Despite the last-minute move of our third festival from Mexico to Norfolk, VA, this year’s event was our best thus far!  We enjoyed the participation of 26 outstanding music students: 3 from the Dominican Republic, 6 from Mexico, 6 from Peru and 11 from the US.

In this difficult environment of economic downturn we were nevertheless able to secure partial or full scholarships for 19 out of the 26 participants and by doing so were able to select highly gifted and dedicated students.  The result was an extremely talented group, able to tackle works like the Dvořák Serenade and the Mendelssohn Octet Op.20 which they performed almost flawlessly.  In addition to these high-level pieces, the orchestra delighted audiences in Williamsburg, Norfolk, Sandbridge, and Alexandria VA and Washington DC with a varied repertoire of classical composers, lighter fare for the younger audiences and music chosen from the different countries that were represented in the orchestra.  Especially the latter was highly appreciated.

A very special and heartfelt thanks goes to the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk for allowing us to use their “Lake House” facilities. We had a packed schedule with rehearsals, master classes, private coaching sessions and chamber music workshops in order to prepare for the five concerts that were part of the program. 

We entertained informally at El Imperio Inca, a Peruvian restaurant in Norfolk that had generously donated a lunch to our group, and our first scheduled concert took place in the beautiful old church of Bruton Parish in Colonial Williamsburg where we played by candlelight for a captivated audience.  Two days later we gave an open-air concert at Little Island Park in Sandbridge, after a relaxing afternoon on the beach nearby.  Then the group traveled to Washington DC where the GALA Hispanic Theatre awaited us for a concert that was organized in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute and the Embassies of Mexico, Perú and the Dominican Republic.  The concert was followed by a reception during which our students mingled with the audience which included the Dominican Ambassador and his wife and other dignitaries of the various Embassies.  The fourth concert was a fun and informal presentation in the Bumper Car Pavilion of Glen Echo Park, followed by a reception offered by the Washington Conservatory which had just opened a new facility in the park.  Our fifth and last presentation was a performance by our chamber group ensembles in the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, VA, another beautiful church with a lot of history and wonderful acoustics, and for many of our students the highlight of the festival.  After the concert the group broke out into a spontaneous concert on the sidewalk in front of the church, playing Mozart’s Divertimiento off the top of their heads, after which they all piled in the bus for the trip back to Norfolk and the closing ceremony and party. 

Despite this packed schedule the group managed to include visits to some of Washington’s famous points of interest, such as Union Station, the Capitol, the White House and Arlington Cemetery.  We even squeezed in an excursion to New York City which meant leaving well before dawn and returning after midnight, but none of the students seemed to mind when they gazed in awe over the big apple from the Top of the Rocks rooftop or when they browsed the many sheet music stores around Times Square.  

Without exception all participants gave our program an excellent rating and many wrote very positive testimonials .  Our faculty, especially, received much of the praise for their professionalism, excellent coaching skills, caring environment and gentle encouragement.  Many of the students have vowed to come back next year.

In fact, it was very rewarding for us to see that nearly half of our students were returning participants from previous festivals; five of them even joined the group for the third time.  Such a high return rate speaks for itself regarding the quality and meaningfulness of our program and is a great encouragement for us to keep reaching out to young musicians everywhere.