M E M O R I E S
"It was slave labor. It was terrible! You had to get up and practice all day long in an almost monk-like existence. We all moaned and groaned and vowed we'd never go back, but somehow we all loved it." Arnold Steinhardt
Please register your name, year and teacher on the Event Information Page or leave memories you would like posted! (Click here)
Memories:
From James Ehnes:
Dear Meadowmount Alumni,
I was able to spend the better part of a week at Meadowmount a few seasons ago, and it was a highlight of my year. This was the longest time I've been able to spend at the school in quite a number of years, and it was particularly special for me to be able to work with some of the students and perform on the benefit concert (I performed on the benefit concert during my first summer as a student, in 1989). Every time I visit Meadowmount it brings back a flood of wonderful memories and emotions. The four summers I spent there as a student, 1989 to 1992, were unquestionably among the most wonderful and influential times of my life. Visiting now as an adult reminds me of those special Meadowmount values: hard work, discipline, camaraderie, mutual respect. In the months since my visit I've found myself thinking about how much I could accomplish if I could afford to spend seven weeks of my summer there now...
For an alum of my generation, it is striking just how BEAUTIFUL the place is. Of course the area has always been stunning, among the most beautiful places in the country. But the camp itself - it is a testament to the administration and staff how good it looks. It can't be easy.
The students all look so young to me now. It seems impossible. But hearing them is a reminder of what special music these young people can produce. It was such a pleasure working with the students and making friends that I know I will continue to come across for years to come. And that is perhaps the ultimate tribute to Meadowmount; the lasting friendships that are formed. My three closest Meadowmount friends are still three of my closest friends today.
Meadowmount will always be an incredibly special place for me, and I'm thrilled that it will continue to be a prime destination for young musicians for years to come. I can't wait to go back.
I was able to spend the better part of a week at Meadowmount a few seasons ago, and it was a highlight of my year. This was the longest time I've been able to spend at the school in quite a number of years, and it was particularly special for me to be able to work with some of the students and perform on the benefit concert (I performed on the benefit concert during my first summer as a student, in 1989). Every time I visit Meadowmount it brings back a flood of wonderful memories and emotions. The four summers I spent there as a student, 1989 to 1992, were unquestionably among the most wonderful and influential times of my life. Visiting now as an adult reminds me of those special Meadowmount values: hard work, discipline, camaraderie, mutual respect. In the months since my visit I've found myself thinking about how much I could accomplish if I could afford to spend seven weeks of my summer there now...
For an alum of my generation, it is striking just how BEAUTIFUL the place is. Of course the area has always been stunning, among the most beautiful places in the country. But the camp itself - it is a testament to the administration and staff how good it looks. It can't be easy.
The students all look so young to me now. It seems impossible. But hearing them is a reminder of what special music these young people can produce. It was such a pleasure working with the students and making friends that I know I will continue to come across for years to come. And that is perhaps the ultimate tribute to Meadowmount; the lasting friendships that are formed. My three closest Meadowmount friends are still three of my closest friends today.
Meadowmount will always be an incredibly special place for me, and I'm thrilled that it will continue to be a prime destination for young musicians for years to come. I can't wait to go back.
Sally Thomas: (2020 will be her 71st summer at Meadowmount.)
"Meadowmount is a wonderful experience. Students make very close friends for life."
Daniel Phillips:
The greatest single thing I did in forming my life. My training, my motivation, and my dearest and oldest friends were there in those 8 summers.
Earl Carlyss, (President, Society for Strings):
"It is the greatest thrill for me to send greetings in this extraordinary 70th season of the Meadowmount School of Music. When I first came to Meadowmount as a student 55 years ago, the school was the inspired vision of its founder and my beloved teacher, Ivan Galamian. Surely he would be so excited to know that his dreams of an institution that would carry on the highest standards of instrumental instruction and music making were being fulfilled under the superb direction of Eric Larsen and its dedicated faculty. I send my best wishes with great affection."
