Sweet surprise when Oliver, a former student of mine came out of a classroom. He was there with a formed group to get some serious coaching ahead of their tour to China and Australia.
As Simon and I were not able to be at Conclave for the whole week, Kathy S. kindly allowed us to come on Thursday for the day. The 536 mile round-trip was definitely worth it. It was great to see friends and to get to know some new ones.
While waiting for lunch we saw Oliver Weston coming out of class. An unexpected surprise for both of us! I was Oliver's first cello teacher, going on to the NC school of the Arts as a teenager, ending up recently as a graduate of Julliard, playing baroque cello and and bass viol. At conclave he with other young conservatory students or graduates, was in the Consort Cooperative and working on the treble! After lunch we were so fortunate to be able to participate in Larry Lipkin's class. He is a great coach and teacher. Later in a pick-up group, we played some contemporary pieces by Conclave participants, which were very enjoyable to play.
Then piece de resistance was in the evening with two consorts, the Asheville Baroque and Quaver. There will be many superb reviews of the performances, all I can say is that it was a spellbinding evening from both groups.
April 23, 2017. John showing us how to keep the bridge from bending over. Theoretically he was asked to come and give us a demonstration, but since he does not enjoy parties, it was really to celebrate his 70th birthday and his amazing output of so many beautiful instruments he has made over so many years.