Italy was a stimulating and rewarding experience. As usual, Edna presented intelligent and inspiring lectures and master classes every day. The lectures on the basic materials/elements of the Taubman Approach were incisive and clear. The one-on-one teaching was approached thoughtfully. I am always impressed with the cohesive, respectful and loving attitude of the group as a whole. One encountered supportive, generous and kind behavior from everyone, teachers and students alike. It is so clear that the teachers are devoted to their students and care deeply about their progress and understanding of the Taubman Approach. This creates a great atmosphere for learning and also provides wonderful role models for those of us who return home to teach our own students.

In the evenings we were treated to piano concerts in a variety of beautiful, historic settings. It was new and exciting to be in southern Italy, enjoying the charms and history of the gorgeous Baroque inner city. My experience was enriched by the warm, welcoming ways of the Italian people, as well as by the fabulous food!

JB

The place itself was enchanting. Lecce’s Baroque churches were so intricately and fantastically carved in soft, yellow stone they looked like wedding cakes that would melt in your mouth. Certainly, the marvelous ice cream did, eaten at midnight walking through the softly-lit streets -- after a concert of Liszt, Scarlatti, Beethoven, or Rachmaninoff -- where the open-air restaurants still thronged with people.

There was something about the atmosphere of being in Italy, or maybe it was the strong espresso, that made the classes, and Edna’s master classes seem especially dynamic and meaningful, whether the participants were Taubman people or local pianists or some of the concert performers themselves.

To listen to three gifted pianists talking about the dynamics of playing with an orchestra while swallows wheeled and screeched in the evening sky above the former monastery, to hear personal tapes of Horowitz performances and stories about his life, to bask in a morning of Sean Duggan playing Bach keyboard works, or to hear Ilya Itin play Rachmaninoff Etudes under the stars in the courtyard of a Byzantine fort in a 2000 year-old town perched on the Adriatic (overflying helicopters and startled cats notwithstanding) after a wonderful dinner in a port-side restaurant of local fish and of course, gelato... it just doesn’t get any better.

JL

The Taubman symposium in Lecce was magical for me. The basic lectures were concise and interesting, I heard some wonderful music and Edna Golandsky’s lectures were simply marvelous. It was amazing to hear a pianist play a piece of music beautifully, listen to the comments and questions Edna asked and then hear how the music was transformed. What had been really good became even better.

As for the hotel, Lecce itself and the evening concerts, all of them were great! Also, people (including the musicians!) were friendly and approachable. I had the feeling that everyone was on the same ladder -- just on different rungs. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

PL