Anne Epperson:
Dear MMT -
Many thanks to Mr. Larsen, faculty, staff and especially students for an inspiring and very special week! So much beautiful music-making, collaborative bonding, touching reunions and multiple memory-making moments. Enjoy the rest of the season, and I will stay with you in spirit and cheer you on!
Fritz Gearhart:
"So many memories, there is no way to put them in a paragraph. Mr. G's Thunderbird, I used to walk by it every day on the way to the dining room and look inside the driver's window. What else could have produced such awe in a young teenage boy? Mt. Discovery, Roller Skating in the Recital Hall (does anyone remember that?)! It was Ms. Thomas's idea - and I think it was only done once to my knowledge. Could you imagine? And concerts... some of the most inspiring musical moments of my life..."
Anonymous:
"I remember how hard it was to practice in the first week and how it got easier to work with so many people working so hard all around me. Competitive? Yes, but a good kind of competition!"
Daniel Vega-Albela:
"I was in Meadowmount from '86 to '91 and absolutely loved every minute I spent there. I also met some of my dearest friends and colleagues thanks to Meadowmount. So many wonderful, inspirational memories."
Odin Rathnam:
"I was there from the summer of '81 (right after Mr. G died) to the summer of '87. I think it was one of the most inspiring and memorable parts of my development as a musician. It also saw the development of many life-long musical friendships..."
Amy Barlowe Bodman:
"If it weren't for Meadowmount, Alan (Bodman) and I would never have found each other. In three short weeks during the summer of 1988, we'd met and performed a LeClair duo on the night of our engagement. The rest is history!"
Anonymous:
"It was hard, and was not like a summer camp that most think of with fun in the sun! But, it is true some people I met I am still friends with, so many with massively successful careers. Joshua Bell was only 10 when I was there. I like knowing the character of some teachers and kids then. It was a Who's Who of string world before I knew any of them! In 8 weeks, you got more accomplished on your instrument than in 9 months during school. Plus, you knew where you stood."
Anonymous:
"I attended Meadowmount during three summers in the late sixties and early seventies. My mother had been to Meadowmount in the summers while she was at Juilliard, when the camp first started, in the forties. She told stories of those early summers. I remember her mentioning Stuart Canin and Berl Senofsky, who were her peers. Her cousin was David Nadien, known as "Little Dave" in the family. My story could be unique. I do not remember auditioning - maybe the rules were more relaxed in those days or maybe it was legacy. I worked hard practicing those five fifty-minute hours a day but, as fate would have it, it was to no avail. I lacked the talent gene in the family, inheriting more from my father's side rather than from my mother. It was not lost on me, however, that I was surrounded by talent and did much appreciate it. I did get an undergraduate degree in music but never became a musician, creating a slight barrier between my mother and myself. She passed on some years ago now but was the assistant concertmaster in our local orchestra for 50 years, playing along with her sister and later, a nephew. I've had and continue to have a good career in Maternal/Child health but still always get excited when I see or hear a name from my days at Meadowmount."
Anonymous:
"I had a wonderful time at Meadowmount last summer! When I returned home, my private teacher was very impressed with my technical improvement and could hardly get over the difference in my growth as a musician. My Meadowmount teachers were wonderful!"
Anonymous:
It was hell getting up every morning and practicing in seclusion, but the best kind of hell -- the kind where everyone there is like you and there for the exact same reason: to play music. Sure, there were some of us who didn't care as much, but for the most part we all wanted it, this music dream, as much as anyone has ever wanted it. We gave the best part of a summer to the music convent, and we have never been the same since.
Heather Lowe:
Memories - The long walk from Lilacs to my lessons Monday mornings. Quartet coaching with Mr. Gingold, I was so star-struck I had a hard time playing. He looked at me and said "don't be nervous." Incredible memories! Can't forget the Pringles chips, the long walk to the Truck stop, and Happy Man playing his harmonica down at Main house while he waited for the women. My brother Malcolm Lowe (violin) was there when Mr. G was teaching as were my 2 other brothers Darren (violin) and Cameron (cello) Lowe. For my family Meadowmount was a rite of passage we all shared. Being from Regina, Saskatchewan Canada it was a long way from home but the practice schedule kept me too busy to be homesick.
