Notes From a Curious Listener

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.

When my friend, Jim Banham, told me that he joined a classical music group that allows musicians to play to and with live audiences,I had to learn more.

I did an admittedly-perfunctory search on the internet and found these other amateur music clubs:

• Amateur Pianists San Diego
• America's Finest City Dixieland Jazz Society
• Mission Hills Folk Song Circle

I also read that there are many choral groups and some amateur orchestras in San Diego; but Scripps Ranch Music Club is unique in that it provides opportunities for its tenacious members to play as soloists and choose their own music. (I know they are tenacious because they continued to play even after their Mothers stopped nagging them. I quit playing bassoon and piano after high school and still regret it!)

Guest Blog by Matthew Geaman, Vice Chair of the LJMS Allegro Society

My informal introduction to classical music dates back to 1999 when I discovered S&M.

S&M is a live album by the heavy metal band Metallica, whom I was fond of at the time. S&M stands for Symphony and Metallica, though you were probably thinking something else... This album featured the band performing their songs along with symphonic accompaniment composed and conducted by Michael Kamen and performed by the San Francisco Symphony.