MiM’s 15th anniversary celebrated the return to an in-person festival featuring special guest dancer, Kimberly Marie Olivier. Making their MiM debuts — flutist Julietta Curenton, violinist Jennifer Choi, guitarist Rupert Boyd, and cellist Laura Metcalf. Pianist Sayaka Tanikawa, violist Jaime Amador, cellist Jonah Kim, and violinist Rebecca Jackson-Picht rounded out the roster of festival musicians. In addition to performing works by Evelyn Simpson-Curenton, Piazzolla, Beyonce, Jaime Zenamon, Boccherini, Myroslav Skoryk, Dvorak, Chrystian Dozza, Paganini, Valerie Coleman, Robert Beaser, and Brahms, a program highlight was the world premiere of Polina Nazaykinskaya’s brand new piano solo, “Wedding Song”. Rebecca and David Arben were featured on NBC news: Love for Violin Unites Korean American and Holocaust Survivor.

May marked our first in-person youth programs since 2019. We performed for nearly 1,000 students and staff at Watsonville schools and after over 30 programs on Zoom (since January 2021) for youth at Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall, seeing the students react to the vibrations created by live musicians were moments we will not soon forget. We presented 14 musicians including famed jazz drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. Some of the highlights included performing newly written compositions by the students as well as teaching them centering activities to help cope with life’s high pressure tasks.

Nine Harmony Youth Choir rehearsals culminated in the first annual Family Music Night, a free community concert at Starlight Elementary School showcasing the newly formed Harmony Youth Choir directed by Kate Alm with MiM festival musicians.