No matter how many concerts I have been involved in over the years, I continue to be inspired by the extraordinary power of music to transport us, seemingly instantaneously, through centuries, across oceans and continents, and to emotional places and imaginary fantasies that are difficult, if not impossible, to reach by any other means.

I am happy to report that this Summer’s programs read like a ‘bucket list’ of desirable destinations. On any given weekend, our listeners will find themselves enjoying the sunny cafes of Lisbon and Madrid, visiting a Venetian Palace in the Piazza San Marco, attending a musical at the Mendelssohn family’s parlor in Leipzig, reveling at a dance festival in a rustic Carpathian Mountains village, or marveling at the astonishing imaginings of geniuses like William Shakespeare, Walt Disney, or Alfred Hitchcock.

As musicians, we are constantly trying to improve our abilities to illuminate and facilitate these adventures, often calling upon colleagues, near and far away, to help us with this process. This summer, we also remember and celebrate one such colleague, Kendall Betts, with whom we shared so many past journeys, familiar and exotic, physical and spiritual, whose passion for music and life were nothing short of extraordinary.

– Ronnie Bauch