MiM’s 16th anniversary was a joyous 10 days featuring violinists Jennifer Choi, Rebecca Jackson-Picht, and pianist Elizabeth Schumann. Making their MiM debuts — principal violist of the Metropolitan Opera Milan Milisavljević, horn player David Byrd-Marrow, cellist Horacio Contreras, and violist Jessica Chang. Violinist Juan Jaramillo joined the team as manager, overseeing the festival as well as the youth programs. Our main stage concerts covered a wide range, from classics by Mozart, Dvořák, and Brahms, to lesser-known works by William Grant Still, modern works by Kenji Bunch, Paul Wiancko, Shelley Washington, the world premiere of Polina Nazaykinskaya’s Emily Suite for Solo Piano, and even the composer himself, David Byrd-Marrow performed his solo work for horn.

In the last few years, thanks to your continued support, our total number of youth programs has increased five-fold, from six in our inaugural year to 30 in 2022-23! This season students explored Venezuelan music with Juan, the contrabassoon with Leah, music sparking revolution with Sound Impact, Arabic music with Basma, the oboe with Marilyn, the organ with Chelsea, the trombone with Denis, all while hearing personal stories and experiencing the wonderful ways in which music can become a cherished companion. A favorite activity we repeated this year was having students compose a melody which musicians then perform for them to hear. The youth programs culminated in our 2nd Annual Family Music Night, a collaborative performance with our partners, Harmony Youth Choir led by Kate Alm and El Sistema Santa Cruz.