It says a lot about Marlboro that the members of the faculty are not called “teachers” or “professors” or even “coaches” but “seniors.” This terminology leaves the relationship between the younger players and the experienced ones more open to give-and-take in rehearsals. Imagine arriving at Marlboro for your first summer and being put into a group with Felix Galimir, your chamber music coach at Juilliard where you probably called him Mr. Galimir. Now he is “Felix” and you are encouraged to contribute to the creation of the performance of, say, a Brahms sextet. This could be daunting were it not for this new naming of the relationship. The senior is not there to tell you what to do but to help you delve into the music and use your imagination. This is guidance rather than directive.
Judith Sherman, former head recording engineer
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