Barbara R. Morgenstern

As part of our new e-blast update, 50th Reflections, I will be posting the weekly reflections on our blog, in case you missed an e-blast or would like to link to these wonderful stories through your Facebook or Twitter accounts.  And please do share!  These stories are too enjoyable not to :) 

Barbara R. Morgenstern

Barbara R. Morgenstern is co-chair of the EMF board of directors.  In the 1970s she directed Project: LISTEN, a community outreach program at EMF, and worked in the EMF office.  She was married to Sheldon Morgenstern for 13 years.  Ms. Morgenstern is a practicing attorney specializing in family law in Greensboro, NC.

I first became involved with Eastern Music Festival when I met Shelly in 1975 while playing second flute in the Bética Filarmónica in Seville, Spain, during my junior year in college. Shelly came as a guest conductor, speaking no Spanish, and I was the only one in the orchestra who spoke English. Not easily adjusting to Spanish culture (rehearsals started when there was a quorum), he at one point threw his baton down and said, “I quit” -- which I refused to translate! After the concert, we corresponded, and he invited me to come work at EMF in 1976 as the coordinator for Project: LISTEN (Let It Sound to Everyone Near!). I arranged for a faculty quartet to perform at day care centers, nursing homes, parks, etc. in 1976 and had two faculty quartets to “book” the second summer. I also worked in the EMF office during the summers, typing programs, answering the telephone, running errands, etc. On one of my errands, I took a phone message to Yo-Yo Ma, who answered the door in his boxer shorts! 

As our relationship developed into something more than just friendship, I had the opportunity to socialize with the guest artists whom Shelly invited, including such notables as Leonard Rose, David Bar-Illan, Lynn Harrell, Yo-Yo Ma, the Guarneri Quartet, Nobuko Imai, Gary Karr, and the list goes on. I was impressed by the variety of interests they had beyond music and by their humble manner. I lived in Bryan Hall, where most of the faculty stayed as well as the guest artists (except Leonard Rose). Bryan Hall is configured as four-bedroom suites with a common bathroom. The guest artist suite had a microwave and dormitory size refrigerator, but was otherwise the same as the other fac­ulty suites! The nice aspect of this housing arrangement was that the faculty had ready access to the guest artists and would often get together with them for impromptu chamber music-making or for badminton games in the center court since they were here for an entire week. The guest artists ate in the cafeteria and were therefore also accessible to the students.

Shelly’s ability to engage these internationally known guest artists to come for a pittance and live in pretty deplorable conditions for a week was amazing! His vision of a festival where high school students could interact regularly with their teachers and the guest artists in master classes, casual conversation, impromptu music-making, etc. allowed stu­dents to have an experience unlike any they could have elsewhere. The guest artists all performed with the musicians at the Tuesday night chamber music concerts, gave master classes later in the week, and then performed with the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday. The EPO members played in respected regional orchestras during the regular sea­son and had a studio of students whom they could bring with them during the summer. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know many of the musicians and their families over the years because so many continue to return year after year.

As you can imagine, having 175-200 mainly high school students on a college campus for 6 weeks might create havoc for the counselors. One of the most memorable events was when Wynton Marsalis removed the door knobs from all of the students’ rooms making it impos­sible to get out of their rooms for breakfast or rehearsal. One of the student orchestra conductors, Bob Helmacy, was pretty adamant that students get to rehearsal on time. Needless to say, he was furious at Wynton!

After my divorce from Shelly, I didn’t attend EMF concerts until his retirement. Because I believe EMF is truly a remarkable place, I then contacted Tom Philion and told him I would like to be involved again. I am so happy to continue my association with EMF and to see the 50^th season come to fruition and EMF continue to succeed in its mission under the leadership of Jerry Schwarz!

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!