No Vivaldi in the Garage

It’s a gorgeous autumn Friday and from what I hear, this weekend is going to equally as beautiful.  I don’t know about you guys, but I was ready for fall temperatures back on September 1^st!  The EMF offices were busy this past week – I’ve been meeting people and organizations EMF works with or would like to work with, just introducing myself as the “newbie” and learning the ropes.  Melissa has been making updates to the School pages on the website and they look amazing!  New photos and updated information…go check it out when you have a spare moment.

I’m glad to hear you guys liked the EMF-FF from last week.  Today I wanted to share a little bit about Sheldon “Shelly” Morgenstern, the founder of Eastern Music Festival.  (So really, you’re getting a handful of FF’s in one!)  Recognizing the importance of orienting the study of music toward the student rather than the teacher, as was the tradition, Shelly sought to create a music camp that would put the needs of the music student first.  In 1961 he founded “the Guilford Musical Arts Center,” as it was then known, at Guilford College.  With a budget of $22,000, the first season featured 14 faculty members and 72 students. 

Shelly was well-known throughout the world, as both a former member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and as a respected guest conductor throughout Europe, especially in countries formerly behind the Iron Curtain.  He led the Eastern Music Festival as conductor and music director for 36 years, retiring in 1998. 

  

In 2001, Morgenstern published a book entitled “No Vivaldi in the Garage: A Requiem for Classical Music in North America.”  A proponent of music education and an outspoken critic of performing arts boards, the book discusses everything from Shelly’s biography to his views on outspoken boards, arts political groups, and what he viewed as an “increasing mediocrity of classical music.”  According to Amazon.com, “In a work rich with colorful anecdotes about family, friends, and colleagues, Sheldon Morgenstern reflects on his childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, summers at the Brevard Music Festival, and years at Northwestern University. He recounts his experiences playing French horn in the Atlanta Symphony, studying conducting at the New England Conservatory, his long tenure as artistic director at the Eastern Music Festival at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and performances as guest conductor with dozens of orchestras around the world…. Filled with vivid behind-the-scenes descriptions and highlighting such well-known figures as Leonard Bernstein, Glenn Gould, Wynton Marsalis, and others, No Vivaldi in the Garage offers a refreshingly candid insider's perspective on the classical music scene.”  The book is still for sale and – no kidding – I’m going to Barnes and Noble's to find it tonight!  

Sheldon Morgenstern passed away from stomach cancer in 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland – just a few miles from his home in Collognes, France, where he moved upon retiring from EMF.  

I hope I didn't end this EMF-FF on a downer, but Shelly was definitely an amazing guy.  Most of his family still live in the area and are active with EMF…at the next EMF concert you attend, say a little “Thank You” to Shelly for founding such a great organization and school! 

Enjoy your weekend!