Vol. XIX No. 1
September 2003
A Spoleto Sojourn

By JOHN MCMURTERY

The Juilliard Orchestra traveled to Italy this summer to serve as the resident instrumental ensemble of the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto-the orchestra’s fourth trip abroad since 1983. (Previous tours included one to Europe and three to Asia.) By the time the festival was over, the young musicians had appeared in a total of 14 instrumental, operatic, and gala performances-under six different conductors. A sextet of Juilliard jazz students also brought genuine American jazz to Spoleto for the first time in the festival’s history. Here, two students (flutist and orchestra member John McMurtery and jazz pianist Adam Birnbaum) share some of their experiences during those busy but rewarding weeks, while administrator Mike Finn provides some background on how it all came to happen.

Slide Show: The Juilliard Orchestra in Spoleto

Juilliard Orchestra Takes Up Residency at the Festival of Two Worlds
By JOHN McMURTERY

"When I was approached with the opportunity to participate in Spoleto’s Festival dei Due Mondi with the Juilliard Orchestra, I felt excited and honored," flutist John McMurtery writes. "My first thought was of the phone calls I needed to make to clear my schedule for the five-week tour. That done, I looked forward to a wonderful music-making experience." More...

Jazz Gains a Presence in Spoleto
By ADAM BIRNBAUM

The six musicians selected to represent Juilliard Jazz at Spoleto had the difficult task of introducing the genre to a festival not traditionally associated with jazz in any way. But they rose to the occasion. More...

How it Came About
By MIKE FINN

One morning in October 2002, the phone rang in the office of Mike Finn, Juilliard’s associate dean and director of performance activities. On the other end of the line was Francis Menotti, the executive and artistic director of the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto. So began Juilliard’s Spoleto adventure. More...


Return to Contents