On Thursday the 20th edition of the Max Aronoff Viola Institute came to a close with an over two hour concert by all of the participants we’ve worked with since Sunday.\u00a0 Everyone did a great job – it was gratifying to see the growth in the chamber groups, some of which were playing some very difficult contemporary music.\u00a0 Several players gave some very accomplished solo performances, and the concert concluded with the traditional performance by all of the participants and faculty of the first movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.<\/p>\n
It was a great week, and the close of the session was bittersweet.\u00a0 While MAVI will continue in a different form indefinitely, this was the last year that it would be held as a residential, multi-day camp at Bastyr.\u00a0 The setting was so perfect for the program, from the one floor dormitory wing, the excellent cafeteria, the many varied classroom spaces, to the acoustical perfection of the chapel.\u00a0 It was close to Seattle, but isolated enough in St. Edward State Park to provide a sheltered haven away from everyday concerns.\u00a0 Being away from the normal world for a week and having the opportunity to study and perform in a closed environment gave us a place to try things that stretched us as players and people, and provided a setting in which true personal growth could take place.<\/p>\n
It is a place and a time that I will never forget.<\/p>\n