Susan Seymour:
"The memories at Meadowmount formed and solidified all the music and friendships in my life. I still keep in touch with many of my dearest colleagues and my memories of the experiences there are priceless. Steph, Gil, Bobby, Danny, Lynn and everyone! The best times of my life were the summers there. A lasting and amazing memory of the Main House girls being awakened to watch the landing on the moon in the summer of 1969 by Mr. G ... snapping his fingers up and down the aisle. We were all allowed into the TV room to watch and I can still see that moment in my mind. Another great memory was peeking through Mr. G's keyhole as he taught YoYo a Paganini Caprice. Most of all I carry with me the discipline and pride of being a part of history there and learning from the best. Thank you Sally Thomas and thank you friends, here and gone, for the memories."
Kai Bryngelson:
"Meadowmount was a dream come true! I don't want to stop dreaming!"
Anonymous:
"Although we all complained about the practicing, the food, the living conditions, and the long walks, we all cried in the end. We didn't want to leave the hell/heaven we called our second home."
Harry Shilakowsky
"We practiced long and hard and then swam and played pool, played chamber music with Joseph Gingold...everyone's favorite chamber music coach, I believe! Hearing each other play the great solo repertoire in the concerts was a great inspiration. I'm always proud I studied at Meadowmount and so happy my teacher, Nancy Cirillo, recommended that I should go there."
Anonymous:
"I am really glad that I came to Meadowmount this summer. I learned a lot within seven weeks, not only from Ms Thomas , but also from people who I met and knew there . Not sure I will be able to come back next year, but I am sure I will never forget what happened during the past seven weeks."
"Meadowmount is a wonderful experience. Students make very close friends for life."
Daniel Phillips:
The greatest single thing I did in forming my life. My training, my motivation, and my dearest and oldest friends were there in those 8 summers.
Earl Carlyss, (President, Society for Strings):
"It is the greatest thrill for me to send greetings in this extraordinary 70th season of the Meadowmount School of Music. When I first came to Meadowmount as a student 55 years ago, the school was the inspired vision of its founder and my beloved teacher, Ivan Galamian. Surely he would be so excited to know that his dreams of an institution that would carry on the highest standards of instrumental instruction and music making were being fulfilled under the superb direction of Eric Larsen and its dedicated faculty. I send my best wishes with great affection."
Anne Epperson:
Dear MMT -
Many thanks to Mr. Larsen, faculty, staff and especially students for an inspiring and very special week! So much beautiful music-making, collaborative bonding, touching reunions and multiple memory-making moments. Enjoy the rest of the season, and I will stay with you in spirit and cheer you on!
Fritz Gearhart:
"So many memories, there is no way to put them in a paragraph. Mr. G's Thunderbird, I used to walk by it every day on the way to the dining room and look inside the driver's window. What else could have produced such awe in a young teenage boy? Mt. Discovery, Roller Skating in the Recital Hall (does anyone remember that?)! It was Ms. Thomas's idea - and I think it was only done once to my knowledge. Could you imagine? And concerts... some of the most inspiring musical moments of my life..."
Anonymous:
"I remember how hard it was to practice in the first week and how it got easier to work with so many people working so hard all around me. Competitive? Yes, but a good kind of competition!"
Daniel Vega-Albela:
"I was in Meadowmount from '86 to '91 and absolutely loved every minute I spent there. I also met some of my dearest friends and colleagues thanks to Meadowmount. So many wonderful, inspirational memories."
Odin Rathnam:
"I was there from the summer of '81 (right after Mr. G died) to the summer of '87. I think it was one of the most inspiring and memorable parts of my development as a musician. It also saw the development of many life-long musical friendships..."
Amy Barlowe Bodman:
"If it weren't for Meadowmount, Alan (Bodman) and I would never have found each other. In three short weeks during the summer of 1988, we'd met and performed a LeClair duo on the night of our engagement. The rest is history!"
