’t they?

Rehearsals for concert program one wound up with a dress rehearsal and taping of Mendelssohn’s Sinfonie in c minor at St. Mark’s, a French Overture-fugal work composed at the age of 14.

In spare moments during our quick-paced days, we have some fun as well. Recording producer Da-Hong Seetoo gets his first lesson on the iPhone’s ocarina application.

After 11 months of preparation, it’s time to celebrate the birth of another festival with Music@Menlo’s incomparable Patrick Castillo, the voice and author of AudioNotes, author of the festival’s program notes, and Artistic Administrator.