Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Season’s greetings!

I hope you enjoy this edition of InterNetzo, filled with both seasonal and evergreen Walden goodies.

We are very excited to be hosting Walden holiday parties (New Year’s parties?!) in January. Please read on to find details about these wonderful events, and to RSVP!

We are so grateful to the many donors who have already given generously to support Walden’s 2024 summer programs through contributions to Walden’s 2024 Annual Fund. Will you support Walden today with a year-end contribution?

Applications for Walden 2024 are open, and so far this year, we have received a record number of applications for both of our programs! Our next application deadline is February 1, and there are several Young Musicians Program (YMP) information sessions coming up. Please spread the word, and I hope to see you (or your family member, friend, teacher, student, colleague, neighbor, etc.) in Dublin in June!

This edition of InterNetzo also features a profile of Tessie McGough and Solon Snider Sway, two YMP alumni who recently joined Walden’s Board of Directors, along with a roundup of competitions and calls for scores, and some exciting community news.

I wish you a very Happy New Year, and I hope to see you at a Walden event soon!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Walden Holiday Parties

Warm up with Walden holiday parties!

Walden community members will be gathering for holiday potlucks in cities throughout the country in January. So far, we have three confirmed dates:

• New York City: Friday, January 5, from 6 to 8 pm

• Portland, Oregon: Saturday, January 6, from 3 to 5 pm

• Seattle: Sunday, January 7, from 3 to 5 pm

These events are open to Walden and Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) alumni, faculty, staff, artists, donors, and board members, as well as friends and family. Please save the date and help us spread the word!

RSVP by email or call (415) 587-8157. When you RSVP, please let us know what you would like to bring, and we will send you the address.

And if you are interested in hosting a party in your area, please email us. We are so grateful to this season’s hosts and the many volunteers who have hosted Walden holiday parties over the years.

Year-End Giving

Thank you to the many generous donors who have made year-end gifts to Walden! Your contributions will help us offer life-changing musical experiences next summer to 100 students across our two programs, including critical student scholarships and inspiring artist residencies.

It’s not too late to make a contribution! Make a donation online, or see below for more ways to give. Gifts postmarked on or before December 31, or online gifts made before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 31, can be counted toward the 2023 tax year.

Donate Today

Thanks again to our loyal and generous donors for empowering our students to pursue their love of music and creativity. Your gifts keep Walden flourishing for generations of creative musicians to come.

Ways to Give

• Send a check payable to The Walden School at 7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94131. If your check is postmarked on or before December 31, 2023, your gift will count in the 2023 tax year.
• Give online. Your gift made online by 11:59pm Eastern Time on December 31, 2023, will count in the 2023 tax year.
• Arrange a matching gift from your employer.
• Make a pledge. Contact us for more information.
• Make a gift of stock shares.
• Donate your car through Donate for Charity.
• Join the David Hogan Society by including Walden in your estate plans. Contact us for more information.

Contributions to The Walden School, a 501(c)(3) organization, are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

For more information, call (415) 587-8157 or email us.

Give the Gift of Walden

Bring some summer magic to the holiday season and support Walden School programs and initiatives with your order of Walden merchandise.

For the Holiday Season, enjoy 30% off of all merchandise orders through January 31.

We have shirts, baseball caps, canvas totes, stickers, mugs, magnets, keychains, pens, pencils, and more.

See what’s available and fill out an order form here.

Orders can be placed by check or money order, or via credit card/PayPal. Please contact Mindy Williams, Walden’s Administrative Manager, or call the Walden office at (415) 587-8157 if you have any questions.

Call for Memories and Photos

Attention alumni! We are renewing a call for treasured memories and photos from your time at Walden or the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), to be included in a 50th/70th-Anniversary memory book.

Please aim to keep your reflections to a maximum of 250 words.

Alumni are also invited to share up to five treasured photos with the community to be included in the memory book.

Please send your memories and photos to us at alumni@waldenschool.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Apply for Walden 2024

The winter-round deadline is February 1

The winter-round deadline to apply to the Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) is February 1. We encourage you to share the news with your friends, family, colleagues, students, and teachers.

Walden’s 2024 programs:

• Creative Musicians Retreat: June 15 – June 23, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for musicians ages 18-98)

• Young Musicians Program: June 29 – August 4, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for pre-college musicians, ages 9-18)

Application materials for both programs are available on our website.

Write to us at applicants@waldenschool.org with any questions.

Apply Today

Young Musicians Program (YMP) Online Information Sessions

Join us to learn more about the music camp that changes lives.

Do you know a student who writes songs or arranges music? Or a young improviser who wants to strengthen their musicianship and meet like-minded peers? Or a music teacher who might like to learn about Walden’s unique curriculum?

Join us at one of our online interactive information sessions, featuring presentations and Q&A with Walden’s Executive Director, Seth Brenzel, alongside YMP leadership, faculty, staff, and students.

All YMP Info Sessions are held on Zoom and begin at 7 pm Eastern / 4 pm Pacific.

Learn more and register for one of the info sessions below:

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Thursday, March 21, 2024

These events are open to prospective students, music teachers, and anyone else who would like to learn about Walden’s flagship program for musicians ages 9 to 18.

Competitions and Calls for Scores

Featured opportunities for composers

Walden encourages the sharing of opportunities and resources for composers, including competitions and calls for scores that may be of interest to our community. We maintain a searchable list of competitions, awards, and calls for scores on our website. Opportunities are often posted in Walden’s community Facebook group as well.

Here are some opportunities we are highlighting this month:

Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize

The Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance invites composers to submit original compositions for wind ensemble/concert band. The winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000. There may also be the opportunity to perform the winning work with the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble in the following academic year, with travel and accommodation support of up to $1,000 for the winning composer. Apply by January 8, 2024. 

Heartland Symphony Composition Competition

Heartland Symphony Orchestra is a 50-piece volunteer, nonprofit, community orchestra located in and serving the central Minnesota area of Brainerd, Little Falls, and the surrounding rural communities. HSO invites composers nationwide to submit original orchestral compositions. Winners will receive a $1,000 monetary prize, an opportunity to work with HSO and its conductor, and a recording of the concert. Apply by January 21, 2024.

The Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers

Through this competition, Foundation for Modern Music honors its late Artistic Director Robert Avalon. The competition is open to submissions of solo and chamber music (up to 5 performers) composed by junior, high school, college and professional composers, with awards for first and second place in each category. Apply by January 30, 2024.

Eight Strings & a Whistle Composer Competition

Held every two years, the Eight Strings & a Whistle Competition invites composers of all ages enrolled in an accredited degree program at the time of application to submit a work composed for flute, viola and cello. Eight Strings & a Whistle will perform the World Premiere of the winning composer’s work in the Fall of 2024. The winning entrant will also receive a working rehearsal with Eight Strings & a Whistle, a featured interview on the Eight Strings & a Whistle website and a stipend of $300 to help defer travel expenses. There is a $12 application fee. Apply by February 1, 2024.

If you’re aware of an opportunity that Walden students, alumni, faculstaff, and friends should know about too, please contact us.

In the Spotlight

Tessie McGough and Solon Snider Sway

In the midst of last summer’s Young Musicians Program (YMP), Walden’s Board of Directors held its annual summer meeting on the campus of the Dublin School. For two days in July, this group of dedicated volunteers met to work on plans for Walden’s long-term growth and sustainability.

Walden is very grateful to Christine Dokko and Loring Catlin, Jr., who both rotated off the board after completing their board terms. Both Loring and Christine made numerous contributions to the work of Walden’s board during their service to Walden, and we look forward to staying in touch for many years to come!

Two new directors joined the board at its July meeting: Tessie McGough and Solon Snider Sway. Both YMP alumni, Tessie and Solon are currently the youngest members on the board, and we are excited to profile them in this edition of InterNetzo. Tessie attended YMP from 2005 through 2007, and Solon attended in 2011 and 2012. Below, they share their reflections on Walden and the perspectives they bring to their new roles on Walden’s board.

How did you first get involved with Walden?

Tessie: My mom somehow found out about Walden and suggested that I should apply. This is when I was 11, and I thought it sounded great. And thanks to Walden for providing a lot of generous financial aid that made it possible for me to attend, and to come back for a second summer after that. Then when I got to high school, I moved on to other things, but I had three incredible summers at Walden.

Solon: I did a lot of music growing up, mostly performance-based music study, but then decided that that wasn’t the path I wanted to go down and heard about Walden from a close friend and about its amazing programming and community and decided to try it out, and I immediately fell in love with everything about it. I went back again for my last two years of high school. I wish I had discovered it earlier because I would have gone more, but it totally changed my trajectory in terms of my relationship with music and also my career path in so many ways.

Do you have any favorite memories from your time at Walden?

Solon: My first “Apple” dance, hearing my teachers play that song and sing it, and just being around so many friends that I felt really comfortable with—that was one of my first moments of feeling true community through music. I immediately sensed how much that song meant to people at Walden, even though it was my first time hearing it. I think that’s a really good example of what Walden can be, community through music, that song and the whole spirit and energy of Walden dances. I felt so included at those events and nobody was alienated. I feel like it was a space where people felt really comfortable and free to express themselves. It’s kind of like taking all the stuff we learn about how to make music in the classroom and putting it in a social space or a dance hall.

Tessie: I remember getting to Walden and thinking, “Oh my God, everyone’s older than me,” and then immediately these older girls—Morgan [Kusmer] and Danielle [Oberdier] and Cara [Haxo] and Lydia [Shaw]—they all immediately welcomed me. And we all hung out on the swing for a while and I remember thinking, “They don’t even know me, why are they being so nice to me?” They just had an incredibly generous spirit. That kind of encapsulates Walden. Even today, I think like all the people I’ve met are just kind of similar in that respect, the minute you say, Walden, then it’s like “you’re one of me!”

Recently I was at a friend’s place for Diwali, and we were watching a lot of Bollywood music videos. One of them came on and I said, “Wait a minute, I recognize this”—because of Walden! One of the specialty classes I took involved pop music from around the world, and I impressed a lot of people. And it was just an amazing moment that showed much I was exposed to at Walden.

What are you engaged in currently, and what are you excited to bring to Walden’s board?

