Another story that has already been told dozens of times is about Arben’s miraculous arrival to the concert. For me, during festival week, I feel overstretched and just plain ol’ stressed out. My custom is to take some time to lay with my eyes closed by myself in my room before I leave for the evening concert. On May 12th, the day of the “Haim” world premiere and the culmination of honoring David Arben as a musician, mentor, and human being, I came home with just a few min to spare. I announced to those present (Konstantin, Dad and David) that I would take 10 min to relax in my room. Mom and sister had already left to prep the theater. A series of missteps began with a visit from Dad that I don’t recall. He popped his head in to my room saying he would depart now and for me to bring David with me to the concert. Once I got up I went into the living room and gave the boys (David and Konstantin) a heads up that we’d leave in about 10 min. Once ready I came out to find David at the grand piano, showing Konstantin some of the pages of the scrapbook I had made for him full of pictures and notes from friends and former students. “Time to go,” I said. David (not realizing the actual time) said my Dad would come back to pick him up. In my exhaustion, I neglected to question this idea, which I should have done considering there was only 40 min till the beginning of the concert. Once Konstantin and I arrived at the theater, my nerves and stress melted and I began to float on cloud nine. I was pumped for the concert. The first half went well and as the musicians for “Haim” waited for the cue to begin the second half, David came backstage with Enda (who was to present the Mayor’s proclamation, declaring May 12, 2012 “David Arben Day”). David, visibly shaken, came straight towards me and gripped my arm. “I didn’t think I was going to make it – I thought it was an hour earlier and realized I should have come with you but once I realized it was too late. I tried calling your cell phone…” As he spoke I looked at the monitor of the stage and saw Enda announcing the proclamation. I had to interrupt David and turn him around and literally push him on stage mid-story. My heart sunk – not only had he missed the first half but I worried as to HOW he had finally arrived at the concert! After taking a bow with his signed proclamation he came through the backstage door and as if the “pause” button had been released, he continued his story. “I had no idea where the theater was and so I just walked down the street in a panic—“ I interrupted, “David, I’m so sorry, I want to hear all the rest but we have to go on stage to perform your piece and I don’t want to start until you’ve been seated.” Enda escorted David to his seat.

The news devastated me. Polina came close to me, “Rebecca, forget it now. Now we must go out and perform. He is here. Everything is ok.” And away we went. “The show must go on” came to mind. It wasn’t until the reception following the concert that I heard the full story – many times. Thinking he had had more time, he returned to his room in our home to lie down and rest. After getting ready, he glanced at his watch and realized the concert had started 15 min ago. Only knowing my cell number, he called and left a message (which I didn’t hear until after the concert – that plus the text my sister sent: “I don’t want to stress you out but where is Mr. Arben?”). Next he left the house and took a walk down our street, Park Way, all the way to Soquel. He walked down the middle of the street flagging down every car that passed. Many passed him by. On his way back a couple pulled over. He told them, “I am being honored at a concert tonight and I am trying to find a ride there. I will pay you.” They asked his name. After sharing his name they apologized that they could not take him because they were just returning from the pharmacy and needed to go home. After a brief time, they returned and said, “It would be our honor to take you to the concert.” They had looked David up online and found out where the concert was. Once they got to the college campus they had to search a bit to find the hall. Perseverance paid off, barely. They arrived during the intermission, moments before the announcement of the mayor’s proclamation! The couple attended the concert with David and the strangest irony is that one of them was a student of David Kaun. Here is another miracle to add to the long list in this man’s extraordinary life.

By Kai Christiansen Oct 25, 2012

I have been meaning to write a little “review” or reflection about the Mim last year, particularly the second day / night. I had a really interesting conversation with your dad that night and something crystalized in my mind about the whole experience.

My amazement with the day / night involved a lot of things: meeting David, hearing your rehearsal for David, giving my unusual talk, hearing the concert, watching the final piece including Carolyn’s difficulties, seeing you play that piece, watching David tenderly touch Carolyn’s face on stage and seeing her transform into a smile, partying with the gang including more conversations with David, Polina, you, your dad and others . . .

