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Music in the Mountains Conservatory rebuilds

New director, faculty, direction for organization’s education program
Matt Albert, director of chamber music at Meadows School of the Arts and a founding member of the Grammy-winning music ensemble eighth blackbird, is the new Music in the Mountains Conservatory director.

With reverence for European traditions and an infectious enthusiasm for classical music, Arkady Fomin spent 17 years building Durango’s Music in the Mountains Conservatory into the well-attended and highly regarded summer music education it turned into.

The program, which was offered in conjunction with Fomin’s New Conservatory of Dallas, allowed talented young musicians from across the country to sharpen their skills through intensive classes, performances and master instruction. Nearly 100 students participated last summer.

So when Fomin passed away this spring after a battle with cancer, it was not only a major hit to the classical music world, but also to Music in the Mountain’s summer education program.

Fomin had told Music in the Mountains Artistic Director Greg Hustis in November that he wouldn’t be able to lead the conservatory this year because of his health. The implications were huge, Hustis said.

Because the conservatory was under the umbrella of the New Conservatory of Dallas, he explained, “the complete infrastructure, Arkady would simply move his people, his faculty, to Durango for the summer.

“Arkady was such a strong figure. And we had the full weight and support of his Dallas operation behind us. Basically, in November, we were all of a sudden completely on our own. ... We were starting from scratch.”

Hustis said that after weighing the options, it was clear to MITM that the conservatory was too crucial a piece of its summer music experience to let it go.

And so, Music in the Mountains took the program on, administering it in-house for the first time ever, hiring a new conservatory director and, thanks to help from one of its “angels,” board member Katherine Freiberger, finding the funding to keep it going.

“We’re not trying to replace Arkady,” MITM Executive Director Angie Beach said. “So we are reinventing the wheel here.”

It’s been a seismic shift for the conservatory, and the 2014 program will look significantly different as the organization begins the task of rebuilding.

The conservatory starts next week under the leadership of new director Matt Albert, director of chamber music at Meadows School of the Arts, who has hired a brand-new faculty to join him. Fifteen high school and college students – a dramatic drop in numbers – will travel to Durango from across the country to participate in the strings-only program, which will be shortened to two weeks from the traditional three.

Hustis acknowledges that the program is much smaller. But, he said, MITM felt it was the prudent path.

“We have always at Music in the Mountains felt that quality is better than quantity,” he said. “We don’t want to have a faulty foundation, we don’t want to overextend. We feel that it’s the responsible way to do business.”

Hustis and Beach say there is a silver lining. With such a small group, this year’s students will experience an immersive and incredibly intimate educational program.

“They are going to have the time of their lives,” Beach said.

And, they say, Albert will bring fresh approaches and new ideas to the program.

“Matt is a tremendous violinist and violist,” Hustis said. Beyond that, Hustis said, “he’s someone who is completely aware of the challenges facing kids today. ... I think with Matt it will be a very innovative summer.”

Albert said he is coming into the conservatory with an eye for new ways to involve the community and an aim at proving a dynamic experience for the students.

“I think (MITM) is looking at, and I am looking at, different ways a conservatory can engage the students, can engage the community and provide an amazing experience for all of those people,” he said. “The more people are invested in it, the more it will be able to be its best self for as many people as it can be.”

Hustis admitted that there have been some missteps and growing pains in the rebuilding process. But, he said, Music in the Mountains is hopeful about the future of the conservancy.

“It’ll be a smaller outfit this year. It’ll be different. But we look at it as a new beginning,” he said. “We think we’re building a strong foundation for the future.”

The public will be able to meet Albert and the faculty at a chamber concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the First United Methodist Church. There will also be three student concerts, starting July 24, as well as pop-up performances.

kklingsporn@durangoherald.com

If you go

The public can meet the new Music in the Mountains Conservatory faculty at a chamber concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church, 2917 Aspen Drive. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students. Visit www.musicinthemountains.com for more information.

Jul 10, 2014
Grammy winner takes helm
May 12, 2014
Conductor Fomin brought passion and glory to Music in the Mountains


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