I was 16 years old. Off to spend four weeks at the Chautauqua Institution high school orchestra. I remember so well the nervous and excited arrival gave way to endless days slipping between music-making and friend-making (and buffalo wings). The dining hall. The lake. The practice rooms. Noticing how good the orchestra was. And how, on the last night, we stayed up on the dock together reliving the last notes of Tchaikovsky 5. I'm still in touch with many of the friends from that summer,...

I was a student at the Aspen Music Festival for four summers. I loved that place. I couldn't get enough of the mountains, the energy of my studio, lessons with my teacher Joaquin Valdepeñas, and the incredible music-making. During my first summer though, I placed 19th out of 25 in the screened placement auditions. I remember walking up to the posted results, scanning for my number, and walking away feeling completely disheartened. My first screened audition :( But as the festival went on,...

Hey Reader A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of being on the Fearless Artist Podcast, and having a terrific conversation with pianist and co-founder, Michelle Lynne. Some of you might remember her as 2025 guest speaker here at 360! Within the first few minutes, we were already into it deep. With our shared commitment to the success of music professionals, and knowing that there's often so much uncertainty and self-doubt, I wanted to share one powerful reminder. It's for ALL of us,...