Because I may never get to writing a nice essay, I want to share this with you: Carolyn’s “breakdown” was somehow the essence of the whole experience. It was PART of the validity and reality of the whole thing. I felt like the whole audience was stranded with Carolyn, aching for her, panic’ed, unable to do anything, feeling so heartbroken, watching a human go through terrible difficulties while remaining helpless. I feel this live experience is EXACTLY the moment when the boy David, about to be shot, saved his own life through his violin. Do you know what I mean? It is almost as if Carolyn channeled something and literally had to embody the suffering because of her intense sensitivity. It was like the concert became a seance or a kind of supernatural recreation.

I could be insane. But that is how I personally felt. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

From Carolyn Corbett (narrator of HAIM world premiere)

Oct 12, 2012
Dear Rebecca,
Thank you for your email.
It means so much.
Very happy to hear the Haim piece
premiered on the east coast at Yale.
I am certain all who attended were
riveted to the core.
Mr. Arben is a whole planet.
A human star walking around on earth.
Why was I given the miraculous chance to
read his remarkable life tale?
You.
Thank you, Rebecca, for making the world a better place
through sound, song and melody.
-Carolyn

GCCP playing for the kids of Stanley Middle School

Pam Freund-Striplen, violist and director of Gold Coast (GCCP), has done an amazing job cultivating a community in support of chamber music.  We performed an all Mozart concert (I performed the Mozart Clarinet Quintet along with Corina Storian, Eric Gaenslen, & Tony Striplen).  My only experience with the work was reading through it for fun with David Kaun (Mim co-founder, donor, friend, clarinetist) and friends.  [Side note: Chamber music "reading parties" are one of the greatest rewards of being a musician.  Musicians gather at a home with instruments and a stack of music; in between food, drink and chatter, we play through several chamber works.]  Working with GCCP allowed me to finally get to know the Mozart Quintet more intimately.  I tried to absorb and notice the many details beyond performance that Pam so meticulously attends to but most of all I was inspired by her and hope that Mim will follow a similar path!

EOS at Legion of Honor

In the same weekend I got to know the string quartets of Debussy & Ravel very quickly and intensely.  Craig Reiss (violinist and founding member of EOS Ensemble), Vicky Ehrlich, and Caroline Lee were so fun to play with and I appreciated their encouragement (being the only one not to have performed both of these works, the task was slightly daunting!).  We also performed Debussy Sacred and Profane Dances with principal harpist of SF Opera, Olga Rakitchenkov.  The setting of our concert could not have been more perfect – at the Legion of Honor in conjunction with the Pissarro exhibit.  Performing near the entrance created a surprise for most entering the museum; every chair was taken and people were sitting and standing along the walls.  Our “stage” shared a few hallways to neighboring galleries and people would pause as they passed to listen while viewing beautiful artwork.

Two chamber music series that are successfully bringing the gift of music to the masses!

Kai Christiansen (Mim musicologist) and Alice Kao (Mim patron) were in attendance.

Seeing Camille after 12 years!

After 5 days in Haiti, my sister Elizabeth and I traveled by bus to explore the Dominican Republic.  When Elizabeth had the idea to extend our trip to explore this neighboring country, it took me more than a second to realize a very dear friend, Camille Berroa, was there.  In 1997, when I was 16, I met Camille at the two month music camp, Meadowmount.  In addition to the required 5 hour individual practice sessions, we had coachings, lessons, and recitals.

Camille with her students

It was during this intense summer that we became very close.  We met for more music-making on the island of Puerto Rico (Festival de la Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de las Americas), which coincidentally is also the place where I first met David Arben!  He coached the violin sections.  When I realized we were going to be in Santo Domingo, we planned for our reunion.  She arrived to pick us up at Terra Bus station.  Twelve years had passed but it felt like only yesterday since I had seen her.  Camille was a most amazing host and infinitely generous!  On Wednesday I had the pleasure of spending the day with her as teaching assistant.  All her students were so sweet and I was inspired to see Camille’s dedication to helping her students grow and believe in themselves.  I also enjoyed updating her about Mr. Arben and about the Mim commission dedicated to him for next year!

