We’ve reached the end of our first week at IMFA. The composers have all completed a rough cut of their electronic pieces (which will be premiered on Monday) and have a start on their art songs, which will need to be (mostly) completed by Monday. In seminar, Stefano walked us through his latest work, a chamber opera based on the legend/myth of Medea.

In the late afternoon, the Harrington Quartet, along with our three IMFA string faculty, a student violinist, Stefano and myself, all boarded a van to travel to Trieste for our first official IMFA concert of 2014. The venue was the oldest church in Trieste, Basilica di San Silvestro.

The basilica of St. Silvestro in Trieste.

This is the oldest church in the city, with structures dating back to the 4th century. The concert (as is the entire festival) was co-sponsored by the Mozart Society of Trieste, whose members turned out in large numbers for the concert. The program included quartets by Wolf and Verdi, played by the Harringtons, followed by the Mendelssohn Octet.

The Harrington Quartet

After the concert, we had a wonderful pizza dinner at a nearby restaurant, followed by an impromptu tour of the central part of Trieste, led by our own Stefano. Of course, our final stop was a famous gelateria!

A good crowd gathered for our first concert.

                The Harrington Quartet performs the third movement of Verdi’s quartet.