Solon: I teach music mostly. I have a youth choir, 6th through 12th grade, and I teach college. Since leaving Walden, I’ve taught all the way from kindergarten up to age 80, and I’ve been hugely influenced by everything I learned at Walden. It’s one of the main motivators for how I approach teaching music: encouraging people to think about what music is on the broadest level when they start their relationship with music. And I try to carry what Walden taught me, which is that you can create your own path through music, by improvising and composing, figuring out what music means to you and finding your own language. I found that to be extremely useful as a teacher and as a student. As I’ve gotten involved with more and more organizations, and continued to realize how important Walden was to me, I thought joining the board might be a good way for me to give back to Walden.

Tessie: After Walden, I went to Harvard and studied economics, and I also played in the Pops Orchestra and the Mozart Society Orchestra, which is smaller chamber orchestra. That was really fun. After graduating, I worked at the Brattle Group in Boston for three years as an economics consultant. Now I work at Meta as a data scientist. I finished my MBA at Chicago Booth in 2022 and now I work supporting the VR devices team. In joining the board, I’m really excited to have an opportunity to contribute back to Walden after Walden gave me so much. And hopefully some of my tech experience will be useful. I want to appreciate the flywheel that is Walden and help support it as much as possible.

Community News

Laura Cocks included in Top 30 Musical Professionals of 2023

Flutist Laura Cocks has been named by Musical America as one of the Top 30 Professionals of the Year, a distinction awarded to musicians, administrators, and educators whose unique efforts “ensure the health of the artform and its essential value in our lives, now and for generations to come.” Cocks has been a visiting artist at Walden in multiple roles: as a member of The Walden School Players, and with TAK Ensemble and the International Contemporary Ensemble. Musical America’s profile highlights Laura’s accomplishments as a performing flutist and commissioner of new repertoire for flute, as well as the activities and collaborative ethos of TAK , of which Laura is Executive Director. In addition to performing and commissioning new music, TAK also has a record label focused on emerging composers, and a podcast featuring interviews with composers and performers.

Riley Ferretti’s Dona Nobis Pacem performed by the Washington Master Chorale

A choral work by CMR alumna Riley Ferretti, originally composed for Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) last summer, was given a Washington, D.C. premiere on December 10 by the Washington Master Chorale under the direction of Thomas Colohan, who served as choral director at CMR for the past six summers. Ferretti’s Dona Nobis Pacem was premiered in June by the CMR chamber chorus. The work was included on the Washington Master Chorale’s program “Sweet was the Song” alongside a program of Christmas carols and other holiday repertoire.

Audiobook by Alicia Jo Rabins released

The audiobook version of Even God Had Bad Parenting Days, by YMP alumna Alicia Jo Rabins, was released this month. Rabins, who read the audiobook herself, describes the book as “a series of micro-essays, many of them quite personal, about how Jewish traditions can support us through the difficulties and joys of pregnancy, birth and raising little ones.” Rabins is a writer, musician, composer, performer, and Torah teacher based in Portland, Oregon.

Felix Jarrar named Resident Artist Coach at Opera Naples

Felix Jarrar, a CMR alumnus, has been engaged as the Resident Artist Coach at Opera Naples in Florida for winter 2024. He will spend two months coaching in the company’s young artist program and serve as principal rehearsal pianist for its production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Felix is a pianist, coach, and composer who recently contributed the art song Sun of the Sleepless to soprano Laura Strickling and pianist Daniel Schlosberg’s 2024 Grammy-nominated album 40@40.

Osnat Netzer releases debut portrait album

Osnat Netzer, a veteran faculty member at both of Walden’s programs, has released her debut portrait album on New Focus Recordings. Dot : Line : Sigh features performances by past Walden visiting artists Ensemble Dal Niente and Mivos Quartet, among other performers. Netzer’s music engages with various abstract concepts, including cognitive linguistics and the experience of physicality.

We want to hear from you!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friend,

As the air turns crisp and the days get shorter, I am filled with warm thoughts of Walden holiday parties. With the help of volunteer hosts (read below if you’re interested in volunteering!), Walden community members will gather this holiday season to catch up, share memories, and enjoy the warmth of the Walden community. Stay tuned for more information about these wonderful events.

We’re already looking ahead to June 15, 2024, the start of Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR), which will be back on the Dublin School campus, and to June 29, 2024 (the last Saturday in June!) when we will commence Walden’s Young Musicians Program (YMP). If you know a creative musician, ages 9 to 99, or if you yourself might want to apply to be part of Walden Summer 2024, I hope you will pass along information about Walden and request an application.

Last but certainly not least, I want to add a note of thanks to the many donors who generously contribute to Walden. Whether you gave recently to our wildly successful Giving Tuesday campaign, at one of our regional events, through Walden’s Annual Fund, or contributed your generosity in some other way, I am grateful. And if you have not yet joined Walden’s community of philanthropic supporters, ’tis the season and there’s no better time than the present! Any amount helps support student scholarships, outstanding faculty, inspiring artist residencies, and keeps the (proverbial) lights on as we prepare for Summer 2024 and beyond.

I hope you have a joyous and peaceful holiday season, and I hope to see you soon at a holiday party in your area, an upcoming Walden regional event, or next summer in Dublin!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Walden Holiday Parties

The holiday season is just around the corner! Walden community members will be gathering for holiday potlucks in cities throughout the country in December and January. Look for an email announcement of dates and cities soon, and if you are interested in hosting a party in your area or want to learn more in the meantime about these upcoming gatherings, please write to us at alumni@waldenschool.org. We are so grateful to the many volunteers who have hosted Walden holiday parties over the years.

Give the Gift of Walden

Bring some summer magic to the holiday season and support Walden School programs and initiatives with your order of Walden merchandise.

For the Holiday Season, enjoy 30% off of all merchandise orders through January 31.

We have shirts, baseball caps, canvas totes, stickers, mugs, magnets, keychains, pens, pencils, and more.

See what’s available and fill out an order form here.

Orders can be placed by check or money order, or via credit card/PayPal. Please contact Mindy Williams, Walden’s Administrative Manager, or call the Walden office at (415) 587-8157 if you have any questions.

Reflections on the 2023 Young Musicians Program (YMP)

From Seth Brenzel, Director of YMP and Walden School Executive Director

I had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family here in San Francisco, and I hope that for those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, you enjoyed a peaceful time with loved ones, as well. This is a wonderful time to reflect on all of the things for which I am grateful, and one of the things for which I am most appreciative this year is the amazing 2023 Young Musicians Program (YMP). We had a terrific session in Dublin on the gorgeous campus of the Dublin School. 56 students from around the United States, China, and Belgium joined 23 faculty, staff, nurses, and administrators for five outstanding weeks (and in some cases three weeks!) of creative music making.

We had exciting residencies with Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses; an opening concert given by percussionist and this summer’s Technical Director, Ross Karre; TAK Ensemble, led by Laura Cocks, which performed student works as well as faculty commissions; members of the International Contemporary Ensemble; and The Walden School Players, who this year were composed of Mabel Kwan (piano), Chris Wild (cello), Erica Dicker (violin), Zachary Good (clarinets), Dennis Sullivan (percussion), and Kyra Sims (horn).

Kari Francis was back for her second year as Walden’s Choral Director, and our choral concert was a wonderful success, featuring music by Veljo Tormis, Simon & Garfunkel, Lili Boulanger, Reena Esmail, Meredith Monk, and Billie Holiday, among many other wonderful composers and songwriters. Faculty members Nate Trier, Theo Trevisan, Francesca Hellerman, Lukáš Janata, Luke Schroeder, and Emi Ostrom assisted Kari in conducting choral ensembles and leading a summer filled with singing.

We were blown away and so very fortunate to have Nicole Mitchell as Walden’s Composer-in-Residence at YMP. In addition to her artistry and her own amazing music-making that she shared with our community, we were delighted by the way in which she worked with our students, providing insight and leading constructive dialogue with each YMP composer. She joyously interacted with the students, faculty, and the whole community, and indeed became a Walden community member herself during her seven-day residency. We all hope that our paths cross again sometime soon!

The summer was replete with fun—swim trips, Halloween-in-July featuring a haunted house, and beautiful mountain hikes, including the pinnacle trek up to the top of Mount Monadnock. We had an optional, non-denominational-holiday-in-July gift exchange. And we enjoyed dancing along to the music of Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses in their now-annual appearance on the “FAB-io,” the patio just outside the Fountain Arts Building on the Dublin School campus. This concert is a wonderful collaboration between Dublin School, The Walden School, and the Monadnock Folklore Society. Walden made its annual pilgrimage to MacDowell, the country’s preeminent artist residency program, in Peterborough (just 10 minutes from Walden!) to meet with and learn from composers Ashkan Behzadi and Aubrey Johnson. Thanks to Ashkan, we had the opportunity to visit one of the artist studios, outside of which the visiting students, faculty, and staff from Walden launched into spontaneous singing of one of our choral concert selections. On the walls of the artist studio, it was fun to see the names of past residents, including several Walden faculty members and artists-in-residence!

Some of you may have heard about the tornado that struck our campus during Festival Week, right in the midst of the Musicianship Demo for parents, guardians, and family members. Thank goodness we were all together and inside when the tornado touched down, and luckily very few of the buildings were damaged; most of the damage that the campus experienced were downed trees. The tornado certainly rattled our nerves, and yet the community came together to support one another during this time. We were grateful that nobody on campus or in the Walden or Dublin communities was injured, and all of us were grateful for how Dublin School responded to make sure the Walden community was safe. The David Hogan memorial tree that had been planted on the quad nearly 20 years ago was destroyed during the tornado, and we’ll be working with Dublin School to replace that tree.

A parent of two 2023 Young Musicians Program students writes: “Rarely a day goes by without my children rehashing how much fun they had at Walden last summer. I can’t thank you and the entire Walden community enough for making it possible for them to be a part of what I believe has been a life-changing experience. They’re discovering their own inner musical voices. It’s as if a spark has been lit in them.”

We hope to see you (or your student or cousin or neighbor or child) at Walden 2024, for which applications are now open. We can’t wait to light more sparks and help more eager Walden students find their musical voices!