Practicing at Bettyes Guest House

With several upcoming concerts I also made time to do some practicing.  Our hostel is owned by an American woman who has lived in the D.R. for 40 years.  She is a curator of art and I found it infinitely inspiring to practice surrounded by Dominican and Haitian art.  I kept a fan blowing to cool me off and keep the misquitos away.

On our last night, during my stroll around the Colonial district, I was approached by a few smiling gentlemen.

Is that a violin?

Yes.

Are you performing in Santo Domingo?

No. But I was working in Haiti.

Really?!?! If you don’t have plans, would you join us for a jam at Quintana in Plaza Espagna tonight?  It’s in memory of earthquake.  Today is the 2 year anniversary.

Improvising/accompanying to Haitian spoken word

Sure!

A great many experiences my violin and I have shared!

Friday January 6th, John and I returned with the medical team to the tent city – a man carrying a Casio keyboard on Wednesday had returned as he’d promised to let John play on his instrument.  We set up just outside the tent, serenading patients and the long line of people patiently waiting their turn for treatment.  We were set up right outside the tent beside Dr. Stanton’s work station.  Dr. was seated in a plastic lawn chair, hunched over his patients who lay on a long rickety bench. People helped bringing a chord over the main dirt road to feed electricity to the keyboard through their generator.  After nearly 30 minutes of diligent but unsuccessful attempts, the owner of the instrument found fresh batteries and got the piano to play, albeit very softly.  The cover for the batteries under the keyboard was broken off so occasionally they would fall out and briefly interrupt our program. Most of the Haitians I played for had never heard a violin live.  All of this made for a truly unique experience!

Being in Haiti was a tough adventure.  I admire the good deeds going on there through the work of a faithful few.  But there is so much more to do… During these few days since I have departed Haiti, I have pondered the possible things I could write about.  I could write about the poverty, the chaos, the crime, the corruption, the filth, the dust as thick as a San Francisco foggy morning, the great needs; but more than anything else, my memories are consumed by my encounters with the Haitian children.  There were the fascinated looks coming from the children of the tent city as John and I played our instruments; in particular, the nine year old girl with the green shirt that said “I don’t do Saturday’s”.  She lingered around our tent, lighting up at every opportunity to be near us.  Then there was the “Gerber baby” I cradled in my arms who curiously touched my face and giggled so often.   There was the beautiful child in a turquoise sweatshirt who came to pick up rice for his family. There were the five children at the orphanage who learned how to write my sister’s name in English and decided to practice writing it over and over all over her arms.  I experienced utter joy dancing with a group of children to a Haitain song – it ended with them each grasping me around the neck showering me with kisses. The stories of these children are full of heartache.  Some of them live with aids, one lost her mother to AIDS just a few weeks ago, another lost her father to a senseless operation.  As a baby, one child was only 10 lbs and he still recovers from the results of being starved and malnourished.  It’s difficult for me not to come away feeling despair and sadness.  And yet… the smiles these children possess are bright enough to light up our dark word.  I take their brightness with me and hope to live more fully, appreciating each day.

Western Wall, Jerusalem

I just returned from one of the most special trips around the world.  I was traveling through Egypt, Jordan and Israel with my parents and sister.  All the stories would fill a novel.  I write to you about a very moving part of my trip.  Even before crossing the Atlantic, I knew I wanted to leave a note with the names of David Arben’s family at the Western Wall.  I wrote them on a small sheet of paper, folded it up and carried it in my jacket pocket, safely next to my passport.  When we arrived at the wall in the Old City of Jerusalem I felt nervous, mainly because I wasn’t sure what the traditions were and hoped I wouldn’t do anything “incorrectly”.

Most obvious was the way the wall was organized– to the left were the men and to the right were the women.  As I walked towards the wall, I noticed people walking backwards away from the wall.  There were many women crowded against the wall.  Most were standing, some with their faces in small books, bobbing as they prayed.  A woman in front was seated in a chair leaning against the wall, quietly crying.  I patiently waited to try and find a spot next to the wall to leave my note.  As I reached forward to rest my note on a protruding part of one of the stones I reached above and laid my palm flat on the cold surface.  A wash of sadness came over me as I thought of David and his precious family lost during the Holocaust, Abraham, Chaya, Israel, and Zisla.  The impact of this experience has fueled me with more wonderful visions for next year’s Music in May in which I will honor my mentor.

