MCS weaves together an international tapestry

By DAVE GUNTER

Feature correspondent

SANDPOINT — When it comes to packing a calendar with classes, concerts and camps of all description, the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint has a corner on the market.

But then, keeping a sparse schedule is hardly an option for an organization that — out of little, old Sandpoint, no less — has firmly established itself as part of the global cultural community.

“If you’re looking for events, buckle up — we have lots more coming,” said Karin Wedemeyer, executive director for MCS, after having just rattled off the impressive list of activities that took place over the past few weeks alone.

The ripple effect that has its origin in Sandpoint’s historic City Hall building has benefited the community greatly, while also impacting young musicians in other countries. By way of example, the conservatory will again host members of the Red Rio Nuevo Youth Orchestra from Mexicali, Mexico, in August as part of the annual International Youth Musician Exchange that has been going on since 2011.

“We’re expanding that this year,” said Ruth Klinginsmith, director of summer camps and head of strings at the conservatory. “We have four students from Mexico, but we also have students from Berlin, Bremen and France.

“We’ve also been invited to participate in a camp in Europe,” she added, “so we see some exciting back-and-forth going forward.”

Furthering that international connection, MCS now plans to join forces with a global movement called El Sistema, which has gained fame for its work with children through music. Founded in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician and activist José Antonio Abreu, the program operates under the motto: “Music for Social Change.”

El Sistema provides a free classical music education and an instrument to children in need. By 2015, the program included more than 400 music centers and 700,000 young musicians. The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint wants to be part of that international family.

“It started in Venezuela and different countries have adopted it,” said John Fitzgerald, music director for MCS. “It’s usually urban-based — the closest El Sistema program to us is in Seattle. I think it would be really cool to bring it to a community like Sandpoint.”

“It’s a very significant and impactful program that gives children — sometimes ‘forgotten children’ — access to the fine arts,” said Wedemeyer. “And because El Sistema is a global program, the community should be excited.”

MCS already has many of the El Sistema principles in play through its Music Matters after-school outreach, which offers free choir and youth orchestra membership for students, as well as low-tuition instrumental ensemble and ensemble choir classes. In keeping with that direction, MCS would like to create a transition period between school and its afternoon offerings. Once classes are done, the conservatory hopes to provide a transportation option for kids who otherwise would have to miss out on the opportunity.

“The idea is to have a transition with some downtime and food so they can replenish themselves and then have a ‘5:30 bus’ afterward,” Wedemeyer said. “For many of our children, they have no means to get home at that time. We want to create ultimate accessibility for kids and working parents.”

Potentially the biggest news — on a schedule that seems to be filled with it — might be the conservatory’s summer camp offerings for July and August. The original camp started with orchestra and, over time, added theatre, choir, piano and voice camp options.

“And this year, we’ve also added a fiddle camp,” said Fitzgerald.

Summer Camp 2018 at MCS will again feature Dr. Phillip Baldwin, director of the Spokane Youth Symphony, as guest conductor, but keep an eye out for Darth Vader and the occasional stormtrooper roving about in what will be a Star Wars-themed experience. Camp participants are invited to bring their light sabers — otherwise known as their talents — and join the galactic journey.

A portion of proceeds from the summer camps will go to benefit the Uryadi’s Village orphanage in Ethiopia. Last year, the camp helped to pay for school uniforms for children at the orphanage. Both Klinginsmith and Wedemeyer, who co-founded MCS in 2009, see their involvement as one more thread in this international tapestry.

“I think this kind of exchange is important for both sides,” Klinginsmith said. “It allows kids here to get a larger perspective of the world and how they can impact it.”

“Only through music can you have that kind of international umbrella that reaches around the world,” said Wedemeyer.

That MCS would think — and act — globally should come as no surprise, given the growth the organization has seen over almost a decade. The conservatory quickly outgrew its first home in the back of the Studio One dance studio and has now virtually filled both floors of the City Hall space at the center of the downtown core. With enrollment increasing at an average pace of about 10 percent each year, there now are approximately 300 students enrolled in classes.

The co-founders entered this saga with bold plans, but soon found that they needed to aim even higher, based on the community’s support of the idea of an internationally accredited conservatory right here at home.

“When we first started, we had a five-year plan,” Klinginsmith said. “When we actually reached those goals in less than five years we said, ‘The sky’s the limit from here!’”

“Part of our 50-year plan is that we wish to be the first conservatory on Mars,” Wedemeyer added. “We’re going not just international, but intergalactic.”

Somehow, one has to wonder if they might not just pull it off.

The next MCS performance will feature the Bel Canto Opera of the Inland Northwest in a performance called “The Journey of Light,” on April 8, at the Panida, in a concert that launches a year-long fundraising effort to continue the preservation of the historic downtown venue. The opera is a collaborative performance with the Pend Oreille Chorale under the direction of Mark and Caren Reiner, and features dancer Autumn Whitley and cellist Sam Minker.

Information: Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, 208-265-4444 or sandpointconservatory.org