Artist-in-Residence Matt Albert Named Director of Music in the Mountains Conservatory in Durango, Colorado

Meadows violinist and Artist-in-Residence Matt Albert has been named director of the Music in the Mountains Conservatory, a select, intensive two-week summer program for high school and college string musicians in Durango, Colorado. Albert succeeds the late Arkady Fomin, who founded and built the conservatory over the past 17 years into a prestigious program that draws talented young performers each summer from across the country.

Albert said he wanted to consider new ways to engage both the students and the community, a philosophy he brought to Meadows during his initial Meadows Prize residency in 2010 as a member of Grammy-winning new music ensemble eighth blackbird, and one he has continued to maintain as director of chamber music and the SYZYGY ensemble in the Division of Music. In an interview in the Durango Herald, he said, “One of the things that is so important to me is teaching people how to teach themselves and how to learn from their colleagues, so that it’s not just somebody being told what to do by an expert, but thinking critically about what they want to achieve and having the tools to do that.” He also said he hopes to get students out into the community and let audiences experience performances in as many ways as possible.

The youth conservatory is part of Music in the Mountains, a summer classical music festival launched in 1987 in Durango. Meadows faculty member Gregory Hustis, retired principal horn of the Dallas Symphony, serves as artistic director of the festival, which presents classical performances in a variety of venues over a three-week period. For more information visit here.

Read more in the Durango Herald stories: Grammy winner takes helm and Music in the Mountains Conservatory rebuilds.