[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 17, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               GREAT LAKES CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRIBUTE

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, a dynamic organization which has 
made an incredible contribution to Michigan's culture. The Chamber's 
concerts have really left their imprint on our State, with some twenty 
concerts in and near Detroit each year, many of which occur in the 
venues of the Festival's sponsors--St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic 
Church, Temple Beth El, and Kirk in the Hills. Additional concert 
locations range from the Detroit Zoo to the Detroit Institute of Arts. 
The Festival is administered by Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, which 
performs a number of the concerts. But today, I would like to take a 
moment to officially welcome the Chamber to our nation's capital for 
what is expected to be a stellar performance in the Library of Congress 
on Friday evening.
  The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival was born in 1994. The Festival 
is sponsored by three religious institutions, representing Catholic, 
Jewish, and Protestant faiths, and Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, a 
prominent chamber music ensemble.
  Pianist James Tocco has been Artistic Director of the Festival since 
its inception. A native Detroiter, Mr. Tocco has brought a rotating 
contingent of world-class musicians to the Festival, creating an event 
of national significance. The list of performers reads like a long 
``Who's who'' in chamber music, including Ruth Laredo, Peter Oundjian, 
Paul Katz, Miriam Fried, Gilbert, Kalish, Philip Setzer, the St. 
Lawrence Quartet, Peter Wiley, Ida and Ani Kavafian, and others. The 
Festival provides a major educational initiative to assist ensembles 
emerging to professional stature. Entitled the Shouse Institute, this 
program brings groups from throughout the world to Detroit for 
performances and coachings by Festival artists. These young artists 
attend the Festival tuition-free and receive complimentary lodging.
  So in welcoming the Great Lakes Chamber Festival to Washington, D.C., 
and thanking all of those from the Chamber that made this possible, I 
also would like to single out Gwen and Evan Weiner, dear friends of our 
family who introduced the Chamber to me and who have played a critical 
role in enhancing cultural life in Michigan, as well as Harriet Rotter, 
another close friend who has contributed a great deal of time and 
energy to this effort. Gwen, Evan, Harriet, and the many others who are 
involved with the Chamber Festival are sterling examples of community 
leadership at its best, and I am pleased they are here today. Finally, 
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the hard and dedicated work 
of Maury Okun, the Chamber Festival's Executive Director, an invaluable 
member of the Chamber Festival team.
  Again, I want to commend all those involved in making The Great Lakes 
Chamber Music Festival a tremendous success, and extend my warmest 
wishes and best of luck for the concert Friday night and in the 
future.

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