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival 2011

It began with a trip to Santa Fe where I reunited with L.P. How (Mim 2009 & 2010).  Having played beside L.P. for many years now (during Mim, for Santa Fe kids, and at the Sarasota Opera where he is concertmaster), there is a unique sense of familiarity.  L.P.’s gorgeous sound and dedication to keep each performance fresh creates inspires me.

As part of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, we spent the week performing for area school kids, including the children on the Santa Clara Indian Reservation.  In 5 short days, we performed 20 shows, reaching hundreds of children!  We had the pleasure of performing string quintets – movements from Dvorak, Tchaikovsky Serenade, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – with Mark Tatum (bass), Ashima Scripp (cello), and Christof Huebner (viola).

Reunion on the Upper West Side

From Santa Fe, I traveled to NYC where I spent a few days reconnecting with many friends from my college years.  Justin Maclean, Kinga Augustyn, Lilit Kurdiyan, Konstantin Soukhovetski (Mim 2009 and will also join us again next season!), and Jennifer Choi… swapping stories and learning from their experiences is energizing!  My host, the delightful Jeehae Lee, violinist at the Metropolitan Opera, is a cherished friend.  I will never forget performing the Debussy Quartet on my graduation recital with her (our quartet made up 3.5 Korean girls, 3.5 since I am only half Korean J)… she may join us next May to perform.  If not next May, I hope in the future our audiences will meet her and hear her music!

From NYC my last stop was Philadelphia – having dinner with Mr. Arben continued to inspire ideas for Mim next season.

David Arben

Arben shared photographs, newspaper articles and video.

Strolling to Lunch

He has one surviving photograph of his family members who perished.  It sits framed on a dresser, next to the doorway to his bedroom, surrounded by antique pieces and artwork.  His mother and baby sister are not in the picture but his father, older brother, male cousin and a four year old David Arben are captured at a park in Warsaw.  After the war, he wrote his Aunt who escaped Poland with her Argentinean husband – she sent him this picture.

Amy Yang sketches Mr. Arben

Later we were joined by pianist Amy Yang, who had a window of time between lessons, accompanying Curtis students.  She brought her bag with sketch pad, bringing David to life on paper while we continued conversations over sandwiches at Pastrami and Things.

Now safely tucked away in my San Francisco apartment, my mind swirls with ideas and visions of a most exciting Music in May- how thankful I am to a team of so many generous souls, united for this project.  I look forward to more inspirations as I travel with my family to Israel next week…

David: “I have someone here who would like to say hello.”
Rebecca: “Hello Mr. Tree. It’s Rebecca from Santa Cruz.”
Michael: “Well hello! What a nice surprise! I was just calling David to invite him to dinner tomorrow after I finish teaching at Curtis. Would you be able to join us?”

The next evening I met David at the stoop of his apartment at 6:30pm. We walked, or strolled rather, stopping every few yards so he could punctuate a part of his story. With only a few blocks to walk, we arrived at Michaels’ hotel rather early so we took the extra time to walk to Curtis Institute of Music. As we passed this historic, ornate structure, he read my mind remarking, “This building has amazingly changed very little since I first came so many years ago.” On our walk to Tree’s hotel a woman stopped with her hands outstretched asking to shake David’s hand – she said his final recital touched her so much and she still remembers it vividly. Her husband, standing nearby, is the current piano tuner at Curtis.

Moments after arriving back at the hotel lobby, Michael appeared. As the two men embraced I couldn’t help but smile looking at the joyful look on Michael’s face. Every time I visit David, he tells me Michael has been such a true friend for all these years since they attended Curtis together. A loyalty we can all hope to share with someone.

We decided on returning to La Viola [the west side of 16th Street] – David and I had shared many a meals there but it was to be Michael’s first visit. Over pasta and wine, Michael spoke of getting to meet the great old violinists because his father interviewed them. Michael trembled with excitement meeting Heifetz at age nine and was dazzled by the company of Kreisler at age six or seven.

