MAKING
BEAUTIFUL
MUSIC:
THE
OURTH
NNUAL
AT LAKES
WISER

PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN STEINER

SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

the fourth
Cham-
tval ,'a sec-
am jointly
by Jewish,
d Protestant con-
Temple Beth El,
Church >
nth De

~

Above: James Tocco (pictured on our JNE cover) will
perform as a pianist and serves as artistic director
of the festival.

Below: Jonathan Biss, at 16, is the youngest performer to
appear: "My goal is to become a concert pianist, and I
know the only way to achieve that is through practice and
luck. I'm doing the practice."

84

Chamber
"Our fourth ye,ar
our festiv
to the threshold of
tre
' at chain'
ber music events," said etroit natty :
and world-renowned pianist James TO&
co, artistic director of the festival.
This year the program expands to two
weeks of performances, June 7-21, and
doubles its roster of performers. The fes-
tival features its first-ever composer-in-
residence, John Corigliano, a winner this
year of three Grammy Awards.
Venues, in addition to the three spon-
soring congregations, include the Wildlife
Interpretive Gallery at the Detroit Zoo
and the Cranbrook Institute of Science.
The festival also introduces The
Catherine Filene Shouse Chamber Mu-
sic Institute, which brings young cham-
ber music ensembles to the area for two
weeks of performing and coaching with
festival artists.
Henry Meyer, former violinist with
the LaSalle String Quartet and guest
professor at music centers around the
world, directs the
new institute, pair-
ing young artists
with stellar musi-
cians such as pianist
Ruth Laredo, cellist
Paul Katz and vio-
linist Philip Setzer.
"Any orchestra
student who plays a
string instrument
has to play chamber
music sooner or lat-
er, preferably soon-
er," said Meyer,
professor emeritus of
violin and chamber
music at the Uni-
versity of Cincinnati.
"Each musician
should know how to
play together with
other musicians.

out ideas on a piece
performers an d . -
er as one unit.
"Our aim will be to have
participants play these
pieces, study them and be
coached by people who
have great experience and
ve done all this for years
, -ears, 7- like me, for
gars."

Carne
caust sure
travels to Is
year to condu
ble events.
"The festival;
ave
very, very talerte lay-
ers, some in
early
stages of their
and
others at the la tet es"
said Meyer, whck ned
to many videota fore
deciding on the five en-
sembles participating in
the institute.
"We will balance classi-
cal and modem music and
have instruction all the
time."
Already a seasoned
player — and appearing
for the third time with the
Great Lakes Festival — is Native Detroiter Ruth Laredo, a pianist who appears on -stages
Jonathan Biss, at 16 the worldwide, returns home to play at the Great Lakes Chamber
youngest professional per- Festival.
former.
most noise, which 'night have drawn me
Already world-traveled, this high to it," said Bias, who is about to enter the
school senior is the son of violinist Miri- Curtis Instituteof Music in Philadel-
am Fried and violinist-violist Paul Biss. phia. "Now I'm very attracted to its pos-
`There always are great artists at this sibilities with sound and color.
festival, and I've always had the oppor
"It's been difficult working my sched-
tunity to play great music there," said ule between school and performing, es-
Biss, whose home is in Indiana. "I get pecially last year when I was gone from
new ideas, and it's a very renewing ex- school a total of two months. The upshot
perience."
is that I don't have any free time. "It's
Biss, first attracted to the piano at age taken a lot of focus, and I've had to be
6, began concert tours about three years able to say that I have to work at those
ago. With a commitment to practice five times when I'd rather do something else.
hours a day, he keeps a very tight sched- My goal is to become a concert pianist,
ule.
and I know the only way to achieve that
"Probably, at the beginning, the pi- is through practice and luck. I'm doing
ano was the instrument that made the the practice."