Nearing the end

The Marlboro Music Festival ends this weekend. We are nearing the end of our ability to come here and listen to chamber music. Today may be the last day; I'm not sure. Saturday, the Feinlands are all coming to the house at 4pm for supper, and Ellen will need the day for shopping and cooking.

Today I dropped Ellen here at 11:00a.m. and then went back so I could spend time with John. I took my lunch makings (Eggie-rice) there and got caught up on many of their projects and challenges! The main project right now is a new woodstove and tiles that will go under it. The tiles - from Spain! - were delivered. today. The challenges? First, Cynthia's sister, Lyn, is dying, so Cynthia is spending a lot of time with Lyn. They have canceled their planned trip to Grand Manan. And then there is the discovery of rot in the bedroom balcony that extends who knows how far into the supporting beams that run into the house. Fixing that will be a huge and unexpected project. 

After John's, I came back to Marlboro. Right now I am listening to a Mozart String Quintet. It is delightful. First violin is being played by 25-year-old Stephanie Zyzak:

"Born in 1994, Stephanie Zyzak began playing the violin at 4 years old. She studied with Miriam Fried at New England Conservatory where she received her Bachelors and Masters degrees, and is currently completing her doctorate degree at City University of New York, The Graduate Center with Mark Steinberg. 

At the age seven, Stephanie made her first solo appearance with the Starling Chamber Orchestra in the Aspen Music School and became the youngest recipient ever to be awarded the Aspen Music School New Horizon Fellowship. The following year, she performed in Germany as an invited guest of the Internationale Kunst – Akademie Liechtenstein (IKAL). Over the years, she has had the opportunity to solo and tour with orchestras and various groups in Germany, Russia, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Italy, and France. In 2004, Stephanie made her debut with the Louisville Orchestra, and has performed with orchestras such as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, and Southeast Missouri Symphony. Other notable performances include an appearance on Praire Home Companion with Garrison Keillor and an invitation to perform as an honored guest at the Lotus Festival for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. 

Stephanie has received top prizes in various competitions and was most recently named a finalist at the 2018 Naumburg International Violin Competition. She has been invited to participate in renowned international competitions including: the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (2018), Joseph Joachim Hannover International Violin Competition (2018), Shanghai International Isaac Stern Competition (2016), International Ima Hogg Competition (2016 semifinalist), Seoul International Music Competition (2015), and Zhuhai International Mozart Competition (2015 semifinalist). 

A passionate chamber musician, she has collaborated with Ralph Kirshbaum, Steven Tenenbom, Hsin-Yun Huang, Colin Carr, Michael Kannen, and Robert McDonald. She has performed at festivals such as the Taos School of Music, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, and has also been invited to the Marlboro Music Festival this coming summer.

Stephanie performs on a 1778 Joseph and Antonio Gagliano violin, generously on loan from Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute."

Stephanie Zyzak

We are meeting John at the Food Cart Roundup at the Brattleboro Retreat farm at 6pm - there are 7-8 food carts there, music, and lots of people. Included is an Indian Dosa Cart, but several others as well that can meet John's dietary restrictions. Should be fun. Cynthia is with her sister and will not be back for supper.

Later:
It rained during much of the food cart event, but John did join us and we had a good time and the nutty falafel dosas were delicious.  We found some tables under a tent where we could eat them. Then we came back to the house and Ellen made fresh peach ice cream sundaes with peaches she had brought back from PA - they were perfectly ripe and delicious!