Reflections from Board Member Nancy Tellez
The 2017 Summerfest certainly lived up to and exceeded expectations this year! Through the 2017 Summerfest, we had the opportunity right here in Ft Collins to hear music produced by exemplary ensembles and individuals. Performances that stayed with me included those of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble musicians, the Miami String Quartet, and Justin Krawitz, all of whom have received glowing national and international recognition.
SummerFest opened with the powerful message and music of musicians representing The Silk Road Ensemble. Made up of performers and composers from multiple countries, they offer their audiences innovation, cross-cultural musical experience, and high level musicality and skill. They are innovative in their music and in their way of presenting it.
Back for their third season, The Miami String Quartet has been one of the highest ranked chamber ensembles in America for over twenty-five years. Musicality is a skill that is definitely well represented by this group. I found the diversity and perfection in their performances to be highly engaging.
South African pianist, Justin Krawitz, is a masterful artist — one of the finest pianists to be heard in Fort Collins for quite a while. By using his artistic talent and musical performance to further the sentiment of Human Rights in South Africa and globally, he combines the recital format of his performances with an intelligent and engaging dialogue about the commissioned works he is performing. As the Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at UNC, he brings expertise and very interesting detail to his performances of a new and little-known repertoire.
It is seldom that we have the opportunity offered to us by the Off the Hook Arts Summerfest to hear the works of several unique and highly skilled musicians in a matter of a few weeks. Keep this music festival in your radar and on your calendars for next summer. It’ll be highly worth attending.