Once again, the festival season has come and gone for this humble scribe; but before taking my leave from this venue, I wanted to drop one more blog, offering what I hope amounts to a bit of perspective, and a giving of thanks.

First off, from the deepest wells of gratitude in my heart, THANK YOU! to the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs and director Ellen Dressler Moryl. Your kindness and enthusiasm long ago brought Piccolo Spoleto to a level on par with Spoleto Festival USA, while never abandoning your original mission. Piccolo may no longer be a “fringe” festival, its continued growth has seen to that, but both festivals are better for that growth. Your grace and friendship are deeply appreciated.

Secondly, another hearty THANK YOU! to John Stoehr (who has admirably filled some really big shoes…) and all at the Charleston City Paper for providing me this platform.

And last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU! to my good friend Lindsay Koob for sharing your little plot of virtual real estate with me. Lindsay and I have worked together for over a decade at Millennium Music; the guard may be changing, but the music goes on!

If I were pressed to divulge what I’ll take from this season, the first thought that pops to mind is a wholly new appreciation of the work of Alfred Schnittke. Prior to this season, I had only encountered his music through recordings. While it remains difficult, thorny, and sometimes downright ugly, experiencing it in live performance underscores an ongoing catharsis which may be impossible to translate to any medium of reproduction. For this insight I thank the “friends” of the sadly absent Marina Lomazov, and the ever wonderful St. Petersburg String Quartet.

Although I found their debut performance a bit muddy, I’m looking forward to seeing how Charleston Chamber Opera grows; their form-bending take on theater and opera deserves our attention and support.

Two violins: Yuriy Bekker and Yoon Kwon. One can’t get too much of either!

I spent the majority of my Saturday aiding in the hosting of Millennium Music’s farewell party, so my festival season closes with the bittersweet reminder that all are subject to causes and conditions. Everything is change. Millennium is now feedyourplayer.com, but the music goes on!

Farewell, for now!