Reflections on the 2023 Walden/JCC Alumni Reunion

From Noah Mlotek, Director of Development and Alumni Relations

Over the weekend of August 4 to 6, 2023, The Walden School hosted a weekend of events to celebrate Walden’s 50th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), Walden’s predecessor program. Dozens of Walden alumni and their families gathered in the Monadnock region to reconnect with friends, make new connections, and experience a bit of the Walden/JCC magic once again.

On Friday, alumni began arriving on the campus of the Dublin School, Walden’s summer home for the last 40 years. We enjoyed an outdoor reception and barbeque dinner, workshops by veteran Walden faculty and alumni Caroline Mallonee (“Composing with Scordatura”) and Ted Moore (“Introduction to Modular Synthesis Using VCV Rack”), and Evening Music led by YMP faculty members and alumni Francesca Hellerman and Theo Trevisan. The evening concluded with Goodnight Music and a reception in Gillespie Hall.

On Saturday, alumni had the option of hiking Mt. Monadnock or Gap Mountain, swimming in Dublin Pond, or exploring nearby Keene or Peterborough. More musical workshops were offered: Chorus, led by former YMP choral director Sarah Riskind, and Musicianship, led by Walden faculty member and CMR alumnus Lukáš Janata. Saturday evening brought a wonderfully festive 50th-anniversary dinner, with balloons and cake for Walden’s big birthday. We then enjoyed a breathtaking solo piano recital by Mackenzie Melemed, a YMP alumnus, who inaugurated the beautiful historic Steinway piano recently donated to Walden by Dublin resident and Walden supporter Tuck Crocker, who was profiled in the September edition of InterNetzo. After gathering in our final Goodnight Music circle of the reunion, alumni were treated to a special photo show filled with cherished memories from 70 years of Walden and JCC history.

On Sunday, we watched a video prepared by former JCC faculty member Ron Nelson with priceless photos and footage from the history of JCC, enlivened with commentary from Bob Weaver, the “dean” of the reunion, who first attended JCC in 1956. We also heard an update on the amazing successes of Walden at 50 from Executive Director Seth Brenzel. The reunion concluded with a Composers Forum moderated by veteran Walden faculty members Lukáš Janata and Tamar Bloch, featuring nine compositions by alumni of CMR and YMP, and incredible performances by our reunion guest artists: David Friend (piano), Thea Mesirow (cello), Laura Cocks (flutes) and Ellery Trafford (percussion) of TAK Ensemble, and Joshua Rubin (clarinets) of the International Contemporary Ensemble (clarinets). Four of these five visiting artists are past performers at Walden.

From Sanctus to Black Socks, from Earth Goddess to My Old Brown Earth, from Jumala siunaa to sol-sol-la-sol-ti-do, from “come let us sing” to “we won’t be singing till then,” it was a rich celebration of Walden and JCC and 50 and 70: a shared ethos, community, musical language, and spirit of open-mindedness that is as strong as ever. In words by the poet Wendell Berry that will be familiar to many alumni: “Again, again we come and go, changed, changing. . . . Only music keeps us here.”

Thank you to all the alumni and family members who made the trip from near and far for this special reunion. And a huge thank you to the hard-working reunion staff, led by Director of Operations Sammi Stone, and the workshop leaders who made it such a fun and memorable occasion.

. . . till then . . .

Noah Mlotek
Director of Development and Alumni Relations

Call for Memories and Photos

Attention alumni! We are renewing a call for treasured memories and photos from your time at Walden or the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), to be included in a 50th/70th-Anniversary memory book.

Please aim to keep your reflections to a maximum of 250 words.

Alumni are also invited to share up to five treasured photos with the community to be included in the memory book.

Please send your memories and photos to us at alumni@waldenschool.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Fiscal Year-End Fundraising

Walden’s 2023 fiscal year ended on September 30. From October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023, Walden’s Annual Fund raised $355,500 from 435 individuals, families, companies, and foundations, including 98 new donors. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We are inspired by your generosity, and we are grateful for the transformative experiences of music and community you make possible.

If you missed the deadline, don’t worry—it’s never too late to support Walden! You can always make a gift online or mail a check to our office:

The Walden School
7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204
San Francisco, CA 94131

Donate today

Apply for Walden 2024

Applications are open, and the first deadline is December 15

We are thrilled to announce that applications for The Walden School’s 2024 summer programs are now open! The early-round deadline to apply to the Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) is December 15. If you are a Walden or Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) alum, Walden will waive your application fee if you apply by the December 15 (early) deadline. We encourage you to share the news with your friends, family, colleagues, students, and teachers.

Creative Musicians Retreat: June 15 – June 23, 2024, Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for musicians ages 18-98)

Young Musicians Program: June 29 – August 4, 2024, at Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for pre-college musicians, ages 9-18)

Application materials for both programs are available on our website.

Write to us at applicants@waldenschool.org with any questions.

Young Musicians Program (YMP) Online Information Sessions

Join us to learn more about the music camp that changes lives.

Do you know a student who writes songs or arranges music? Or a young improviser who wants to strengthen their musicianship and meet like-minded peers? Or a music teacher who might like to learn about Walden’s unique curriculum?

Join us at one of our online interactive information sessions, featuring presentations and Q&A with Walden’s Executive Director, Seth Brenzel, alongside YMP leadership, faculty, staff, and students.

All YMP Info Sessions are held on Zoom and begin at 7 pm Eastern / 4 pm Pacific.

Learn more and register for one of the info sessions below:

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Thursday, February 15, 2024

These events are open to prospective students, music teachers, and anyone else who would like to learn about Walden’s flagship program for musicians ages 9 to 18.

Community Event

A concert of new music in Denver, co-presented by The Walden School

On Saturday, September 30, five Walden-affiliated composers presented their works in a special concert in Denver entitled “Invitation to the Wild: New Music from The Walden School and Friends.” After the concert, guests enjoyed a warm reception sponsored by The Walden School. This concert of new music, attended by about 200 listeners, was a wonderful opportunity for Walden alumni to connect with new audiences and to spread the word about Walden’s transformative music education programs.

The Walden composers represented on the concert were Loretta Notareschi (YMP alumna and YMP and CMR faculty member), Bob Bassett (CMR alumnus and member of Walden’s Board of Directors), Michael Frank (CMR alumnus), Chase Jordan (CMR alumnus), and Brandon Joung (YMP alumnus). Noah Mlotek, Walden’s Director of Development and Alumni Relations, was also present at the concert.

The performers were members of Wild Beautiful Orchestra, a dynamic collective of professionals and youth. The concert also featured inventive choreography by Kim Robards Dance, a professional modern dance touring company based in Denver.

Walden is grateful to Bob Bassett, Michael Frank, and Loretta Notareschi for their efforts in organizing this event. It was a beautiful celebration of the connections formed at Walden and the incredible impact of our programs.

Competitions and Calls for Scores

Featured opportunities for composers

Walden encourages the sharing of opportunities and resources for composers, including competitions and calls for scores that may be of interest to our community. We maintain a searchable list of competitions, awards, and calls for scores on our website. Opportunities are often posted in Walden’s community Facebook group as well.

Here is an opportunity we are highlighting this month:

The Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers

Through this competition, Foundation for Modern Music honors its late Artistic Director Robert Avalon. The competition is open to submissions of solo and chamber music (up to 5 performers) composed by junior, high school, college and professional composers, with awards for first and second place in each category. Apply by January 30, 2024.

If you’re aware of an opportunity that Walden students, alumni, faculstaff, and friends should know about too, please contact us.

Community News

Wet Ink Ensemble celebrates 25th Season

Wet Ink Ensemble, a past ensemble-in-residence at Walden, opened their 25th season on October 9 with a chamber concert that included premieres by Mariel Roberts, Kate Soper, and Josh Modney, all of whom have been visiting artists at Walden. Modney’s work LYNX featured live electronics performed by Sam Pluta, Wet Ink co-director and a longtime Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) faculty member. Wet Ink’s 25th Anniversary Festival will take place December 7-9 in New York City, featuring three more celebratory programs of collaborative and adventurous music with details to be announced.

Photo: Sam Pluta and YMP alumna Freya Waley-Cohen at the October 9 Wet Ink concert (photo courtesy of Sam Pluta)

Nicolás Benavides’s Doña Sebastiana premiered

A new composition by CMR and Teacher Training Institute (TTI) alumnus Nicolás Lell Benavides was premiered on a November 2-5 concert series in San Francisco. New Century Chamber Orchestra commissioned Benavides to write Doña Sebastiana for violin soloist and strings. The piece was premiered on “Visitations,” a program of music which “examines connections with the afterlife from many cultural angles.” You can read more here from Nicolás and the ensemble about the commission and the cultural significance of Doña Sebastiana, a folkloric figure also known as Lady Death.

Nnenna Ogwo interviewed for The Piano Pod

Pianist, educator, YMP alumna, and former Walden board member Nnenna Ogwo was interviewed in September for The Piano Pod, a classical music podcast created by Yukimi Song. Over two episodes, Nnenna discusses her earliest musical influences, the Juneteenth Legacy Project (an organization founded by Nnenna that highlights music of the African diaspora), and her 2023 album of solo piano music, Luminous. You can listen to Nnenna’s interview here.

Greg Zelek brings Miami musical heritage and collaborators to Madison

On October 6, YMP alumnus Greg Zelek presented ¡Greg Zelek y Amigos!, a bilingual program of classical and popular Latin American music, at Overture Hall in Madison, where he serves as principal organist and curator of organ programming for the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Zelek was joined by a group of Miami musicians including guitarist Alvaro Bermudez, who was Greg’s childhood guitar teacher. In an article for the Wisconsin State Journal, Zelek discussed his Cuban heritage and early musical experiences growing up in South Florida. Of the October program, Zelek said, “To share this music, to bring folks from Miami to my people here now in Madison is a very special thing.” The 2023-24 Overture Concert Organ series curated by Greg will also include a performance of Sine Nomine by the late John Weaver, a JCC alumnus and faculty member and a celebrated organist.

George Brandon’s work receives premiere in New York City

A work by scholar, composer, bandleader, and CMR alumnus George Brandon was premiered by the ensemble Numinous at Roulette Intermedia in Brooklyn, New York, on September 17. Brandon’s Introduction, Litany and Prayers is scored for large instrumental ensemble and four voices. You can listen to the archived recording here.

