Summer's Bountiful Harvest in SandBox.

The last thirty days in SandBox brought an extraordianry array of rich offerings. In late June we worked with Regenertive CA to present the Award Winning documentary film "Common Ground" The sell out audience was treated to the sobering and inspiring film followed by an enlightening discussion with guest panelists who are specialists in the field of regenerative farming. Many thanks to the executive producer, Laura Turner Seydel for bringing the film to SandBox! And thank you to the CEO of Regenertaive CA, Kristin Coates for her work with this wonderful organization.

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In mid July we welcomed another sell out crowd for "Alina Bercu and Friends". Romanian pianist Alina Bercu came to SandBox from Germany for a week of music making that will not be forgotten by anyone who was lucky enough to be in SandBox that evening. Alina's "friends" were the prize winning violiniust Nancy Zhou, principal violist of the SF Symphony Jonathan Vinocour and yours truly, Michelle Djokic on cello. This concert was made possible by the generous visionary and master of countless memorable film scores, Mark Mancina. These musicians met only one time the afternoon of the concert yet magically shared a breathtaking performance of glorious Schumann Piano Quartet. Alina then took us on an iunfiorgettable ride with her effortless technique, effervescent inner passion and endless pallette of colors that shone in every note of solo sonatas by Beethoven and Prokofiev. We were honored to have the one and only Clint Eastwood in the front row listening to every note. The following day Alina held a masterclass for students of the Neiman Paino Studio in the free Bach's Lunch presented by Musikiwest.

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This was followed by singer songwriter Jason Eady who is one of the most captivating stroytellers/songwriters we've encountered. It was a memorable evening where some of Jason's fans traveled as far away as Sacramento to be here that night. We were also treated to extraordianry wnes from wine maker Nat Wong of Blade and Talon.

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SandBox is a labor of love to be sure. There are times when we wonder why we are doing this and can we sustain an ats venue? Then we share these mircualous moments as a community where we leave everything at the door and sit together sharing goose bumps, tears, and laughs and our passion for keeping SandBox alive is re-ignited.

An excerpt from a letter shared recently by an audience member will sustain us for a cvery long time:

"Over and above the stellar evening, I have come to expect that I will be exposed to music new to me at The SandBox concerts. You have made an incredibly valuable contribution to the Monterey Bay Area community. Ours was a lucky day when you chose to move here and anchor your talents in our harbor. I am in awe of all that you have accomplished." Paul F. - Monterey

Thank you Paul! And thank you to all of you who have shared your enthusiasm for SandBox and for supporting our events and artists. Together we are building castles in SandBox.

We close out July with the first concert of its kind in SandBox. The intoxicating sound of the marimba will fill the air on Monday, July 29th with internationally recognized, prize winning percusssionist and composer Ksenija Komljenović. She is a Marimba One artist and will be playing on an instrument handcrafted by Marimba One in Arcata, CA. The program will journey from bach to Phillip Glass.. I can hardly wait to join Ksenija in Mariel by Golijov and Louange a Leternite de Jesus by Messiean. If you are reading this today, there is still time to get a ticket for the concert which will be Monday July 29th @ 7PM.

Thank you for taking this time with me as I try to slow down and reflect on all the wonderfdul memories we've made together in SandBox.

The Ballad of The Brown King ... destined to become an annual tradition.

Months ago after much investigation, I made the discovery of the christmas cantata, "The Ballad of The Brown King" by Margaret Bonds with text of Langston Hughes. However, trying to find the actual music caused many a sleepless nights and countless hours of research. Well it all paid off with our 2 SOLD OUT shows on Sunday, Dec. 3rd. Response from. the audience members included, "I was blown away", "This was the most delightful experience", "You must make this an annual tradition", "What a refreshing and inspired way to launch the holidays", "How is it possible no one has ever heard of this piece?". Our cast of nearly 20 musicians and singers were giddy with the shared experience of bringing to life a work that inspired each of us with the freshness and beauty of Margaret Bonds' composition. While most of us are familiar with Langston Hughes, far fewer are aware of one of his closest friends, composer, Margaret Bonds. I encourage you to explore her life and her work. She was a maverick back in her day and I would say her efforts to preserve the works of African American composers would be considered at the forefront of what many are trying to accomplish today. It was a great honor to dedicate our performances to the great Rosalyn Carter. Her passing is a great loss to the world but her contributions to peace and the betterment of the earth will be felt for generations to come.

Musikiwest, (a 501 c(3) organization) presented this event made possible by your donations and support of events held in SandBox. We are honored to have been awarded a Community Arts Grant by The Arts Council for Monterey County. We were blessed to have such incredible singers and musicians from the Bay area join us for this production.

Our community engagement continued on Monday, Dec. 4th when our Musikiwest acclaimed super hero musicians, Nancy Zhou, Daniel Dastoor, Katie Kadarauch and Michelle Djokic engaged with hundreds of students from the North Monterey County High School and Middle School presenting our scripted open rehearsals addressing conflict resolution through the collaborative nature of chamber music. These visits to the classrooms were made possible by generous grants from the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and Yellow Brick Road.

Musikiwest is once again honored to be included in the 2023 MC Gives campaign . Thank you in advance for your support for our efforts here at SandBox and outside in the classrooms. Every gift regardless of size makes a huge difference.

Here is a brief clip of the magic that happened in The Ballad of The Brown King this past weekend.

And here is photo from our musicians in the classroom of the North Monterey County High School.

Please enjoy a safe and peaceful holiday. Wishing you all good health filled with great music and art in 2024!

So much to savor. Brief encounters that linger.

This past week my brother in law Ming Tsai made a surprise visit to SandBox. When I got word he would be arriving in a couple of hours I headed out for ingredients we might provide him with to create the magic that happens when Ming cooks. We have a magnificent kitchen that was designed by the much loved architect, Jerome Lomax. I suspect it was never put to such good use as this meal with Ming. I realized as I watched Ming creating the recipe from his imagination, inspired by what he had to work with, that it is very much like the process of curating musical programs in SandBox. It's all a balance of flavors, textures and colors. The common thread throughout is that the real pleasure culminates in the sharing in community around the table or in SandBox. Ming travels the world cooking just as we musicians travel the world performing. We savor the food and we savor the arts. I don't believe we could live without either.

We are so fortunate in Monterey County with the freshest food. I walked down the pier to the Monterey Fish Market to find local Halibut, sword fish and rock cod. What a treasure exists in that store! The vegetables were all locally grown and fresh. With the bounty from nature and the cultural bounty that exists in our region not to mention the natural beauty that abounds, we are truly blessed to cal this region home.

On Sunday July 9, the sell out crowd at SandBox was witness to the brilliant young, gifted Romanian pianist, Alina Bercu. Mark Mancina made not only Alina's appearance at SandBox possible but was also the one to make the introduction The program displayed the versatility in Alina's technique and interpretation of the many styles on display. The program took us on a journey that began with a stunning performance, masterfully revealing the contrapuntal complexities of J.S.Bach's Italian Concerto. This was followed by two Chopin Nocturnes Opus 29 which the triggered a collective sigh from all who were present. With only one rehearsal under our belts, I joined Alina and violinist Jenny Cho in a performance of the Trio Elegiaque in g minor by Rachmaninov. The spontaneity of the brief encounter made for an exciting palate cleanser to set the scene for the main course which was Modest Mussorsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. The audience was on their feet and as members of the audience left one could see awe, smiles, contentment and and even tears in their eyes.