63 Moose Walk Box 953
Moultonborough, NH 03254 July 16, 2009
Dear Mr. Fogal:
Last Tuesday night, my husband and I attended a chamber music concert at Plymouth State University. As usual, we thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The musicians played very difficult music extremely well. We came home talking about how much we love the New Hampshire Music Festival. We have attended many concerts in Boston to hear the BSO and orchestras and soloists from around the world who are part of the Celebrity Series, but we agreed that the concert Tuesday night “created fresh enthusiasm for classical music”.
On Wednesday, my husband went to the post office and brought home your letter of July 13. All of our euphoria turned into disbelief and anger. Instead of asking the current orchestra members to “apply for consideration for the 2010 season”, you should be begging them to come back. These musicians have demonstrated their commitment to the Festival over and over again by playing wonderful concerts not once but twice a week. They are extremely talented and have solid professional experience, and they obviously enjoy playing together. I don’t know the meaning of “function in new ways”. If you would just listen to them play chamber music on Tuesday night and feel the enthusiasm of the audience on Thursday night, you wouldn’t need a “recording”. “Mentoring highly talented students” is something most of them do all winter long as teachers at their respective universities. They come to NH to play with professionals. They ara true artists “making music in the 21st century”. It is something they do week after week so I don’t know why they have to write about it. I can’t imagine what “talents and capabilities” you couid ask them to demonstrate that we haven’t already heard when attending NHMF concerts. Stating that “we expect higher standards, longer hours, and a much more engaged commitment” is insulting. As talented and experienced as they are, they couldn’t have played that concert Tuesday night without spending long hours in rehearsal.
Last year we attended four concerts on Thursday night and two concerts on Friday night because of prior commitments. Just about every seat was taken on Thursday nights and there was a large, enthusiastic audience on Friday nights. I have seen no “lack of support” for the Festival’s classical concerts. Not every concert can be a sel! out.
Last but certainly not least, we looked through the program book and found that the chorus was missing. If you are looking for an audience, the chorus brings them in because people enjoy listenlng to the chorus and singing in it, and because all the friends and relatives of the chorus members show up.
We are not big contributors so this letter will probably end up in the circular file, but do me a favor and don’t send us any more letters this summer. Let us enjoy the last five concerts of the NHMF season.
Sincerely,
Paula B. Young
cc: David H. Graham; Edward J. McLear; Susan B. Weatherbie