Feng Hew performs Walden-commissioned work by Caroline Mallonee

On November 16 in Buffalo, cellist Feng Hew performed Balance by Caroline Mallonee, a Walden alumna and director of The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR). The piece was originally commissioned by The Walden School for Ha-Yang Kim, a past visiting artist at Walden, as part of the annual Faculty Commissioning Project at Walden’s Young Musicians Program (YMP). The concert by the Buffalo Chamber Players was held in the renovated AKG art museum in Buffalo. The piece is also featured on Mallonee’s recently released album, String Tunes, which is available on CD and streaming.

C4 performs Ayanna Woods piece composed for CMR

On its November concerts, C4 (The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective) performed a work by Ayanna Woods that was originally composed for Walden’s CMR. Woods’s Don’t Follow Don’t Fall is a meditation on Jaden Smith’s tweets. Singers in C4 include fellow CMR alumni Daniel Castellanos, Emma Daniels, and Jamie Klenetsky Fay, as well as YMP faculty member Lila Meretzky. C4 is a unique ensemble of singers, composers and conductors, performing pieces written within the last 25 years, premiering and commissioning new choral works, and mentoring emerging singers, composers, and conductors of today’s choral music.

Walden composers awarded Copland House residencies

YMP alumna Leah Reid and past Walden visiting artist Scott Wheeler (as part of Dinosaur Annex) were among the ten composers granted 2023 Copland House Residency Awards. Each year, the Aaron Copland House invites eight to ten gifted American composers to reside and compose, one at a time, at Rock Hill, Aaron Copland’s historic New York home. In addition to their stays at Rock Hill, the recipients become eligible for various post-residency performance, recording, and commissioning opportunities. Congratulations to Leah, Scott, and all of this year’s Copland House residents.

Ensemble Dal Niente performs Ted Moore and more

Past Walden visiting artists Ensemble Dal Niente joined with percussion duo Beyond This Point for an October 25 concert in Chicago that featured a work by Ted Moore, a longtime CMR and YMP faculty member and a TTI alumnus. Moore’s still motion is scored for percussion with live video sampling. The concert also featured the US premiere of Simon Steen-Andersen’s Black Box Music, which combines elements of conducting, puppetry, and theater, and a premiere of To care for the bodies of the dead by Michelle Lou.

Walden friends sing Bach in the Bay Area

A recent series of concerts by the California Bach Society featured two friends of Walden: CMR alumna Zoe Yost, a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Elizabeth Susskind, who recently retired as Walden’s indefatigable Administrative Assistant. The ensemble performed J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor in three concerts around the Bay Area, accompanied by leading period instrumentalists.

We want to hear from you!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friend,

As fall arrives, I am still dreaming of Walden’s magical 50th-anniversary summer.

Walden’s 2023 fiscal year ends this Saturday, September 30, and our goal of raising $365,000 for Walden’s Annual Fund is within reach. Below, we share an update on Walden’s fundraising progress and ask for your help in taking us across the finish line. Thank you for your support!

In this edition of InterNetzo, we feature Walden supporter Tuck Crocker, who recently donated his family’s beautiful Steinway piano to Walden. This special gift will greatly enrich our concerts, forums, and renditions of Goodnight Music for many years to come.

Plus, we share a reminder about an exciting concert tomorrow in Denver, featuring works by five Walden-affiliated composers. Find more details below, including livestream information. And, as always, read to the end for lots of community news!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Fiscal Year-End Fundraising

Walden’s fiscal year ends tomorrow, Saturday, September 30

As The Walden School’s fiscal year comes to an end, we are filled with gratitude for the many, many donors who have supported our programs throughout this incredible 50th-anniversay season.

During Walden’s 2023 fiscal year, nearly 400 individuals, families, foundations, and corporations have collectively contributed $343,975 to Walden’s Annual Fund—and counting!

There’s still one day left for us to reach our goal of raising $365,000 by tomorrow, Saturday, September 30. If you haven’t yet given to Walden during the past year (or even if you have!), there’s still time to help us finish the year strong. If you can give online by 11:59 pm Eastern Time tomorrow, or postmark your gift no later than Saturday, September 30, and mail to our office in San Francisco (7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94131),  your gift will go toward helping us reach this important fundraising goal.

Donate today

Whether you are an alum, a parent, a local community member, a friend or family member of someone whose life has been positively impacted by Walden, or a new friend who joined us at one of our fundraising events held this year around the country and online—we are so grateful for your support. Everything we do at Walden is made possible by the continuing generosity of our donors. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Donate today

Upcoming Community Event

A concert of new music in Denver (and online!), co-presented by The Walden School

Join members of Walden’s faculty, administration, and board for a special concert at First Universalist Church in Denver, Colorado, tomorrow, Saturday, September 30, at 2:30 pm Mountain Time.

Five Walden-affiliated composers will have works performed by the Wild Beautiful Orchestra, a dynamic collective of professionals and youth. The concert will also feature Kim Robards Dance, a professional modern dance touring company based in Denver.

The Walden composers represented on this concert are Loretta Notareschi (YMP alumna and YMP and CMR faculty member), Bob Bassett (CMR alumnus member of Walden’s Board of Directors), Michael Frank (CMR alumnus), Chase Jordan (CMR alumnus), and Brandon Joung (YMP alumnus). Noah Mlotek, Walden’s Director of Development and Alumni Relations, will also represent Walden at the concert.

All ages are welcome. Tickets are $20 for adults, free for kids. First Universalist Church is an accessible venue with a dedicated parking lot. For tickets, navigate here.

The concert will be livestreamed. Livestream tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.

We hope to see many Walden friends for what promises to be a magical musical afternoon, with a delicious reception sponsored by The Walden School. Come and bring your friends who are interested in learning more about Walden and hearing some fascinating new music!

In the Spotlight

Tuck Crocker and Walden’s fabulous new Steinway

Just in time for Walden’s 50th anniversary—and our 40th summer in residence on the beautiful Dublin School campus, in Dublin, New Hampshire—we were surprised with a wonderful gift that will enrich both the Walden and Dublin communities for years to come.

Augustus T. Crocker, Jr. (known as Tuck), a lifelong Dublin resident, has donated his family’s beautiful Steinway piano to The Walden School. The instrument is a Steinway A3 from about 1915 that has been incredibly well cared for by the Crocker family for generations. Tuck made this special gift in loving memory of Lyneham and Mary Crocker and Augustus Thorndike Crocker, M.D. This instrument will greatly enhance Walden’s Concert Series, presented free of charge every summer in the Dublin School’s Louise Shonk Kelly Recital. Dublin School has agreed to store the instrument and will use it for special occasions during the year.

The piano arrived just before the start of our 50th-Anniversary Walden/Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) Alumni Reunion. Mackenzie Melemed, a Walden alumnus, gave a breathtaking solo recital, and the piano was also used in our Alumni Composers Forum. While these events were enjoyed by Walden alumni, a public inaugural event is being planned for next summer—stay tuned!

Below, Tuck Crocker shares more about the piano, its history, and his hopes for the instrument’s future at Walden and Dublin.

Above: Mackenzie Melemed performing on the Steinway during this summer’s Walden/JCC Alumni Reunion

How old is the piano, and how did it first come into your family?

The piano was made by Steinway in New York in 1914 or 1915. It was sold as one of a matched pair by Steinert of Boston to my great-grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. Augustus Thorndike, as an engagement gift to my grandparents, Lyneham and Mary Thorndike Crocker, in 1915. It has stayed in the family since it was purchased.

Who in your family played it? What is its significance to you?

The piano was played by my grandparents, my father, Augustus Thorndike Crocker, MD, and his siblings, Eunice (Wold), Evelyn (Querfurth), and Marianne, their uncle, Amory Thorndike, my uncle, Peter M. Hewitt, my brothers, my cousins, and myself, along with people like Louise Shonk Kelly and William S. Palmer, MD.

The piano has always been special to me as a family heirloom and as something that connected my father’s family through music—including three professional musicians (an aunt and two cousins). It’s also special to me because of so many childhood memories: my father playing in the evening when we were going to bed, my father playing four-handed piano with his sisters, long laughing lessons with my father and my uncle Peter Hewitt, family recitals, talented house guests like Louise Shonk Kelly playing with my father, and teaching myself to arrange music and to read charts.

How did your relationship with Walden begin, and why did you think of Walden for this special gift?

My relationship with Walden began when I met Seth after one of the Walden performances at Emmanuel Church in Dublin. My wife and I have supported The Walden School and enjoyed various performances. Due to illness, I’m no longer able to play the piano or to arrange music, and nobody in my family is able to “take on” the instrument. I’m grateful to The Walden School and Dublin School for being able to make use of this special instrument.

What are your hopes for the piano’s future at Walden and Dublin School?

I hope that it makes chamber music at Walden and Dublin School sound great, and that it is useful as a training and learning instrument for serious musicians. My family and I continue to hope that we can enjoy hearing the lovely sound of this instrument in its new home played by talented people who enjoy it!

Mackenzie Melemed on Walden’s new Steinway piano

“It was a pleasure to inaugurate the arrival of a new Steinway to the Walden School campus and into the Walden family. This sensitive and dynamic instrument will not only complement the existing Yamaha and allow for two-piano and larger ensemble collaborations, but it will also provide students with a fantastic opportunity to perform on a world-class instrument. Steinway is truly the gold standard. As a Steinway artist myself, I am thrilled to see that one has been generously donated to Walden and installed in Dublin!”

Community News

Stacy Garrop’s Song of Orpheus premiered

YMP alumna and former faculty member Stacy Garrop was commissioned by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra to write a concert opener to celebrate Matthew Kraemer, the orchestra’s new music director. Garrop’s Song of Orpheus was inspired by the Greek myth of the musician Orpheus, from which the orchestra’s performance venue, the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans, takes its name. The work was premiered on September 16 alongside Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to a sold-out theater.

