MENDELSSOHN, MILLER, AND EINSTEIN
Dear Friends,
I hope you’ve all been enjoying the pleasant September weather! It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote, and a lot is happening (as always). We finished our fall fundraiser - Mariachis & Margaritas - in fine style, with a happy crowd enjoying the musical talents of Viva Mexico Mariachi at the Ritsma Barn on what can only be described as a perfect late summer evening! Glorious in every way! My thanks to everyone who came out in support of our cause. Stratford Summer Music is here for the community we serve, and the response you continue to show us gives us fuel for our creative fire heading into planning season now for next summer.
Any truly great music festival invests in the creation and presentation of new musical works. Our founder John Miller did this on a number of occasions, from Bert Carriere’s composition that went with Opening Night fireworks, to banjo player James Hill writing a tune that was framed and hung on our office wall for years. I continued this tradition with a few different works, most recently Inuk soprano Deantha Edmunds’ Angmalukisaa, which we premiered on our Opening Night in 2023 and which won a Juno this year (hurray!). Next month we have a truly unique and special premiere happening thanks to the generosity of our friend Robert Lemon. Robert has commissioned the young Canadian composer Jared Miller to write a new string octet to be performed alongside the iconic work for the same combination of players by the young genius Felix Mendelssohn. The piece is now complete (I received the music not long ago), and I am excited to bring this work to life, both as a fitting celebration of SSM’s 25th Anniversary season and as a piece that is dedicated to the memory of Robert’s longtime partner Robert Ledingham.
Felix Mendelssohn and Jared Miller. A couple of geniuses. This special performance is taking place at Lazaridis Hall at the Tom Patterson Theatre and will be hosted by CBC’s Tom Allen. Not to be missed!!
Make Mine a Double: Miller + Mendelssohn
Speaking of genius types, I saw in the news that Albert Einstein's violin is up for sale at an auction soon. The starting price is £300,000. It is an instrument made in the late 1800s (not a Stradivarius by any stretch), but is something people say he would have been playing Bach and Mozart on while beginning his thoughts on the theory of relativity. Pretty amazing!!!! Here's an article about it with more details:
And if anyone in Stratford ends up purchasing this violin, I will happily give a free recital on it at your home!! Just saying...
Have a great weekend, all!
Mark and the SSM Team
