I participated in six tours during the 80s and 90s. My first touring experience was with the late great Siegfried Palm. We performed the Hindemith Octet and recorded it for the Marlboro Recording Society. He called me “Tessie” because he thought that was my name, and soon Ida Levin had everybody calling me “Tessie” that summer, and I kind of started to like it so I never corrected him! Siggie was an inspired teacher who never lost his spirit of discovery no matter how many world premieres he performed. He knew and worked with so many of the great mid- twentieth century composers:  Berio, Hindemith, Messiaen, etc., and he passed along all of his knowledge directly to us. He was tough but kind, demanding but respectful, and he was a brilliant  performer and teacher. I will never forget him!

I will always remember David Krakauer during one of our many “band tours” playing a completely improvised surprise cadenza during the Beethoven Wind Octet at a concert somewhere in Long Island…..He is crazy in the best possible way!!

I remember touring with violist John Graham and performing the Copland Sextet for strings clarinet and piano. I am thinking of a particularly focused performance at the Met Museum like it was yesterday!  This music is rarely performed nowadays, and I want to thank John for putting together such a thoughtful program and for asking me to participate! Preparing the sextet was a  challenge because, as usual, we had  limited rehearsal time and the piece was rhythmically complex, to say the least. John was a calm leader and Robert McDonald, piano, was a pleasure to work with as well.

I will always be grateful for my summers at Marlboro,  my first professional touring experiences with Music from Marlboro tours, and most importantly, the many lifelong friends I have made. It has been 30 years since Tony picked me up at that little airport  in Keene NH. I know that probably everybody says this, but the experience truly changed my life.