Fay Victor celebrates album release

Fay Victor, a visiting artist at Walden (2022-2023) as part of the International Contemporary Ensemble, performed a concert at New York’s Zurcher Gallery on September 12 to celebrate her new album. Released on Northern Spy Records, Blackity Black Black is Beautiful is the first solo record in Victor’s 30-year music career, which has ranged between house, new music, jazz, and free improvisation. Bandcamp Daily called the album “a bold meditation on race, class, gender, and politics” that “exists within a unique space where poetry, electronic music, and the avant-garde meet.”

Dana Jessen awarded Cleveland Arts Prize

Dana Jessen, a former Walden faculty member and visiting artist as member of The Walden School Players, was one of nine awardees of the 2023 Cleveland Arts Prize, which recognizes exceptional achievements in various artistic disciplines. Jessen is a bassoonist, improviser, and electroacoustic musician whose original compositions, improvisations, and collaborative work have been met with critical acclaim. She serves as Associate Professor of Contemporary Music and Improvisation at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She hopes that her recognition will give permission for other artists to “think beyond the traditional pathways for their instrument and expand the range of what they can do.” The prize comes with an award of $10,000. Congratulations, Dana!

Eric Huebner named music department chair at SUNY Buffalo

Pianist Eric Huebner, a past Walden visiting artist and member of The Walden School Players, has been named chair of the music department of the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he has been on faculty since 2009. Huebner also performs as pianist of the New York Philharmonic, where he holds the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Piano Chair. At the university, he directs a piano studio and teaches courses in 20th-century piano music. Huebner shared his hopes for the growing music department in an article for UBNow.

D. Alan Shewmon performs livestreamed Chopin recital

D. Alan Shewmon, a Junior Conseratory Camp (JCC) alumnus, performed an all-Chopin piano recital at the Harvard Club in Boston on September 10. The livestream of the recital remains available for viewing here. In previous editions of InterNetzo, fellow JCC alums Tamar Bloch and Robin Seto have cited the brilliance of Shewmon’s piano performances as highlights of their memories from JCC. Dr. Shewmon is a neurologist who lives in Plymouth, Maine.

International Contemporary Ensemble performs and records George Lewis

Next month, the International Contemporary Ensemble will perform works by George Lewis and release a recording of his first opera. Lewis, the ensemble’s artistic director, has been composer-in-residence at both of Walden’s programs, and ensemble members are frequent visiting artists at Walden. On October 5, the ensemble will present a concert of Lewis’s works entitled “Hearing Voices” at Roulette in Brooklyn. The concert will be livestreamed free of charge. Also in October, the International Contemporary Ensemble will release a recording of Lewis’s Afterword: An Opera in Two Acts, based on Lewis’s history of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

Danny Felsenfeld and Eve Beglarian awarded MacDowell Fellowships

Among the latest round of MacDowell Fellows are Daniel Felsenfeld, a former Walden faculty member, and Eve Beglarian, a past composer-in-residence at both of Walden’s programs. MacDowell, the nation’s oldest artist residency program, is located near Walden’s summer home in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire, and Walden students make an annual visit to MacDowell to meet with composer fellows at the residency program. Fellowships are awarded to talented artists working in multiple disciplines, and Daniel and Eve join a long line of Walden alumni, faculty, and visiting artists to receive one of these coveted fellowships.

Riley Ferretti work programmed by Washington Master Chorale

A choral work by CMR alumna Riley Ferretti, originally composed for Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) last summer, has been programmed by the Washington Master Chorale for its upcoming winter concert. Dona Nobis Pacem was premiered at CMR in June and will be performed on December 10 by the Chorale under its artistic director, Thomas Colohan, who serves as choral conductor at CMR. This is not the first time Colohan has programmed works discovered at Walden; last fall, no fewer than five Walden-affiliated composers were featured on the chorale’s “Autumn Harvest” concert.

Montana Rogers starts new position as head librarian

Montana Rogers, a Young Musicians Program (YMP) alumna and former staff member, has started a new position as Upper School Head Librarian at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Virginia. Rogers is a writer and librarian whose work has appeared in Yankee Magazine, published from Walden’s summer home in Dublin, New Hampshire.

Freya Zaheer and Whit Bernard welcome new baby

Congratulations to YMP alumnus and former faculty member Whit Bernard and his wife, Freya Zaheer, on the arrival of their third child, Kaiyan. Welcome, baby Kai!

We want to hear from you!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friend,

Greetings from San Francisco! I have returned home after another incredible Walden summer filled with camaraderie, creative musicianship, and many, many Composers Forums—170 world premieres!—along with hikes, dances, open mics, and so much more. From our Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) to our Young Musicians Program (YMP) and our joyous 50th-anniversary Alumni Reunion, it was a summer that honored the best of Walden’s traditions while reaching new heights in community building and artistic expression.

I hope you enjoy this edition of InterNetzo, with reflections from CMR Director Caroline Mallonee on this summer’s Creative Musicians Retreat and recaps of our successful summer fundraising events. Watch out for future editions of our newsletter to find retrospectives of this summer’s Young Musicians Program and our wonderful 2023 Alumni Reunion.

As Walden continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary—as well as 70 years since the founding of the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), Walden’s predecessor program—I am filled with gratitude for our entire Walden/JCC family. The dedication to creativity and community shown by generations of Walden and JCC students, faculty, staff, visiting artists, and board members has made Walden and its transformative programs stronger than ever. In the coming months, I look forward to sharing more information with you about our ongoing commemoration of this milestone anniversary—and our exciting plans to usher in the next 50 years of Walden’s history.

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Reflecting on the 2023 Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR)

From Caroline Mallonee, Director of CMR

The Walden School held another successful Creative Musicians Retreat this year. We were thrilled to return to Brewster Academy, whose stunning buildings in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, overlook Lake Winnipesaukee. Almost 40 participants between 19 and 89 years old enrolled in the retreat and joined together to form a warm community.

We performed music by Pauline Oliveros indoors and out, and we sang every day in the boathouse under the direction of Thomas Colohan. We heard 37 world premieres on Composers Forums, which were moderated by the amazingly talented and generous Amy Beth Kirsten. Our curriculum was as robust as ever (thanks to D. J. Sparr, Osnat Netzer, Renée Favand-See, Sam Pluta, and Alex Christie), and included pedagogy and musicianship classes, seminars on contemporary topics, and four different electronic music classes. There was more chamber music at CMR than ever, including music by György Kurtág and Igor Stravinsky, as well as faculty members Sam Pluta and Caroline Mallonee and past Walden composer-in-residence George Lewis.

Please save the date for our next alumni reunion! This summer, The Walden School is hosting a weekend of events to celebrate Walden’s 50th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), Walden’s predecessor program.

We welcomed back veteran artists-in-residence David Friend (piano), Bonnie Whiting (percussion), and members of the International Contemporary Ensemble Josh Modney (violin) and Dan Lippel (guitar). And we were happy to welcome three members of the International Contemporary Ensemble to Walden for the first time: Rachel Beetz (flute), Jacqui Kerrod (harp), and Nicolee Kuester (horn). In addition to performing pieces on the Opening Concert and the Composers Forums, these incredible performers coached chamber groups, offered private lessons, and gave workshops. We were glad to have Teresa McCollough give two workshops on extended piano techniques. Participants even learned how to make their own “bows” for bowing inside the piano!

Some people said it was the best CMR ever! (Some people say this every year.) Director of Operations Sammi Stone and her amazing staff team (Francesca Hellerman, Luke Schroeder, Paul Zito, and Technical Director Ted Moore) ensured that everything ran smoothly. There were epic ping-pong matches, memorable fireside sing-alongs, and wacky and wonderful open mic performances.

We started CMR so that people of all ages could enjoy the unique musical community that Walden offers, and we are so happy to have realized that dream once again. I can’t wait for next year!

With best wishes,

Caroline Mallonee
Director, The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat

Fundraising Events

A recap of Walden’s July celebrations

Last month, Walden hosted two successful fundraising events during our Young Musicians Program (YMP).

On our July 25 online Giving Day, Walden friends near and far tuned in to our Facebook page as we shared videos of classes and choral rehearsals, interviews with students and faculty, a rehearsal of a student composition, and the first Composers Forum of our 2023 YMP Festival Week. We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did! Our goal was to raise $5,000 in honor of Walden’s 50th anniversary. With your support, we raised $7,156—143% of our goal. If you didn’t have a chance to see the videos on Giving Day, they will remain available here.

Donate today

On July 29, Walden held a 50th-anniversary celebration and fundraiser in New Hampshire. The afternoon began with a breathtaking solo recital by acclaimed violinist Miranda Cuckson, who has been visiting artist at Walden, both as a recitalist and as a member of The Walden School Players, Walden’s professional ensemble-in-residence during YMP. Cuckson performed works by a diverse selection of composers, ranging from J.S. Bach to Walden-affiliated composers Caroline Mallonee and Lei Liang.

The celebration continued at Windy Knowe, the home of Ellen and Ed Bernard in nearby Harrisville. The Bernards opened up their barn for a warm reception, featuring delicious drinks and bites and wonderful Walden community. Thank you, Ellen and Ed!

Donate today

Anne Haxo, an educator, member of Walden’s Board of Directors, and parent of Walden alumna and faculty member Cara Haxo, spoke movingly of how Walden has shaped her daughter’s life, both as a musician and a as person. Walden is a place where “everyone is brought into the circle,” and each student’s differences and unique contributions are celebrated—with lifechanging results. Thank you, Anne, for sharing your beautiful reflections on Walden.

We are so grateful to our host committee and all our event donors for their generosity. With their help, we raised $13,275 as part of this event.

Donate today

If you would like to support Walden’s 50th-anniversary season, it’s not too late! You are welcome to donate online or send a check to The Walden School at 7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94131. You can support Walden’s 2023 summer with your gift by September 30, the end of our fiscal year.

Upcoming Community Event

A concert of new music in Denver, co-presented by The Walden School

Join members of Walden’s faculty, administration, and board for a special concert at First Universalist Church in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday, September 30, at 2:30 pm Mountain Time.

Five Walden-affiliated composers will have works performed by the Wild Beautiful Orchestra, a dynamic collective of professionals and youth. The concert will also feature Kim Robards Dance, a professional modern dance touring company based in Denver.

