Although storm-struck skies threatened to ground its first day, Faculty Artists and Festival Fellows were in place as Music Director Susan Grace took the Packard Hall stage. Day 1- June 2, 2024, 8:45 am: time to start the engines for the 40th running of the Colorado College Summer Music Festival.

New faces, new music, new challenges… all ready to be absorbed into the winning formula that has made June in Colorado Springs such an irresistible destination for artists and audiences alike.

Grace unveiled the master plan and the “baton” was passed on to conductor Scott Yoo who had two important communications.

No. 40 finishes with Beethoven’s 9th - the composer’s powerful final statement in the art form (celebrating i’s 200th anniversary as of this past May 7). Yoo’s own precious set of instrumental parts will be put to use. The request? Treat these pages with extra care; they are not in great condition.

In a setting such as the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, all musicians are inspired to give their greatest possible performances forged from an intense but joyous work effort. An intense motivator, Yoo shared a vital caution for the process of preparation: if it hurts your body, then stop!

Now it was time to get down to business.

String players auditioned for their faculty to determine section seating for the Festival Orchestra and chamber ensemble assignment. Brass and woodwind players sat down with their faculty to be assigned their chamber music assignments. Orchestra seating for them is traditionally rotated here in the Springs with each taking turns acting as principal.

One by one the violinists, violists, cellists and double bassists solemnly stood before their “judges” playing snippets from the repertoire while being evaluated. Nerves were often frayed and the fellows were universally relieved to get past this. Come what may, they could now get to work.

Meanwhile the wind faculty took advantage of the occasion to bust jokes about their own craft and seemed mostly interested in seeing what combinations of fellow names had the most interesting alliterations. The fellows loved it.

By 2 pm, there was the orchestra in front of conductor Yoo across Cache La Poudre Street in their newly assigned seating on the stage of Celeste Theatre contending with the challenging polyrhythms and shocking soundscapes that are Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka.

Next, what was of most interest to me. All fellows were assigned to their chamber ensembles. After a planning meeting with Grace and festival Assistant Director Ann Van Horn, we all thought it a grand idea for me to follow one specific ensemble on their journey through the 40th anniversary season. I have been assigned to Toby Appel’s team: Ann Wnek and Isabel Chen (violins), Nina Weber (viola), Ethan Blake (cello) and Anthony Wu (piano) who will try their collective hands at mastering César Franck’s Piano Quintet.

David Sckolnik