Congratulations to IIMIF 2016 ensembles on a successful concert!

Congratulations to tonight's solo recital performers - you played (and spoke) beautifully! The program included works by Casadesus, Sarasate, Chopin, Lalo, Sarasate, Elgar, Beethoven, Liszt, Dvorak, and Bruch... and the final selection was a string orchestra performance of Gershwin's ​Lullaby.

Today our tour group enjoyed their first public performance with a successful (standing ovation!) concert as part of the St. Margaret's Episcopal Church concert series in Annapolis. IIMIF Executive Directors Elizabeth Borowsky and Frances Borowsky traveled and performed with the group. Students introduced themselves and their performance selections to the audience, demonstrating how they have been refining their public speaking skills throughout the week in addition to all the technical and artistic musical work.  Congratulations musicians - the audience went wild!

Watch the video to see (and hear) the amazing progress they've made in just a few short days!

We had a fun field trip to the "Shoppes at Gettysburg" (aka outlets) and then got right back to work with rehearsals, an interactive masterclass by Artistic Director Cecylia Barczyk, and a thought-provoking workshop on "Careers in Music" (and, the personal and professional characteristics required to successfully pursue them) by faculty member Sharon Eng. 

Thank you to Brian Ganz for an inspiring masterclass and phenomenal recital. You have inspired us with your music and teaching, but also your words and example, encouragement, and generous time in answering all of our questions on life and music. We are so very grateful.

We were thrilled to have Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Jonathan Carney coach the violinists and violists and listen to the Gershwin Lullaby. He shared so many specific tips and tricks for sound production, technical practice, and artistry. What a fantastic musician and teacher! Later in the day, Artistic Director Cecylia Barczyk gave a presentation on "Coloring Your Music." We concluded the day with stretches/yoga to help ease our bodies.

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!