LSU Music Major, Xander Knecht, Participates at the Montecito Music Festival

The Montecito Summer Music Festival is for highly gifted string, piano, and clarinet students ages 13 and up interested in spending an invigorating three weeks studying to improve technical abilities and honing their craft and musicianship skills.  Each student will receive two private lessons and two chamber music coachings per week.  Selected students will also play in master classes and in chamber ensembles with our esteemed faculty.

http://www.montecitomusicfestival.com/index1.html

One of our music majors, Xander Knecht, is participating in this year's festival. He is a snippet of what he is experiencing so far:

Wednesday, July 20

I thought I'd give a little update today, the third day. The festival is going strong already; I've been keeping busy. I had a lesson, audition for masterclasses, first quartet rehearsal and stretching and breathing class yesterday. Most of the kids are actually from high school, but there are a few college students and at least one from Julliard. University of Michigan and Rice are also represented. There are bunch of kids from the Interlochen high school program who all came together. There are a few people who've been to Aspen around the same time as me, three years ago. I haven't heard everyone yet, but I think there are a lot of really serious players here. There are some very high-profile faculty and guests here, including Cho-Liang Lin, who will give a masterclass and play in a recital, and Tim Pitts, bass teacher from Rice, not to mention our own cello teacher Pin-Fei Tang and her husband and LA Phil member Suli Xue on violin!

Yuan Yuan is also here, playing in the Brahms B-flat maj. string sextet. We're both studying with Linda Wang, a former classmate of our teacher Jason Uyeyama. My first lesson with her was quite intense but instructive, and I'm trying to get ready for the next one on Friday. The last day is August 5. Hopefully I'll be in better shape for the fall, especially with chamber music. I'm in a quartet playing Beethoven op. 95. Our first coaching is tomorrow.

I've been practicing a fair amount, spread throughout the day. I've played some ping pong in the lobby, and I played soccer last night with a bunch of students. The food is actually pretty good. Montecito is a very pretty town; I ran downtown today to pick up some supplies.

- Xander

Road Work on LSU Campus

La Sierra Community,

 

Beginning this Wednesday July 13 at 6am until Friday July 15 at 6am, we will be performing roadwork on:

 

1)       The road leading from the Library to the bottom of the hill and behind La Sierra Hall.  The Library parking lot will not be affected.  The lot behind La Sierra Hall will need to be empty.  The lots behind South Hall and Calkins will not be worked on, but all vehicles will be "trapped" if not removed.

 

2)       The road on Upper Campus Drive Stop sign (nearest Physical Plant) to Raley.  Middle Campus Drive will remain open.

 

Please pay attention to road personnel, traffic barriers, and heavy duty equipment which will be in the area.

 

This is the first of a few road work projects on campus and we will do our best to minimize the inconveniences each time.  Although there is no perfect time for road work, we do feel that the summer months are the most appropriate.  But, let me apologize in advance for your troubles and I can assure everyone it will not resemble the 405 Carmageddon of this weekend.

 

The 4-1-1

Want to receive more information about upcoming performances or how you can be a part of the Department of Music of La Sierra University:

https://docs.google.com/a/lasierra.edu/present/view?id=dfzg397v_0hb4trfd6