Notes from a Curious Listener

It is with mixed emotions that I write this post, my last as the official blogger of the La Jolla Music Society (LJMS). There is some relief as the grind of a weekly deadline ends. (I have written 45 posts and cajoled five guest posts out of others since July 15, 2010.) But there is also sadness that this is an end to a fulfilling collaboration with the Marketing team. Lead by Kristen Sakamoto, Marketing Director, managed by Travis Maril, Web Master and professional violist, and reviewed by Marcus Overton, Consultant for Special Projects, and Michelle Tondreau, Lead Ticket Services Representative, with help from Anne Heinlein and Matthew Fernie, we have taken this blog through a birthing process that has been fun and full of delightful surprises. I do so thank them!

It began as a whim when Kristen hit me with the unexpected question, "Would you be the blogger for LJMS?" at the Board of Director's retreat in September 2009. As the seasoned volunteer that I am, I immediately responded, "No," but the idea wouldn't leave my head. I was intrigued by the internet's ability to reach many people on a shoestring budget, and I wanted LJMS to take advantage of it.

Also, I wanted to learn more about the internet and the subtleties of expressing my views in an understated but powerful way. LJMS was a safe place to do that. I knew that the team would steer me away from gaffes and controversy and do so with a gentle touch. One example is that they did not use my first few posts, but they never critiqued them either. Instead, they simply encouraged me to keep writing and told me that I was, "Finding my voice." I smile whenever I think of it. I'm fairly certain that those three words resulted from a long discussion between a worried team and Christopher Beach on how to move forward. I am grateful for their tact.

My name is Matthew Geaman, and I am proud to be a SummerFest Spouse. I have been married to a member of the LJMS staff for a little over a year (my wife Leah Rosenthal is the Artistic Administrator). Living with an LJMS staff member during SummerFest can be a little stressful at times, but exciting as well. As the festival approaches, I can see the lines of worry start to cross my wife’s face as she is contemplating all the things that could go possibly wrong, constantly retracing her steps to make sure everything is as organized as possible before the first artist arrives. I have also seen her elated with joy, when she comes home to tell me about the most beautiful performance she has ever heard or shows me a sweet text message she received from Olga Kern sending her appreciation for making her time in La Jolla so memorable.

Witnessing these ups and downs I’ve realized that I have a unique perspective on the festival. As I was wrapping up work last Tuesday and wondering what I should do that evening I remembered that it would be yet another night alone with our dog Sebastian and I thought to myself “…well, there’s a SummerFest concert tonight and if I go I’ll get to see Leah…and hear some great music.” I realized that I had seen her for a total of a few hours since the festival started. It dawned on me that most people probably don’t comprehend the effort that goes into making this festival happen and how the entire organization dedicates their lives to SummerFest.

Us concert-goers get to hear incredible performances, but we rarely think about all the work that goes on behind the scenes. The entire staff is in constant management mode coordinating events ranging from backstage preparation to educational events like coaching workshops and encounters, artist arrivals/departures, artist housing coordination, rehearsal scheduling, development events including intermission receptions and post-concert events, luncheons, etc.

My friend, Robert F. Ellsworth, died on May 9th. I was lucky enough to see him the week before - what a gentleman. At that meeting, he introduced me to someone by recounting my history and successes at length. That in and of itself makes him stand out as a gentleman, but it means far more after I read his obituary in the New York Times. His successes were on the world's stage. He was so very accomplished, but he spoke only of others' accomplishments, keeping his own to himself.

Bob, the informal name he always used with me, was a two-term Congressman from Kansas, worked for President Nixon, and was an Ambassador to NATO. I knew this and I was impressed, but not as much as I should have been. I didn't know that he was one of five people in Nixon's inner circle with the title, Assistant to the President. The big foreign policy misstep, continuing the Vietnam War, would have been avoided had President Nixon taken Bob's advice. It goes without saying that Bob's reputation remained unstained throughout the Watergate trials. In the last years of his life, Bob continued to shape our history, maintaining close contact with the most powerful people in the world.

I knew Bob as the gentleman husband of my dear friend Eleanor, who serves on the Board of the La Jolla Music Society with me. He was smart and had well-founded opinions on politics and foreign affairs. He did not avoid talking about politics in polite company. Instead, he discussed potentially divisive issues in a non-divisive, polite way - with respect and facts. An October 2008 article in "The National Interest" is a perfect example. Bob was the President of the magazine and Dimitri Simes was the publisher; but the two supported different candidates in the November Presidential election. Bob supported Obama despite being a Republican.

I hope you had a Happy Holiday. Mine was terrific. But now I'm looking forward to the new year and the upcoming concerts in our Winter Season. I looked up Joyce Yang and the Miró String Quartet (more on Miró next week), performing on Saturday, Jan. 22. Check out this video by Ms. Yang. It provided me with insight into how she developed into a pianist worthy of playing on our stage. (We are quite picky, you know!) First, her Aunt taught her to love the piano and view it as something to enjoy. Next, an instructor taught her to remain true to the composer but also put herself into the music. How does one put oneself into the music when one strokes the piano key? I don't know, but apparently she does. Finally, she had a teacher that made her play a few measures of music over and over for two hours straight. It could be horrible, but she loved it. They explored all of the possible ways to play that brief passage. This exercise taught Ms. Yang many possible styles of playing, which she now draws upon. In fact, she uses this technique - playing each passage over and over to discover all of its possibilities - on each of the pieces that she plays. That must be why the Chicago Tribune called her, "brilliant".

Think that's all it takes to be a world-famous classical pianist? I'll find out later these week when I interview Joyce Yang.

Here's a shout out to the mariachi band of the Community Music Center (CMC). They serenaded the staff and VIP guests at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the first San Diego office of Mutual of Omaha Bank. The President, Butch Dorian, said, "We wanted to highlight our commitment to kids." He has five of them himself, so he's certainly committed!

I was once told that education programs by arts organizations like La Jolla Music Society (LJMS) are never good. This person,