The Walden composers represented on this concert are Loretta Notareschi (YMP alumna and YMP and CMR faculty member), Bob Bassett (CMR alumnus member of Walden’s Board of Directors), Michael Frank (CMR alumnus), Chase Jordan (CMR alumnus), and Brandon Joung (YMP alumnus). Noah Mlotek, Walden’s Director of Development and Alumni Relations, will also represent Walden at the concert.

All ages are welcome. Tickets are $20 for adults, free for kids. First Universalist Church is an accessible venue with a dedicated parking lot. For tickets, navigate here.

We hope to see many Walden friends for what promises to be a magical musical afternoon, with a delicious reception sponsored by The Walden School. Come and bring your friends who are interested in learning more about Walden and hearing some fascinating new music!

Community News

Second annual John Weaver Memorial Organ Concert presented in Portland, Maine

An organ concert celebrating the late John Weaver, a Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) alumnus and faculty member, was performed on the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ in the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine, where John concertized annually for half a century. The concert was performed in August by Grammy-award-winning organist Paul Jacobs, a former student of Weaver’s, who now chairs the organ department at the Juilliard Conservatory.

Nnenna Ogwo releases new album

Pianist Nnenna Ogwo—a YMP and CMR alumna, past YMP faculty member and visiting artist, and former Walden board member—has released a new album of solo piano performances on MSR Classics. Luminous features works by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Ulysses Kay, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Bach-Brahms, and Ogwo herself. The album was released as part of Ogwo’s Juneteenth Legacy Project and dedicated to the memory of her mother, Carmen Hague.

Davey Hiester wins concerto competition

On Thursday, July 6th, after a three-round competition over multiple weeks, conductors Kazem Abdullah and Kraig Allan Williams named YMP alumnus Davey Hiester as a winner of the 2023 Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. On July 30, Davey performed the first movement of Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto, including his own cadenza, with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the festival’s professional ensemble. Congratulations, Davey!

Opera by Nicholas Benavides previewed in San Francisco

Dolores, a new opera with music by Teacher Training Institute (TTI) alumnus Nicolás Lell Benavides, was presented in an hourlong orchestra preview in San Francisco on August 13. The opera, with a libretto by Marella Martin Koch, follows the story of labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, focusing on the period around the assassination of her friend and ally Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Benavides is a cousin of Huerta, and he spent time with her to learn her story in preparation for composing the opera. Dolores was commissioned by West Edge Opera and will have a rolling premiere in 2024/25.

Dana Jessen releases solo album

Bassoonist Dana Jessen, a past YMP faculty member, past visiting artist as part of Splinter Reeds, and past member of The Walden School Players, has released her latest solo album, Set, featuring compositions by composer and electronic musician Taylor Brook. Set presents a collaborative album-length electro-acoustic work that combines through-composed and improvised sections. The album was released on New Focus Recordings, an artist-led collective label cofounded by guitarist Dan Lippel, a Walden visiting artist as member of the International Contemporary Ensemble.

Arté Warren begins graduate studies in education

Arté Warren, a YMP alumnus who has also been a staff member at YMP and CMR, has graduated from Morgan State University with a B.A. in music and will earn his M.A. in teaching from Morgan State next year. His accomplishments were highlighted in a newsletter from the Baltimore Bridges proram, which has supported him and other Baltimore students in attending Walden’s YMP. Arté credited Bridges with introducing him to Walden, which gave him “a circle of connections and peers.” At Morgan State, Arté played marching and symphonic bands, was a member of a national honor band fraternity, and served as a music education intern at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, his alma mater.

Wendy Griffiths premieres new work 

CMR alumna Wendy Griffiths premiered a new work, Watching Birds, along with her band Changing Modes in Brooklyn. Wendy is a keyboard player, singer, and bassist in the band, which “leap[s] from one radically dissimilar style to another with gusto, guile, and a tunefulness that won’t quit” (Lucid Culture). The concert, a double billing with the ensemble Double Entendre, was held at Soapbox Gallery on Wednesday, August 30. The livestream of the concert will remain available on the Soapbox website for two more days.

Joel St. Julien featured on KQED Sunday Music Drop

CMR alumnus and YMP parent Joel St. Julien was featured on Bay Area radio station KQED’s Sunday Music Drop. The radio and online feature explored the song “Masking Two” from St. Julien’s album Masking, released in June 2022, which is “is a collage of samples that incorporate his voice, guitar, and synthesizer” (KQED). In the feature, St. Julien describes his inspirations and intentions for the song, including the process of healing and the natural beauty of the Bay Area.

Steve Messner welcomes grandson

CMR alumnus and Walden School Board member Steve Messner welcomed his first grandchild on July 14. Congratulations to Steve and his family, and welcome to baby Ari!

We want to hear from you!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friend,

Summer is here! The start of our programs is just around the corner, with our Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) beginning on June 10th in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, followed by our Young Musicians Program (YMP), which starts on June 24 in Dublin, New Hampshire. I can’t wait to hear the amazing sounds our students and participants will create at Walden this summer!

I am also incredibly excited to invite you to join us at our 50th-anniversary Walden/JCC Alumni Reunion in Dublin, New Hampshire, over the weekend of August 4 to 6. Registration is open on our website, along with a schedule of activities and more information about this very special celebration. Early-bird discounts are available, so sign up today!

There are just a few spots left in our 2023 Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR). Applications are being considered on a rolling basis, so apply now and spread the word to any creative musicians who may be interested in learning more about Walden! Read on for more information.

I wish you a fun-filled and relaxing summer, and I hope to connect with you at a Walden program or reunion soon!

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
415-587-8157

Alumni Reunion: August 4-6

Please join us for a milestone reunion celebrating The Walden School’s 50th anniversary and 70 years since the founding of the Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC), Walden’s predecessor program.

Registration is now open on our website! There is a two-step process for signing up:

• Fill out a brief form to let us know you’re interested in attending—no commitment required.
• You will then receive a link to complete your registration and pay online. Early-bird discounts are available: sign up by June 24 (the start of camp!) to receive a $100 discount on your registration!

Visit our reunion webpage to learn more about this wonderful opportunity to experience a bit of the Walden/JCC magic once again. The reunion is open to all alumni of our programs, which includes former students, faculty, staff, board members, and visiting artists. Spouses, children, and guests are welcome, too! Enjoy a weekend filled with music workshops, choral singing, concerts, hiking, swimming, festive meals, and more.

Fundraising Events

A recap of Walden’s May celebrations

Last month, Walden hosted two spectacular fundraisers in New York and Washington, DC. Between the two events, more than 125 people gathered to celebrate Walden’s 50th anniversary and to support our student scholarships and world-class artist residencies. We are so grateful to our host committees and all our event donors, who collectively contributed $23,640, bringing Walden’s 2023 summer that much closer. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

If you would like to make a contribution, it’s not too late! You are welcome to donate online or send a check to The Walden School at 7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94131.

Donate today

On May 7 in New York, we gathered at the beautiful Salmagundi Club in Greenwich Village. Acclaimed jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut gave a riveting improvised performance and shared inspiring remarks about the creative process. Cyrus Chestnut is a Walden School alumnus, and we were honored to have his artistry at this special Walden celebration.

Cyrus Chestnut performs at the Salmagundi Club (photo courtesy Meade Bernard)

Left: Cyrus Chestnut with fellow Walden alum Patricia Hurley Scotti (photo courtesy Patricia Hurley Scotti); Right: Guests enjoy a feasting table from Edenopolis Events

Donate today

On May 13 in Washington, DC, we were hosted at the historic DACOR Bacon House just steps from the White House. Pianist Pedja Mužijević, a former Walden faculty member, performed a richly varied selection of works—ranging from Haydn, Schumann, and Chopin to Morton Feldman and George Crumb—on a historic Steinway that was selected by Arthur Rubinstein. Between pieces, he reminisced about his time at Walden, where he was impressed with how the School’s unique curriculum brought out creativity in its students.

Pedja Mužijević after his performance

Left: Mark Ohmacht, Pedja Mužijević, Irene Jacoby, and Walden Board Chair Peter Colohan; Right: Walden Executive Director Seth Brenzel with YMP alumnus Jed Friedman

Donate today

Walden is Hiring!

Join our team

Walden is hiring. We are seeking new teammates to join our creative community, and we hope that you might help spread the word to your friends and colleagues.

We are currently seeking an Administrative Manager (full-time, year-round position in our San Francisco office).

Visit our job postings page to learn more! All positions are open until filled.

Summer 2023 Programs

Apply to Walden today!

There are still a few spots available in our 2023 summer programs. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis until the spots are filled:

Creative Musicians Retreat: June 10 – June 18, 2023, at Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (for musicians ages 18–98)

Young Musicians Program: June 24 – July 30, 2023, at Dublin School, Dublin, New Hampshire (for pre-college musicians, ages 9–18)

Application materials for both programs are available on our website.

Community News

Liam Cummins and Charlie Zhong win ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Awards

Congratulations to Walden alumni Liam Cummins and Charlie Zhong, who were selected as winners of 2023 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards! These awards grant cash prizes to concert music composers up to 30 years of age whose works are selected through a juried national competition. Among the judges was Lisa Bielawa, a past Composer-in-Residence at Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR).

Liam Cummins is an alumnus of Walden’s Online Young Musicians Experience (OYME), and his winning composition was Essay for orchestra. Charlie Zhong has attended Walden’s Young Musicians Program (YMP), and he was awarded for his composition Like a Single Star in the Night Sky for orchestra. Charlie also recently received honorable mention in the 2023 BMI Composer Awards, which recognize superior ability in young composers. Congratulations to both of these extraordinary young artists!

Teddy Poll appointed Resident Conductor at Houston Grand Opera

Conductor and composer Teddy Poll, a YMP alumnus, will join the Houston Grand Opera as Resident Conductor during the 2023/4 season, making his debut in performances of Madama Butterfly. In previous seasons, he has appeared as a guest artist at the Juilliard School, as well as in performances and workshops with Opera Philadelphia, the Glimmerglass Festival, Bare Opera, and the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. Teddy was a Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Caroline Mallonee releases String Tunes album 

Caroline Mallonee has released a CD recording of her series of works entitled String Tunes, performed by the Buffalo Chamber Players. A YMP alumna and longtime faculty member, Carrie now serves as the program director for Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR). The pieces on String Tunes are for string instruments in unusual tunings. Many of them bear the names of the places where they were composed, including Walden-related sites such as Dublin and Lehmann. The Butterfly Effect was commissioned by Walden for the Spektral Quartet as part of the School’s Faculty Commissioning Project. Congratulations are also due to Carrie for receiving a Distinguished Alumni Award from her high school alma mater, the Friends School of Baltimore.