Anonymous:
"It was hard, and was not like a summer camp that most think of with fun in the sun! But, it is true some people I met I am still friends with, so many with massively successful careers. Joshua Bell was only 10 when I was there. I like knowing the character of some teachers and kids then. It was a Who's Who of string world before I knew any of them! In 8 weeks, you got more accomplished on your instrument than in 9 months during school. Plus, you knew where you stood."
Anonymous:
"I attended Meadowmount during three summers in the late sixties and early seventies. My mother had been to Meadowmount in the summers while she was at Juilliard, when the camp first started, in the forties. She told stories of those early summers. I remember her mentioning Stuart Canin and Berl Senofsky, who were her peers. Her cousin was David Nadien, known as "Little Dave" in the family. My story could be unique. I do not remember auditioning - maybe the rules were more relaxed in those days or maybe it was legacy. I worked hard practicing those five fifty-minute hours a day but, as fate would have it, it was to no avail. I lacked the talent gene in the family, inheriting more from my father's side rather than from my mother. It was not lost on me, however, that I was surrounded by talent and did much appreciate it. I did get an undergraduate degree in music but never became a musician, creating a slight barrier between my mother and myself. She passed on some years ago now but was the assistant concertmaster in our local orchestra for 50 years, playing along with her sister and later, a nephew. I've had and continue to have a good career in Maternal/Child health but still always get excited when I see or hear a name from my days at Meadowmount."
Anonymous:
"I had a wonderful time at Meadowmount last summer! When I returned home, my private teacher was very impressed with my technical improvement and could hardly get over the difference in my growth as a musician. My Meadowmount teachers were wonderful!"
Anonymous:
It was hell getting up every morning and practicing in seclusion, but the best kind of hell -- the kind where everyone there is like you and there for the exact same reason: to play music. Sure, there were some of us who didn't care as much, but for the most part we all wanted it, this music dream, as much as anyone has ever wanted it. We gave the best part of a summer to the music convent, and we have never been the same since.
Heather Lowe:
Memories - The long walk from Lilacs to my lessons Monday mornings. Quartet coaching with Mr. Gingold, I was so star-struck I had a hard time playing. He looked at me and said "don't be nervous." Incredible memories! Can't forget the Pringles chips, the long walk to the Truck stop, and Happy Man playing his harmonica down at Main house while he waited for the women. My brother Malcolm Lowe (violin) was there when Mr. G was teaching as were my 2 other brothers Darren (violin) and Cameron (cello) Lowe. For my family Meadowmount was a rite of passage we all shared. Being from Regina, Saskatchewan Canada it was a long way from home but the practice schedule kept me too busy to be homesick.
Susan Seymour:
"The memories at Meadowmount formed and solidified all the music and friendships in my life. I still keep in touch with many of my dearest colleagues and my memories of the experiences there are priceless. Steph, Gil, Bobby, Danny, Lynn and everyone! The best times of my life were the summers there. A lasting and amazing memory of the Main House girls being awakened to watch the landing on the moon in the summer of 1969 by Mr. G ... snapping his fingers up and down the aisle. We were all allowed into the TV room to watch and I can still see that moment in my mind. Another great memory was peeking through Mr. G's keyhole as he taught YoYo a Paganini Caprice. Most of all I carry with me the discipline and pride of being a part of history there and learning from the best. Thank you Sally Thomas and thank you friends, here and gone, for the memories."
Kai Bryngelson:
"Meadowmount was a dream come true! I don't want to stop dreaming!"
Anonymous:
"Although we all complained about the practicing, the food, the living conditions, and the long walks, we all cried in the end. We didn't want to leave the hell/heaven we called our second home."
Harry Shilakowsky
"We practiced long and hard and then swam and played pool, played chamber music with Joseph Gingold...everyone's favorite chamber music coach, I believe! Hearing each other play the great solo repertoire in the concerts was a great inspiration. I'm always proud I studied at Meadowmount and so happy my teacher, Nancy Cirillo, recommended that I should go there."
Anonymous:
"I am really glad that I came to Meadowmount this summer. I learned a lot within seven weeks, not only from Ms Thomas , but also from people who I met and knew there . Not sure I will be able to come back next year, but I am sure I will never forget what happened during the past seven weeks."
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