alive and willing to take Mintz is a prime example. His
is rare enough in the concert name is Yehonatan Berick, and
o ess. Among summer music his teacher in Tel Aviv was the
festivals, box-office considerations famous Hungarian pedagogue
make these qualities even more un- Ilona Feher.
Childhood in the siege at-
=usual. Too many venues play it safe
thlw- or two-star attractions mosphere of Israel was, if
arid programs of tried-and-true fa- anything, a stimulus to the de-
velopment of Berick's musical
vorites.
Not so at southeastern
Michigan's Great Lakes
Chamber Music Festival.
Founding brothers Father
Anthony Tocco of St. Hugo
of the Hills and world-
:'renowned pianist James
Tocco have turned innova-
tion and risk taking into ma-
jor advantages.
That was evident from
the very beginning three
years ago when they invit-
ed Temple Beth El to share
sponsorship and alternate
as a concert hall with Father
Tocco's Catholic church.
What's more, the relation-
ship has extended to the se-
lection of artists and
programs. The result is a
festival in the best sense of
the word.
It introduces its audiences
ALEX SUCZEK SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
to infrequently heard musi-
cal gems that offer diverse
combinations of instru-
Opposite page: Detroit Chamber Winds
members will perform at the Great Lakes
ments. It also brings in some
Chamber Music Festival. Top left: violinist Lori
outstanding artists who, up
Landers; top right: clarinetist Larry Liberson;
to now, have been missing
bottom left: violist Glen Mellow; bottom right:
trumpeter Kevin Good.
from local schedules.
The prospect of hearing a
This page, top: Pianist Ruth Laredo.
fast-rising, young Israeli vi-
olinist who studied with the
Right: Israeli violinist Yehonatan Berick studied
same teacher as Pinchas
with the same teacher as Pinchas Zukerman and
Shlomo Mintz.
Zukerman and Shlomo
ambitions. Even the
obligatory three years
in the army contributed
to his growth. Playing
string quartet concerts
for troops at border en-
campments, Berick felt
his audience might
have preferred a pop
concert, but it was still
an inspiration for him
to sense the sometimes
reverential and always
polite attention.
Those were the years
when his focus grew
sharp. He realized he
loved playing, even
practicing, and wanted
to become a concert
Ela artist. Visiting Europe,
Berick played in impor-
tant festivals, then
came to the United
States, where he con-
?, tinued studies with the
E famed Dorothy Delay
(of the Juilliard School)
and Henry Meyer (in Cincinnati).
There he became acquainted with
James Tocco, and a new, important
door was opened.
In the meantime, Berick has
been performing in major North
American orchestras and festivals
at Marlboro, Ravinia, Seattle, Man-
itoba and Cincinnati and took a
prize in the 1993 Naumberg com-
petition. He is now professor of vi-
olin at McGill University in
Montreal and co-artistic director of
Proteus Chamber Ensemble.
A counterpoint to this exciting
young talent is the seasoned ma-
SUMMER CLASSICS page 88