News & Media

Q&A with Boris Abramov, violin

March 8, 2016

We’ve spent the past few weeks exploring the lives and inspirations of various musicians from all corners of the globe. But what happens when the student becomes the instructor? This week we sat down with a former student and now instructor, violinist Boris Abramov, to analyze that very question. Abramov was born in Azerbaijan in 1989 and began studying ...

Q&A with Alexa Ciciretti, cello

March 1, 2016

Every week we continue to dive deeper and deeper into what drives a person to a life of music. This week we spoke with cellist and five time Festival participant, Alexa Ciciretti. Speaking with Alexa was a real treat; after five years she has a richly earned and wonderfully diverse perspective on how the Festival has evolved over the years. An avid advocate ...

Q&A with Joon Yoon, piano

February 18, 2016

Every year Bowdoin International Music Festival brings together over 325 classical musicians, 250 of which are students, for six weeks of intensive chamber music study. These individuals have spent years perfecting their craft and working towards a future in music. Their skills are inspiring, their determination is unyielding, and the music they create is tr ...

Q&A with Teal Vickery, viola

January 28, 2016

What leads someone down the path to becoming a professional musician? What is it that inspires practice, patience, and perfectionism? These are all questions touched on in Beneath the Music; an interview series examining a life in music. In this interview, we sit down with violist and Maine native, Teal Vickery. BIMF: What drew you to a life in music? ...

Q&A with Isac Ryu, double bass

January 20, 2016

This week we sat down with Double Bassist Isac Ryu, a former student who went on to become a Kaplan Fellow at the Festival. We talked about life, inspiration, and the joys of a life in music. Now you can explore all this and more in our interview series with a handful of Bowdoin’s most talented and hard-working students. This is a rare opportunity to get ...

Q&A with Michael-Thomas Foumai, composer

January 13, 2016

What inspires an individual to create music? What leads someone down the path to becoming a professional musician? What is it that drives creation, transformation, and discovery? These are all questions explored in this new interview series with a handful of Bowdoin’s most talented and hard-working students. This is your chance to peek behind the stage and ...

Q&A with Kristin Leitterman

November 25, 2015

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 ...

Fellows in Concert in New York: Sounds of Summer

November 6, 2015

Fellows in Concert in New York: Sounds of Summer A Night with the Fellows Monday, December 7, 7:30 pm Christ & St. Stephen’s Church, 120 West 69th Street, New York The Festival’s Fellows have arranged an evening of music by Barber, Lavignac, Martinů, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and Michael-Thomas Foumai, the Festival's first composition fellow. Th ...

Family Connections: Conversations with the Yings

June 22, 2015

Bowdoin International Music Festival kicks into high gear in a matter of days. Before we start attending concerts, masterclasses and all the other events that make up the intense six-week program, we wrap up our interview with Artistic Directors David Ying and Phillip Ying. We offer here a glimpse into the factors that have influenced these two brothers who ...

Putting It All Together: Conversations with the Yings

June 12, 2015

Part two in a series of recent conversations between the Festival and new Artistic Directors David Ying and Phillip Ying. We were curious how these two brothers manage to create the varied programs that are packed into a very short six-week season that encompasses more than 100 concerts, master classes, community programs, chamber coaching, and teaching. ...