The longtime resident of Vermont added that the "arrival of the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington eight years ago broadened and deepened the interest in classical music in the State of Vermont, and certainly widened the pool of string players in Burlington each summer." He gets to know many of the emerging string players at GMCMF each summer, reminding us that he does "a lot of their re-hairs."

Being a bowmaker is a niche profession and Mr. Grabenstein was kind enough to explain how he came to be a specialist in this area of instrument building.   "I started out in 1973 as a guitar maker and then I met Peter Tourin of Tourin Musica who was building violas da gamba. I was second banana in a two-banana shop for eleven years," he chuckled. Then in 1982, the University of New Hampshire offered a summer Violin Craftsman Institute and he signed up to study with William Salchow, a revered bowmaker. His teacher has since been honored by the American Federation of Violin and Bowmakers. "I studied with Bill for two summers, and back in Vermont I'd spend three days a week working on instruments and two days a week crafting bows. Then the proportion changed and I became much more dedicated to bows." Since 1990, Mr. Grabenstein has been working solo in his Jericho Center "saw dust" shop creating and repairing bows exclusively.

GMCMF Board Member Fran Pepperman Taylor was the catalyst for H.F. Grabenstein to become an advertiser. "She didn't have to convince me much," said Mr. Grabenstein. He uses Fran as a bow tester and respects her opinion; "I'll bring three or four bows over to her and she'll tell me if they are behaving properly. After I make adjustments, she'll assess their final playability." The respect seems mutual; Fran says that she got to know Harry at first as "the 'bow man' at the Violin Shop who fixed my bows." Over the years, she reports that she has purchased two bows from him.

A transplanted New Yorker, Fran Pepperman Taylor has been a fixture in the Burlington music scene since moving to Vermont in 1986. She maintains an active private violin and viola studio, has a small chamber orchestra at St. Michael's College, and plays with local chamber groups and other regional orchestras. Introduced to the violin in third grade, Fran currently oversees the afterschool strings program in the Burlington Public Schools, sharing her early love of music with today's youngsters.

With her extensive music-making and busy schedule, why did Fran Pepperman Taylor take on the responsibilities of a position on the Board of Directors of Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival? She echoes the sentiments of H.F. Grabenstein, "The more music, the better. And, the more classical music, better yet! But, it's not only that, GMCMF is also devoted to education--string music education, in particular--as am I."

We're grateful for Fran Pepperman Taylor's committed volunteer involvement with Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and to her bowmaker, H.F. Grabenstein, for coming on board as an advertiser in the 2012 program book.

Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival's program book advertising campaign is about to close. Advertisements are reasonably priced: $50 to $350. To place an advertisement, please contact Public Relations Associate Sally Olson by email: solson@gmcmf.org. Deadline: April 30, 2012 for submission of all materials.

Christina said that "the atmosphere is relaxed and inspiring - Burlington is a fantastic place to spend the summer, and GMCMF provides an intensive learning environment for any aspiring musician." She initially applied because her "former teacher, Carolyn Stuart, taught there and because it provided a great place to practice and participate in chamber music." Now a student of Bayla Keyes at BU, we asked her what she expects to gain from studying with a different teacher over the summer? The violinist responded that "it's always nice to gain a fresh perspective. In addition, being in an environment free from the distractions of school or work can be very helpful. The faculty at GMCMF are amazingly adept at providing engaging lessons and chamber music coachings."

Some of the less experienced students will most likely look up to Christina as a mentor this summer when she returns for her 5th Festival season. Does she have any advice to share with them? "I would advise 1st year students to take full advantage of as many performance opportunities as possible!" If they need more wise counsel, she can most likely be found "at Dobra Tea or someplace else on Church Street" in her free time.

Robert Jesselson Celebrates A Milestone by Fostering New Work and

 Emerging Artists

University of South Carolina Distinguished Professor and cellist Robert Jesselson will return to the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in 2012 for his 8th season. A founding faculty member of the Festival, Dr. Jesselson recently brought us up to date on his 2011-2012 performance activities, which included celebrating a significant career milestone.

Robert Jesselson and Charles Fugo celebrated the 30th anniversary of their collaboration together as the Jesselson/Fugo Duo by commissioning six composers to write pieces for them. They performed all six pieces, plus the Rachmaninoff and Chopin sonatas, in two concerts in November and February. The composers are all current or emeritus USC faculty members: Reginald Bain, Samuel O. Douglas, John Fitz Rogers, Dick Goodwin, Tayloe Harding and Bert Ligon. The Duo is recording all the new works for a CD.

Robert Jesselson gave concerts and master classes in North Carolina, Kansas, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois and in St. Lucia, Caribbean this year. As Executive Director of the National String Project Consortium he oversaw the continued expansion of the program, which now has String Project sites at 44 universities around the US, all modeled on the USC String Project in Columbia. He took the USC Cello Choir to Atlanta for a session at the ASTA national conference, and gave another session entitled Kinesthetics and Calisthenics for Cellists (and other string players!).

Pictured is the South Carolina Cello Choir. Founded in 1981, upwards of 200 cellists from the region come together annually for clinics and performance opportunities. Hosting the program rotates among five local educational institutions: University of South Carolina, Furman, Bob Jones University, Converse College, and the College of Charleston. When asked about the repertoire available for a cello choir, Dr. Jesselson explained: "There is a lot of literature for large choirs, including some that we have commissioned, such as John Fitz Roger's Ad Pacem in memory of Mstislav Rostropovich."