On March 10th,  1 week before MITM's final concert of the season, I was en route to Washington, DC to play a concert with the renowned Kronos Quartet. As my plane lifted off, I received an email: DC's mayor had just taken the podium to announce a district-wide ban on large gatherings and events. There would be no concert. The plane landed at my stopover in Houston  an hour later, and I turned around and boarded a flight immediately back home.

 

And I've been home ever since.

 

There is no question that this is an extraordinary time. Prior to this, I think I've had to cancel a concert -- both as a presenter and as a performer -- only once in my 20-year career. Now, as you our steadfast supporters know, we've had to cancel not only our final concert of the season, but to postpone the gala concert planned for April.  Without question, our first commitment is to to the health of our community - audience, performers, and staff - and I am proud we made the right decision so swiftly.  We are blessed that our board chair, Christine Choi, is on the front line of COVID-19 as an emergency room physician. She helped alert us of the impending pandemic and shared insightful leadership with our organization that helped keep us all safe. 

 

Our comMITMent

It is in this same spirit of prioritizing  our community's health that I share with you now the announcement that we have to cancel this year's Summer Music Vancouver. Those of who you have a 2019-2020 subscription will remember that you have one ticket admittance to a Summer Music Vancouver concert -- this concert will be postponed, and I am thrilled to announce that we have a very special concert planned for the Fall to make up for this: a NEVER BEFORE special trio musical performance by MITM's three artistic directors, June Goldsmith (piano), Barry Shiffman (violin), and myself (cello). This date will be finalized when COVID-19 subsides, and will be a wonderful celebration of the MITM community's shared resilience and strength, over many decades.

Adrian Fung, June Goldsmith, and Barry Shiffman

MITM's current and past artistic directors

 

I want to assure you that our 2020-2021 season is still fully in place with all hope and optimism against disruption. There are good signs for this and many more special artistic surprises to be announced before the inimitable St Lawrence String Quartet takes our stage in September.

 

Our Community

This time has undoubtedly been hard for us all. If there's one thing that this past month of physical distancing has taught me, it's the meaningfulness of connection. Each month, I delight in seeing your faces -- familiar faces with our shared stories and musical experiences, as well as fresh new faces taking in our wonderful community for the first time. I delight in the special warmth and connection our events offer in enlightening conversation -- both in onstage comments, chats with June Goldsmith, and of course the musical dialogue so important to MITM. I yearn for those moments when an artist does something special on stage -- we all know when someone is taking a chance musically -- and I hear from our audience the inadvertent "oohing and ahhing" at a witty and eloquent phrase, expressed just so. With that spirit of connection, each one of us contributes to the MITM experience - some of us for 35 years - and there is no question that this is a special community. While I miss our time together, I know that the MITM bond goes well beyond simply events to the heart of a community, and I can't wait to see you all again soon, and rejoice in that heart of our connection once more.

 

In the meantime, til we meet again in the fall, MITM will be coming to you in your homes. We will be on social media ( Facebook and Instagram) but also coming directly to your inbox with videos you can access directly from your email. More to come!

Adrian Fung

Executive & Artistic Director