Another day of learning and of gratitude for the amazing people who share their time and talent with IIMIF :) Upper strings rehearsed with their pianists in the morning to get ready for tomorrow's masterclass with Jonathan Carney. Everyone (students and faculty) got together for a workshop by dancer, choreographer, and teacher Vincent Thomas that explored movement and breathing.... and so much more. So many fresh ways of thinking about movement that can be applied to our music and lives! In the afternoon we dug further into chamber music with coaching sessions, then enjoyed a presentation on "Classical Music in the Age of Globalization" by IIMIF founding director Charles Borowsky. After dinner, an orchestra rehearsal led by Sharon Eng, and then a workshop on "All Things Strings" by Emmanuel Borowsky. 

The chamber groups are coming along - today's coaches were VERY impressed! We're thrilled to see the camaraderie among students, and were tickled to see them squeezing 11 seats at one table so that they could sit together. Pianist Michael Delfin gave a scintillating recital of music by Scarlatti, Debussy, Sirocki, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt and then a masterclass for pianists. Dr. Eng reported that the Gershwin Lullaby for strings is already "conductor-less" and playing together "beautifully."

We've had quite a full day of wonderful music making... and the friendships are coming along, too. Students rehearsed with their ensembles in the morning and then enjoyed learning effective stretches to take care of their bodies. We had dinner on the Borowsky family's farm (with special guests Max and Min) and toured the garden; learning what grapes, plums, tomatoes, okra, and beans look like as they're growing, tasted freshly pulled carrots, and guided a runaway duckling back to his mother. Faculty performed a powerful concert of music from around the world at Dickinson College and were rewarded with a standing ovation.

We were so excited to finally meet our 2016 program participants in person today! We spent the afternoon getting to know the ropes, learning about each other (and tackling fears of public speaking with a minute-long self-introduction monologue), discussing effective practicing, and rehearsing small and large ensembles. It's a fantastic group of young musicians - get ready for some amazing music making!