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BEAR MOUNTAIN, VA.   23 - 26 August, 2007

For the second year in a row, the McLean High School Chamber Soloists went on a four-day summertime musical retreat in the mountains of Highland County, Virginia. The purpose of the August 23-26 trip, that 23 students participated in this year, was to learn, bond as a cohesive group of musicians, and to have fun. Led by MHSO director Gretta Sandberg, herself a part-time resident of Highland County, the musicians endured a four-hour ride in a caravan of eight vehicles piloted by parent chaperones that ultimately wended its way through the mountains to the final destination: Bear Mountain Farm & Wilderness Retreat. In this idyllic setting, the musicians, their director, and parents took up residence in mountaintop cabins (this year one chaperone even camped out in a tent!) and prepared for an intensive schedule of practice, performance, and critique, mixed in with a generous dose of fun. Not an electronic game was to be seen; even cell phones were few and far between, reception being spotty at best in the mountains.

The second day of the trip, following an intensive morning rehearsal, the group headed over to Warm Springs, VA, to participate in a two-hour workshop with the professional chamber musicians of the Garth Newell Music Center. The Chamber Soloists performed selections from their concert program for the musicians, who provided valuable feedback and critique.

Chamber Soloists pose in their Bear Mountain t-shirts at the camp, along with the camp's canine mascot, Haiku:  MHSO Director Gretta Sandberg is pictured second from left in the back row.

The third day, following their morning rehearsal, the musicians met up in Monterey for a joint rehearsal with three musicians from the Monterey High School Band who were scheduled to join the Chamber Soloists in a special inaugural performance of a tango entitled “Parana (Son of My Life),” written by the grandfather of MHSO violinist Elizabeth Ghias. The orchestra also received accompaniment on this piece by the head of the Highland County Public Schools music program, Jerry Philp, as well as a musician parent. After perfecting their technique on the tango, the MHSO musicians and parent chauffeurs traveled back to Warm Springs to attend a marvelous concert at Garth Newell.

The musicians warm up in preparation for their 90-minute concert at the Highland Center, entitled "An Afternoon of String Music!"

The last day found everyone packing up for the return journey to Monterey for a fortifying brunch before the retreat's culmination in a public concert at the town's Highland Center. The program included solos by a number of musicians who each did an outstanding job. The enthusiastic audience reception was a gratifying conclusion to four days of hard work, interspersed with ample good times.
Other fun activities during this special musical journey included a mountaintop “Star Party” with a local amateur astronomer and his portable, powerful telescope--unfortunately, the sky clouded up, obscuring the stars, but not before everyone got a good look at Jupiter; marshmallow-grilling and s'mores-making at a Bear Mountain campfire; and Chinese dumpling-making, instruction provided by orchestra parent and chef Bill Cheng.

Bonding accomplished over the intensive four-day musical workout, the MHSO Chamber Soloists are off to a great start for the 2007/2008 school year! 

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