Summer in Sombor!

I guess it seems a little late to be starting this blog, at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, the last day of our weeklong workshop here in Sombor, Serbia. But hey, better late than never? Five of the SO6 – Kala, Eddy, Michael, our fearless leader over here, Aleksandra, and myself (Dan) have organized a week of discussions, presentations, string quartet rehearsals and performances, and lessons. We’ve had five American students, one Irish student, and five Serbian students, and by this point in the week we’re all sort of blissed out, walking around in love with everything and every one. There is a great cultural and musical chasm to bridge between home and here in some ways, and yet students seem to have bonded without issue, and faculty (the SO6) are just stumbling around wondering how they ever got it quite so right. Of course the meaning of this all is that come early September, we’ll begin thinking about Summer in Sombor ‘08, but for now we have one more beautiful day to enjoy.

Our mornings have been filled with faculty and student presentations, and then discussions on topics such as “Secret music,” grants for composers, career paths, world music and more. Of course interspersed here and there have been frequent well-timed visit to the lovely cafe next to the English Language Academy where we hold our classes. Afternoons have consisted of lessons and rehearsals with the lovely and talented Season Quartet, in residence and working like gangbusters. They put on a concert of our new music on Wednesday, and will play student (in some cases student should be in quotes, as some of our participants are in fact quite advanced) pieces tomorrow night in city hall. We have had wonderful local press coverage on TV and in the newspaper, and have been treated pretty much like royalty by the Sombor locals.

When it all ends tomorrow night we’ll go on a little Serbian tour, with two concerts – the latter in Novi Sad – before making our way back to Belgrade and the long trip home. Maybe some others will post in this space, but for now thought I’d just bring you up to date. Check our website, http://www.southoxfordsix.org for many, many pictures of this magical week.

Sdravo!

Dan