Encounter II: Artistic Legacy, led by Ara Guzelimian

A beloved tradition at Music@Menlo since the first season, Encounters are full-length lectures presented throughout the festival.

Led by a rotating selection of eminent musicologists, educators, and musicians, they delve deeply into aspects of each summer’s theme. Audiences come away with enhanced historical and musical knowledge, leading to a richer understanding of and engagement with the festival’s composers and their works.

Perhaps no one has played as many consequential roles in the classical music world as Ara Guzelimian. His career-spanning association with distinguished musical institutions, from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to the Aspen Music Festival to Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, the Marlboro Music Festival, and the Ojai Music Festival, has left our world a different, and a better place. Through his decades of experience, he has worked closely with artists, composers, leaders, teachers, and students, enabling them to create lasting legacies which perpetuate their ideals.

A Music@Menlo veteran from the first season, he is the perfect Encounter leader to explore the phenomenon of artistic inheritance, a topic at the center of this summer’s festival.