Sam Pluta awarded Catalyst Award from Johns Hopkins

Longtime Walden faculty member Sam Pluta has won a Catalyst Award from Johns Hopkins University, where he is Associate Professor in Computer Music at the Peabody Institute. The Catalyst Awards honor early-career faculty members at Hopkins with a $75,000 grant to support promising research and creative endeavors. Pluta’s work will focus on the creation of a new set of AI-driven software instruments. Congratulations, Sam!

Claire Chase profiled in the New York Times

Flutist Claire Chase, founder of the International Contemporary Ensemble and a frequent visiting artist at Walden, was the subject of a New York Times profile under the headline “Claire Chase is Changing How People Think of the Flute.” The article referred to Chase as “one of the most enterprising and imaginative musicians in her field,” and it highlighted her multiyear “Density 36” commissioning project, which is being celebrated with upcoming concerts and a box set of recordings. The article included quotes from George Lewis and Marcos Balter, both of whom have been Composer-in-Residence at both of Walden’s programs.

Amelia Lukas collaborates on SoundsTruck NW concert series

Former Walden staff member and board member Amelia Lukas has co-curated a new outdoor concert series in Portland, Oregon. The concert series, which was profiled in the Oregonian, will be presented by SoundsTruck NW, a mobile performance venue in a custom-built trailer. The site-specific concerts will take place in different locations around Portland, including one that will feature Lukas performing on flute. Lukas is the founder and principal of Aligned Artistry, a public relations consulting firm specializing in arts representation in the Pacific Northwest region.

Joel St. Julien partners with Third Coast Percussion

CMR alumnus and YMP parent Joel St. Julien has been selected as a Currents Creative Partner by Third Coast Percussion for their 2023/4 season. St. Julien is a Haitian-American composer, musician, songwriter, and sound artist based in San Francisco. He has written music for documentaries, films, podcasts, and dance. The Currents Creative Partnership is an opportunity offered by Third Coast Percussion to collaborate with innovative music creators who are at the beginning of their careers, have less experience writing music for percussion, or are looking to expand their creative work in new directions. Congratulations, Joel!

Nate May collaborates with All-Abilities Music Creation Project

Former YMP faculty member Nate May has participated in a unique collaboration sponsored by Legacy Arts International. The All-Abilities Music Creation Project was designed for gifted music students whose educational needs are not being met due to factors which could include a disability, lack of representation in the field, or other unmet needs. The project pairs world-class composers with music students to create new musical compositions that will emphasize their unique strengths, interests and/or cultural heritage. Nate was paired with a 13-year old pianist named Adam, for whom he composed The Hearer, which the young student will perform on June 4. Nate said he wanted to write a piece that captured Adam’s sunny disposition, love of jazz, and interest in the Marvel super hero movies.

We want to hear from you!

What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news at waldenschool.org/contact.

Stay in Touch

You can like The Walden School page on Facebook and join The Walden School private group to hear about events and opportunities throughout the year. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, bandcamp, and at waldenschool.org.

Message from Seth Brenzel, Executive Director

Dear Walden friend,

Walden’s 50th summer has come to a close. It was a joyous one, filled with close mentorship, artistic collaborations, inspired music-making, and creative growth for nearly 100 students ages 9 to 88(!) at our Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR). More than 150 original works of music composed by Walden students were premiered on our Concert Series, which was offered free of charge to the public and livestreamed online.

I hope you enjoy this September edition of InterNetzo, which includes a recap of our 2022 YMP, a look at our successful summer fundraising events, a roundup of changes on Walden’s Board of Directors, and lots of community news.

Plus, Friday, September 30 is the last day of Walden’s fiscal year. Please consider making a gift to our Annual Fund today, so that these amazing summer programs can continue to thrive for generations of creative musicians to come. This year’s community of nearly 400 donors (and counting!) made Walden 2022 possible. We simply could not have done what we did this summer without our donors’ loyal and generous contributions. On behalf of the entire Walden community, I am so very grateful.

Best wishes,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
(603) 563-8212

Reflecting on the 2022 Young Musicians Program (YMP)

From Seth Brenzel, Executive Director and Director of YMP

What a summer we had! Walden’s Young Musicians Program (YMP) was by many accounts a smashing success. During 2022, 14 teaching faculty, 8 staff, 3 nurses, and 47 students from across the United States, about 50% of whom were themselves alumni of YMP, enjoyed five weeks (or in some cases three weeks) of summer fun, creativity, chorus, musicianship classes, Composers Forums, concerts, and so much more. They composed inventive, exciting music; attended three classes each day (from a schedule of nearly 30 classes); sang in chorus led by our chorus director Kari Francis; created a remarkable musical and artistic community; and made some friends for life. 25 visiting artists presented 24 concerts, composer presentations, open rehearsals, and Composers Forums, during which dozens of exciting new pieces written by our imaginative students were premiered.

We had a lot of fun along the way: five dances, five open mics, one slide show, one fancy dinner on the last night, three mountain hikes (one was cancelled due to heat!), one “heat-out” Saturday excursion to an ice-skating rink, one weekend of bouncy house, one dunk tank (yours truly was dunked by four different students and staff!), one spirited game of Gold Rush, one Halloween-in-July (complete with Haunted House—thank you, Kittie, Alex, and team!), one non-denominational-celebration-and-gift-exchange-in-July, more than a dozen swim trips to Dublin Lake and Greenfield State Park, Fourth of July games including the long-awaited (by me!) return of the egg toss and an epic treasure hunt, one visit to Dublin School’s Perkin Observatory to gaze at the amazing New Hampshire night sky, and dozens of incredible meals prepared by the superlative Dublin School dining staff.

It was a summer to remember, for sure. All of our concerts and Composers Forums—for the first time ever—were both livestreamed and open to the public, all free of charge. One parent of a YMP student remarked that Walden 2022 was “as close to a perfect summer for a young creative as one could ask for.” We hope to see you (or your student or cousin or neighbor or child) at Walden 2023(!), for which we are planning in earnest and about which we are already dreaming . . .

Fiscal Year End Fundraising Drive

Walden’s fiscal year ends on September 30—this Friday! That means we have less than a week to reach our Annual Fund goal of $395,000. We are getting close, and we need your help.

Donate Today

Thank you to the nearly 400 individuals and families who have contributed to Walden’s Annual Fund during the current fiscal year. If you haven’t given yet this year, please join us. Every gift counts and makes a tremendous impact on our community.

To have your contribution to Walden’s annual fund included in this fiscal year, make a gift online until 11:59pm PDT on September 30, or mail a check (postmarked by September 30) to our office:

The Walden School
7 Joost Avenue, Suite 204
San Francisco, CA 94131

Summer Fundraising Events

Walden’s loyal community of supporters turned out in force for three wonderful fundraising events this summer.

Giving Day

July 25 was Walden’s third annual online Giving Day. We were overjoyed to share a day at the Young Musicians Program (YMP) by livestreaming snippets of classes, mealtime blessings, a festival piece rehearsal, and interviews with YMP students as well as Composer-in-Residence Amy Beth Kirsten. The day concluded with a livestream of the first Composers Forum of Festival Week. This virtual event raised $9,241 from 58 individuals and families. Thank you to everyone who participated!

The videos produced on Giving Day are still available for viewing here.

New Hampshire Summer Celebration

On July 30, Walden held its first summer fundraiser in New Hampshire since 2019. Approximately 80 attendees, including YMP parents, Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) alumni, Walden Board members, and New Hampshire community members gathered for a spectacular afternoon of music and refreshments.

First, YMP alumnus Mackenzie Melemed performed a breathtaking piano recital featuring works of Beethoven, Scriabin, and Gottschalk in Dublin’s School’s Louise Shonk Kelly Recital Hall. Then, guests were invited to Windy Knowe, the home of Ellen and Ed Bernard, for a wonderful reception in their newly completed barn. The event raised a total of $12,475 from 34 individuals and families. We are so grateful to Mackenzie, to Ellen and Ed, and to our dedicated host committee for making this such a memorable and successful event.

Seth Brenzel’s 50th Birthday

For his 50th birthday—which coincides with the 50th anniversary year of Walden’s founding—Executive Director Seth Brenzel held a fundraiser on Facebook, which raised a stunning total of $37,041 from more than 50 individuals and families. This was an amazing testament to the love that our community has for Seth and Walden. Thank you to Seth and to all who contributed!

Transitions on Walden’s Board of Directors

In the midst of this summer’s Young Musicians Program (YMP), Walden’s Board of Directors held its first in-person meeting since March 2020, when it last met in person in New York City in the Empire State Building! For two days in July, this group of dedicated volunteers met to work on plans for Walden’s long-term growth and sustainability. Board members also joined the YMP community for a barbecue dinner and a concert by The Walden Schools Players. The weekend was capped off by a celebratory dinner hosted by Charlie and Dede MacVeagh at their home.

As always at the Board’s July meeting, additional directors were welcomed, and new officers were elected. Here is a roundup of the changes:

Board Chair Changes Hands

Rita Mitra has stepped down after 5 years as Walden’s Board chair. Walden owes Rita a debt of gratitude for her tireless and wise leadership during a time of unexpected challenges. Rita will remain on the Board as one of its two vice-chairs. Ever humble about her many contributions, Rita, the mother of YMP alum Danielle Oberdier LeBlanc, says: “I can never pay back what Walden has given my daughter.” Thank you, Rita, for all that you have done and continue to do for Walden.

Taking over as chair is Peter Colohan, a Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) alumnus and a member of Walden’s Board since 2015. Peter is Executive Director of the Internet of Water, a project based at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Congratulations, Peter, on your new leadership role at Walden, and thank you in advance for your service in this important position.

