Last Look: Mini Moments of Music Academy Magic

Your faithful correspondent was not able to attend as many MAW performances as he would have liked this summer, but the few that were attended revealed that the Academy is making great progress in its ambitious endeavor to be the most important summer institute in the land, a good omen for the just-launched Shauna Quill era. Here’s what lingers from the events I attended:

The absolutely palpable camaraderie and familiarity between faculty pianist Jeremy Denk, a former Mosher Guest Artist, and violinist Joshua Bell, one of this year’s distinguished guests. The two shared visual connections on the Granada stage that were full of both knowing and wonder, raising the level of artistry to astonishing heights and making the venue feel as intimate as Hahn Hall. 

How Leila Josefowicz’ bow never stopped moving across the violin for the first movement of the John Adams’ concerto, a piece the soloist has made her own even though it was composed for MAW faculty member Jorja Fleezanis. The collaborative connection between Josefowicz and conductor David Robertson, an Adams aficionado who has tamed the violinist on the work many times over the years, was given its due with a pause at piece’s end. 

The way the staging, the set and the performances for Ravel’s one-act chamber opera L’enfant et les sortilèges came together – particularly with the adorable Sing! chorus members who more or less stole the show. 

Timo Andres ripping through Philip Glass’ “Piano Étude No. 10” – tan suit, bright red socks and fantastic flair included. 

The somber pathos of “Our Eyes Once Watered,”a 2018 piano four hands piece by Sarah Gibson, who passed away at 38 on July 14, performed at the final x2 concert by collaborative piano teaching artists Margaret McDonald and Natasha Kislenko, who were part of the MAW faculty when Gibson was a fellow in 2009. 

The energy and exuberance of the final Fellows Fridays concert, with the pieces running a gamut of emotions but closing with the utterly joyful rendition of Julius Eastman’s “Stay On It.” Stay on it, MAW. You’ve got something going on here.