On November 7 and 8, pianist Gloria Chien and violinist Soovin Kim will present the latest Music@Menlo:Focus program, Art Under a Tombstone. We had a chance to chat with Gloria and Soovin about this residency, their time at Music@Menlo, and their recent appointment as Artistic Directors of Chamber Music Northwest.
What is your thought process when coming up with concert programming?
Soovin: Our programming usually flows out of a stream of consciousness that starts with something we are curious or passionate about. That can be a broad subject matter, a historical period, or a particular composer or piece. When one is curious about relationships between various pieces of music, then there are endless programming possibilities to explore.
What comes first, the program or the artist personnel decisions?
Soovin: The best situation is when it all hits you simultaneously. This was one of those perfect scenarios. The Seven Romances on Poems of Aleksandr Blok by Shostakovich is a song collection I have worked on and performed with Ignat [Solzhenitsyn] and Hyunah [Yu] over a period of ten years. Ignat is a dear friend with whom I love discussing music and family. Art Under a Tombstone is really just a topic that comes naturally out of our personal conversations. The second half of the program worked out beautifully—one titanic piece, the Tchaikovsky trio, that Gloria and I were itching to play with David Finckel.
What have you enjoyed most about preparing Art Under a Tombstone?
Soovin: It has been a nice excuse to do some extra reading of great literature since we will be discussing some works of Ignat’s father, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. We are especially excited to introduce two new artists, Ignat and Hyunah, to the Music@Menlo audience. It isn’t easy to find a great performer in the United States who hasn’t already been to Menlo!
What role has Music@Menlo had in your progression as musicians and musical leaders over the past decade?
Gloria: Music@Menlo changed my life. It is the place where I fell in love with chamber music, where I found my identity as a musician, and where I learned the traits of a great musical leader. When I first came to Music@Menlo, I was merely a pianist without much direction in life. During those three weeks, my passion for chamber music was ignited, my potential was stretched to a point that I did not think was possible, and my curiosity in this world of chamber music was piqued. The rest of my journey was an exploration on how to expand those three weeks into the rest of my life—in teaching, performing, and presenting—all of which are important components of Music@Menlo. I have been spoiled to have Music@Menlo as my musical home for the past decade, where I not only am inspired by the great performances and have made lifelong friends but also am humbled by working alongside all the extraordinary young musicians.
Do either of you have a favorite Chamber Music Institute student encounter or experience?
Gloria: Ah, as I look through the pictures over the years, there are too many to name: When I got my first handmade card from a Clara Schumann Trio with three young girls who are now all in grad school, the first time we presented Rite of Spring in a Young Performers concert, the first summer we had six violists so we could form three string quartets in one program, the time when I had to fill in on the Shostakovich Quintet with one day’s notice, and the time when we played in a master class for Menahem Pressler.
But my favorite without a doubt is the moment when each of the Young Performers groups walks off after a performance. I stand at the curtain of the stage to embrace them and send them off for a second bow. After seeing their growth from the first reading, overcoming all the challenges through the week, performing at their peak on stage, and walking off with confidence and love for each other—there is simply nothing more rewarding.
What is your favorite or most memorable Music@Menlo performance experience, either as a listener or performer?
Gloria: Again, too many to name. There have been so many highlights from the senior musicians, International Performers, and Young Performers. One of the most memorable for me was standing in Stent Hall, listening to Gil Kalish’s Schubert B-flat Sonata second movement—one of the most moving and transcendent experiences of my life!
I also loved being exposed to music that I otherwise would not have known such as George Crumb’s American Songbook or Thierry de Mey’s Table Music.
What has been the most challenging moment or experience at Music@Menlo?
Gloria: Leaving! I still can’t quite imagine summers without Music@Menlo, without my team, my young musicians, and David and Wu Han. But I will take Music@Menlo everywhere I go. I will become one of those ambassadors that will carry the “Menlo Effect” far and wide.
Speaking of your transition to Chamber Music Northwest, what has the beginning of that process been like?
Soovin: That general period of life is a blur in my memory because the applications were due the week before our baby was born, and the first interview was when he was about one month old. We were pretty sleep deprived. The process was extremely thorough; there were two more in-person visits to Portland before the final decision. There were interviews with the entire search committee and with smaller board committees, lunch with the entire staff, and a house concert with festival friends and donors. The care and devotion of the board and staff is what convinced us that it is the kind of organization we want to work with.
We will be sad to see less of you both next summer. Is there anything you would like to share with your supporters in the meantime?
Gloria: Music@Menlo will always be our home! We are truly lucky to have been able to spend these summers working with our indefatigable leaders, David and Wu Han, and our team of the most-dedicated coaches; making music with beautiful musicians; and having the privilege of transforming these young musicians’ lives—I cannot imagine anything better.
Thank you to all of you who have been a part of our Music@Menlo journey, who have hosted us, come to our coachings and concerts, given me hugs and words of encouragement—it all meant so much to me.
We will miss Music@Menlo dearly, and we look forward to seeing the next chapter of the Chamber Music Institute with great enthusiasm.