A scrumptious dinner with David and Michael at “La Viola” concluded my weekend in Philadelphia. Michael hailed a cab to make sure I got to the Amtrak station at 30th and Market. He saw me off with a kiss on the cheek and after shutting my door he knocked on the window of the driver to tell him my destination. As we drove away, my cab driver said with a thick accent, “A very nice gentleman.” I said “Yes, and did you know he is a famous classical musician?” My cabbie replied, “So nice. So humble. We need more people like that in Philadelphia.” I agreed with him and thought to myself, “We need people like Michael and David around the whole world.”

Something I mentioned as we raised a glass at our final reception was how close I felt to the musicians, even those I had met just days before- this closeness we feel to one another impacts how we play with one another. The musicians who perform at Mim are tremendous talents but in addition I am so proud to be associated with such warm spirits. Unlike the large personalities of performing artists often talked about, the kindness of our featured musicians not only made my week doubly enjoyable but I believe it also emanates from their playing.

It remains surreal to have the opportunity to spend time over meals, in rehearsals, and on stage with the legendary Michael Tree. Michael is so easy-going, calming, plays with such ease and command (I’m still scratching my head at how he can make his viola so easily overtake the sound of the violin!!), and has a killer sense of humor! I’m convinced that the best musicians I know should have a dual career in comedy! Having the opportunity for a second season to witness his devotion to music, whether in conversation or while warming up backstage, is truly inspiring. Reflecting on this (with Amy Yang last season) I realized there is an additional mission of Mim- a beautiful world of mentorship where younger musicians have the opportunity to learn from those like Michael and Richard.

We reached more students this year. – John Wineglass, Amy, and Danielle were troopers! After getting in late the night before, I was at their door by 7:15am (!!) to make our first 8:30 show- all in the name of those kids! It was great to recognize some of the kids from last year at Tierra Pacifica. One highlight was when we asked the kids to describe what they thought “living composer John Wineglass” was thinking about as he composed the middle movement of his piano trio. The first child I called on at Westlake said, “It reminds me of a car chase from an old Italian film.” The movement is entitled “The Chase” and depicts the car chase that led to Princess Di’s death. We purposely avoided the morbid aspect of the topic in front of the children but were blown away by the intelligence and creative minds that the kids possess!

In Friday’s concert there were a few kids from Starlight elementary school. Kai Christiansen (pre-concert lecturer) was sitting in front of them and engaged them between pieces. Before the Shostakovich he asked the kids to listen intently and afterwards he’d ask on a scale from 1 to 10 how much they liked it. Following the piece, Kai followed up and a spiky haired boy exclaimed, “1,000!”

Preparing for such “ambitious” programs as we had (especially Friday) with only two days to rehearse made it imperative for me to do my homework long before the musicians arrived. Once they arrived it was also important to maximize our limited time. This year the work even happened in John Orlando’s driveway (during a short break). I’ll never forget standing with Richard, Janacek score laying in the trunk of the Prius, humming through our parts of the piece, –analyzing and confirming how the parts fit together, discussing tempo changes (Danielle was sitting in the car, listening to a recording of Janacek and studying separately). What a sight!! All this work made it all the more exhilarating when after performing Mr. Tree seemed very pleased with how it went (he was the only one in our group who had performed the work before!).

Working on Wineglass’s piano trio was also extremely gratifying. Amy, Danielle and I had fun exploring and “breathing life” into John’s latest work. From the opening chord “Con sordino” that I play with Danielle I felt possessed by grief and horror at such loss of life. After the ugliness of “The Mystery” (mvt I) and the relentless motor that led to her death in “The Chase” (mvt II), as images of Princess Diana entered my mind, I was nearly moved to tears in the beauty of her lament (mvt III). Lilly, who page turned for Amy reported seeing tears in people’s eyes. A standing ovation confirmed the electric charge was felt throughout the venue.

Until we meet next May…
Warm regards,
Rebecca Jackson

— Amy Yang, pianist, a Mim favorite

— David Arben