Q&A with Kristin Leitterman

On Monday, December 7, 2015, Festival fellows will be presenting a special concert in New York City. The concert will be an evening of music by Barber, Lavignac, Martinů, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and Michael-Thomas Foumai, our first Kaplan Fellow in composition. The performance begins at 7:30pm at Christ & St. Stephens Church. In preparation for the event we talked with the concert organizer and performer, two-time fellow, Kristin Leitterman.

BIMF: This was your second summer as a fellow. How was this year different?

Kristin: Summer 2015 marked the beginning of a new era. With David and Phil Ying taking over the helm as Artistic Directors, there was a new energy flowing throughout the Festival. I first attended in 2014 and had a good time, made some great friends, and had some wonderful experiences. But this year was special.

BIMF: There are a lot of music festivals around the country and throughout the world, what makes this festival so special?

Kristin: We are assigned repertoire to perform throughout the festival, but unlike many festivals, we perform side by side with acclaimed faculty members. This allows us to gain invaluable knowledge. Outside of our assigned repertoire we are mostly unscheduled. This could be a recipe for disaster or, as was the case this year, something magical can happen.

BIMF: As a fellow you have the incredible opportunity to make music alongside some of the most talented musicians of your generation. What is that experience like?

Kristin: Every single fellow is passionate and excited about making chamber music with their colleagues. Each of us comes with ideas of repertoire we want to work on. That means some days with eight hours of playing your instrument. We are busy, we have fun, and we love every minute of it.

BIMF: What inspired the fellows to put on this concert in New York City?

Kristin: As the festival came to a close there was still repertoire we wanted to perform, and ideas began to form about continuing our chamber music in our respective cities. Of the 18 fellows from 2015, many live in the New York metro area. Ultimately, 14 fellows, with three joining from the inaugural year of the program, are playing in the concert.

BIMF: What can the audience expect from the performance?

Kristin: We want to create a program of music that is exciting to us and our audience. We also wanted to include as many of the fellows as possible, so we included repertoire that has winds and strings playing side by side. And the audience will be treated to a brand new composition, played by all the fellows, and written by our own fellow composer.

BIMF: What was the greatest takeaway of the 2015 Festival for you?

Kristin: I think this group of fellows is truly special. We are incredibly tight knit and genuinely want to create great music for the sake of creating great music. That’s what this concert is all about.