The view from my room at the IMFA in Duino–the Adriatic is visible through the trees.

Today I arrived in Duino, Italy, for the start of the International Music Festival of the Adriatic. In addition to myself, five other faculty are teaching this summer, including Spencer Martin (viola), Monte Belknap (violin), Stefano Sacher (composition), Andrew Whitfield (voice), and Jessica Paul (piano). My own journey to this corner of Italy was rather arduous. We started with a 2.5 hour car trip at 6 am to Minneapolis, followed by a 2.5 hour flight to Washington, DC, where my wife and son were picked up by grandparents who whisked them away to Charlottesville, VA for the month. I continued on to New York, Rome, and finally, Trieste. I was greeted with beautiful weather, a cool breeze blowing off the Adriatic, and friendly faces. In addition to two of my own students, Neil and Ben, two other composers will also be participants in the festival, Jamie and Evan. We’re looking forward to a good night’s sleep and a fresh start in the morning.

Coffee with Monte, Andy, Neil, Ben and Spencer