[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS

 Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, today I recognize the 25th 
anniversary season of Music in the Mountains, a nonprofit classical 
music festival held in Durango, CO. This festival began in 1987 when 
Maestro Mischa Seminetsky assembled 11 musicians and offered 5 chamber 
music performances. Under the strong and capable leadership of 
executive director Susan Lander and current board president Terry 
Bacon, the festival has grown to more than 220 musicians, many of whom 
are esteemed first chairs from orchestras across the country and a 
number of world renowned soloists. The festival now offers nearly 
thirty orchestral and chamber performances as well as a number of 
nontraditional musical events.
  In addition the festival includes a conservatory program that 
provides musical training and mentoring for up to 100 young musicians 
from around the world. In 2000 Mischa Seminetsky and then-board 
president Ann Flatten began the Music in the Mountains Goes to School 
Program to reach out to local school children for instructional 
sessions and miniconcerts. Since then Music in the Mountains has become 
a regular partner with local schools in Durango offering a variety of 
teaching programs and activities during the school year that impact the 
life of hundreds of young students.
  This festival would be remarkable in any community; I take particular 
pride in its being held in Durango, a town of 14,000 residents in the 
southwest corner of Colorado. The festival is a key component of 
southwest Colorado's summertime economy providing important economic 
benefits for the region. Most of the performances are held at the 
Durango Mountain Ski Resort, a stunningly beautiful resort north of 
Durango in the San Juan Mountains and an enchanting place to listen to 
world class music. I congratulate Music in the Mountains and all the 
volunteers, musicians and community leaders who have made this festival 
a brilliant success over the last 25 years.

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