New Board officers

The officers of Walden’s Board of Directors for 2022–23 are as follows:

Chair: Peter Colohan

Vice-Chairs: Rita Mitra and Danielle Schindler Cheung

Treasurer: Steve Messner

Secretary: David Roberts

New board members

JoAnn Balingit
JoAnn is a poet, essayist, and K12 arts-in-education advocate who served as Delaware’s poet laureate from 2008 to 2015. She is a Delaware Division of the Arts teaching artist for Poetry Out Loud, a national high school recitation contest, and teaches poetry and memoir classes for libraries and nonprofits. The recipient of several fellowships and writing recognitions, JoAnn identifies as a next-gen, or 2nd-generation writer whose poems and essays explore cultural memory and loss, family history and parenthood. She lives with her husband Fred Hofstetter and Julian—who has attended both YMP and CMR—in Newark, Delaware, on Leni Lenape tribal homeland. Watching a Composers Forum for the first time in the summer of 2016, JoAnn Balingit was moved and delighted by the confidence, creativity, and sense of belonging everyone radiates at Walden.

Jamie Hamilton
Jamie is passionate about creating communities that thrive in the life of service, generosity, listening, and learning. For twenty years, she was both an educator and administrator at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, teaching religion and philosophy and overseeing the health and welfare of students in her role as dean. Jamie is a past Rector of All Saints Church in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, a summer congregation located next to the Dublin School campus. Jamie is returning to the Walden Board after having served from 2013 to 2016. She lives in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

David Keller
David Keller, CMT, is Chief Market Strategist at StockCharts.com and President of Sierra Alpha Research LLC, where he helps investors make better decisions using behavioral finance and technical analysis. He is the host of The Final Bar, the daily closing bell show on StockCharts TV, and he relates mindfulness techniques to investor decision making in his blog, The Mindful Investor. David is a classically trained musician and student pilot, and resides in Duvall, Washington, with his wife and two children. David’s perpetual pursuit of musical experiences led him to CMR in 2018, and he has literally not stopped thinking about it ever since.

Kate Valenta
Through her career in arts administration, Kate has worked for the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, where she served as Associate Director of Development. She now lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, with her husband and daughter. Kate serves as a trustee of the Hoboken Historical Museum and as board chair of the Fund for a Better Waterfront in Hoboken. Kate is honored that Walden has given her the opportunity to be directly involved in the non-profit arts sector again, and to support transformative experiences for young people through music and composition.

Ellen Bernard becomes Director Emerita

It was a bittersweet moment as we bade farewell to Ellen Bernard as a regular Board member, while welcoming her as a Director Emerita. Ellen’s 18 years of service on Walden’s Board of Directors, consisting of two nine-year terms, have been nothing short of extraordinary. As former Board member Molly Pindell said when Ellen stepped down after her first nine-year term, “Her work on the board stands as one of the pillars of Walden’s successful growth over the past decade. Walden has blossomed in such positive ways and Ellen’s guidance of the board was certainly one of the major forces that shaped the path of this growth.” Those statements are even truer today. Walden is enormously grateful for all of Ellen’s service, past, present, and future!

Photo: Rita Mitra (left) and Ellen Bernard at the Board dinner in July.

Ryan Muncy in Memoriam

From Executive Director Seth Brenzel

Walden is a community in grief at the loss of Ryan Muncy, an acclaimed saxophonist, educator, arts administrator, and frequent visiting artist Walden, who passed away in July. Ryan was a dear friend of mine, a dear friend and colleague to so many of us in the Walden community, and an inspirational performer for and mentor to hundreds of Walden students for many years. His passing leaves a big hole in the Walden community. We join with all those who were touched by Ryan’s artistry and dedication over the years in grieving his passing and sending peace and comfort to his family and loved ones.

Ryan first came to Walden as part of Dal Niente in 2013. With Dal Niente, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and The Walden School Players, he was in residence at Walden eight different times. Some people who come to Walden are immediately part of the fabric of the place, and you start to imagine that they literally are Walden, have always been part of Walden, and will always be. Ryan was one such person. He will always be part of Walden, and I’m so grateful to have known him and for all that he gave to me, this community, and our students. Ryan is and will be forever missed.

As a testament to how deeply Ryan touched so many of us at Walden, we share a reflection from Theo Trevisan, a Young Musicians Program (YMP) and Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) alumnus and staff member, who explains the significance of the yellow bat Ryan is holding in the photo above, captured by Composer-in-Residence Marcos Balter around the firepit during CMR 2021:

Back in summer 2014, Ryan was one of The Walden School Players, and Zünder Jones (who had already done several hilarious pranks that summer) had an idea for one more small prank during YMP Festival Week. He decided arbitrarily to create the “Ryan Muncy Fan Club” and gather a bunch of us to prank Ryan by mobbing him at the breakfast line as his fan club (as if we were paparazzi). Funnily enough, the prank primarily consisted of us flash mobbing Ryan at breakfast, and signing the wiffleball bat was only a small part of the idea. Ryan was an extremely good sport about it (especially considering he hadn’t had any coffee yet!), and even though he was confused at what was happening, he signed the bat.

The next summer in 2015, Ryan was back as both a Walden School Player and a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble. I remember checking the rec room for some reason and finding the signed bat among the rest of the wiffleball bats, and I thought it would be hilarious to have him sign the bat again. At the end of that summer, he signed the bat and dated the signature to 2015, and thus a tradition was born. Every subsequent year, Ryan would sign the bat while he was at Walden, and after my last summer as a student in 2017, Sasha Paris-Carter took over as the “Chair” of the Ryan Muncy Fan Club. I believe he signed it every year from 2014 all the way until 2021, when he was in residence at the Creative Musicians Retreat while I was a participant.

Ryan’s graceful response to a bizarre prank, and its subsequent transformation into a Walden tradition, showed Ryan’s extraordinary kindness and good humor. I wrote for Ryan at every opportunity I could after that (four times between 2015 and 2021, more than I wrote for anyone else at Walden) because of his warmth and generosity as well as his amazing musicianship. He was a role model for how the collaborative process should work and how that can tie into communities like Walden, and I strive to approach all of my collaborative endeavors with the professionalism, generosity, and humor that Ryan exemplified. He helped make so many Walden students’ summers excellent and fun.

Community News

Walden at TIME:SPANS
In August, several Walden-affiliated performers and composers were featured at this year’s TIME:SPANS contemporary music festival at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York. Among them: past YMP and current CMR faculty member Sam Pluta’s piece Atens was premiered by Splinter Reeds (an ensemble that includes bassoonist Dana Jessen, a past YMP faculty member and current Walden School Player.) Splinter Reeds, itself a past Walden visiting ensemble, also performed past YMP faculty member Sky Macklay’s piece Choppy, featured on Splinter Reeds’ album Hypothetical Island. Another piece by Sky Macklay, Microvariations, was performed by the Argento New Music Project. Dana Jessen also performed Seismologics, a piece for bassoon and electronics that was written for her by past YMP and CMR Composer-in-Residence George Lewis. Other premieres included phrēn, by past visiting artist and Walden School Player Eric Wubbels, performed by JACK Quartet, and drip music, by past YMP faculty member Katie Balch, performed by Talea Ensemble.

Photo: Sky Macklay and Sam Pluta with the members of Splinter Reeds.

Constantine Darie wins two composition competitions
Constantine Darie, a 2022 YMP student and sophomore at Potsdam Central School in New York, has won two prizes from the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA): one for the Young Composers Honors Concert and another for the Electronic Music Composition Showcase. His compositions Waves and Other Side will be performed at the NYSSMA Winter conference in Rochester, New York, December 1 through 3. An article about the composition of Waves can be found here. Congratulations, Constantine!

Lila Mertezky awarded with Sandbox Percussion’s Creator Mentorship Program
YMP faculty member Lila Meretzky was one of two composers chosen for the inaugural Creator Mentorship Program by Sandbox Percussion. Over the next year, the ensemble will commission a piece from each of these two creators and will bring them to New York City to rehearse, workshop, perform, and record these pieces. Congratulations, Lila!

Nick Benavides’s opera available for streaming
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the one-act opera Tres Minutos, by TTI and CMR alum Nicolas Benavides, is available for viewing in a high-quality video stream until October 15. Also, congratulations to Nick on successfully defending his dissertation to complete his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at USC Thornton School of Music!

Mivos Quartet on NPR
Former CMR ensemble-in-residence Mivos Quartet was featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, playing works by Robert Honstein and Henry Threadgill. The ensemble is also holding its twelfth Mivos/Kanter String Quartet Commission Prize designed to promote preexisting works of talented emerging composers residing in the United States. The application deadline is October 15.

Anuj Bhutani wins ASCAP award
CMR alumnus Anuj Bhutani won the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award for his piece On Letting Go for cello and electronics. A recording and score are available here. A short video of Anuj speaking about the piece is here. Congratulations, Anuj!

Wendy Griffiths piano works recorded
An album of piano works by CMR alumna Wendy Griffiths is available now on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. Featuring pianist Elizabeth Rodgers, the album is entitled Views from the Keyboard.

John Weaver Memorial Organ Concert
An organ concert celebrating the late John Weaver, a JCC alumnus and faculty member, was performed on the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ in the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine, where John concertized annually for half a century. The concert was performed in August by Richard Elliott, one of John’s students and now principal organist of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, and it featured two of John’s compositions. He has included two of John’s own compositions. A recording of the concert is available for purchase here, and today is the last day to view it.

Sky Macklay commission premiered
Past YMP faculty member Sky Macklay’s Canon Cadenza Cadence Cluster,  was premiered by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble in Berkeley and San Francisco on September 18 and 19. The commission was made possible by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The piece features the double bass.

Eric Huebner releases solo piano recording
New Focus Recordings has released Earth: Music for Solo Piano by Stephen Barber, featuring former YMP visiting artist Eric Huebner. Eric is pianist of the New York Philharmonic and a professor of music at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Zach Layton in residence at MacDowell
CMR alumnus Zach Layton, a guitarist, composer, curator, teacher, and visual artist based in New York, has been awarded a residency at MacDowell, the storied artist residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, just down the road from Walden’s summer home at the Dublin School!

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