When you get the opportunity to play with one of the great teachers, players and musicians of all time when you are 18, it changes you. I became a “professional” when I went to Marlboro Music Festival for the first time  as an 18 year old student because I learned that the only thing that was important was that I played music and took it very seriously. My early exposure to the Beethoven String Quartets was with the Guarneri Quartet recordings. Stunning. That first summer  I got to play in a group with David Soyer and it was the Schubert Octet. The piece is like an hour long and it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAiPxgwesQc One of the gems of the music world, The New York String Orchestra Seminar is an awesome group of young musicians that come together once a year to be immersed in great music and instruction, culminating in concerts at Carnegie Hall. It was founded by Frank Salomon who created the seminar in 1969 for Alexander Schneider, one of the great musicians of our time. I participated in the program when I was in college and it changed my life. I go back whenever I can to coach and in this instance, conduct  a sectional. These kids are the best musicians in the...

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