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For the first time in 24 years, pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel don’t have all of next summer already planned. At the moment, their calendars have some rare vacancies for this time next year, as they will be stepping down as co-artistic directors of Music@Menlo, the Peninsula chamber music festival they founded in 2002 and which this year runs July 17-Aug. 8.
But they’re not packing for vacation just yet, as among other projects, the New York-based duo have just renewed their contracts as co-artistic directors with the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center through 2032.
For one last time, the married musical pair will be at Menlo School in Atherton for the next few weeks, leading classes, performing and doing the day-to-day work that keeps the chamber music festival running. They’ll hand off those duties to new artistic directors Dmitri Atapine and Hyeyeon Park for Music@Menlo’s 25th anniversary season in 2027.
Wu Han said she and Finckel wanted to avoid “Founder’s Syndrome” — not overstay in leadership positions — and leave while the festival is at a “high point.”
“The 25th anniversary should be the beginning of a new era instead of the end of the old era. So the timing seems perfect,” she said. “The festival itself is in a very healthy state and financially very stable. The musicians are incredibly devoted, and when we look behind us, all this incredible young energy and young visions and young directors are really just waiting at the door. Of course, we’re extremely proud and happy for the festival.”
Music@Menlo brings together musicians at the top of their fields with young artists taking part in the organization’s Chamber Music Institute for three weeks of concerts, master classes, workshops and discussions that are all open to audiences.
Although some details have changed over the years, such as adding a greater variety of performance formats, and bringing on a larger support staff, Music@Menlo hasn’t changed at its core, its founders say.
“The basic principles are exactly the same: the quest for artistic excellence, the devotion to the next generation, the continuous education to the community, to the student, to the institute, to always strive to come up with creative and logical programming, the ethic of continuing learning, and in creating the recording projects, and also (to have) three generations of musicians gather in the summer. I think the biggest change I would say, is the expansion of the audience,” Wu Han said.
The chance to lead an intensive experience in music each summer is among the memories that Finckel says he will especially cherish.
“Sometimes we’ll look at each other and say, “Well, you know, this is too good. This is not the real world.’ And then, in the next moment, I’ll think, ‘Maybe this is the real world, and the rest of it is just nonsense.’ Because it’s such a privileged existence during those three weeks. I think this is something that I will miss a lot about Menlo because it’s an immersion in great music, and it’s a focus on understanding it, improving it,” Finckel said.
The festival features different themes each year that might focus on a particular instrument, region or musical era, or the work of a particular composer, their influences and who they in turn influenced. With the theme “Redux,” this year’s festival will highlight programming from seven past Music@Menlo festivals.
The structure of the festival’s programming offers a lot of possibilities, Finckel noted.
“That’s really important for the future of the festival, that these (programs) that we’ve done about Bach and Mozart and Beethoven are not dead animals. They can have reincarnations almost endlessly because the repertoire is so huge, and we don’t own these ideas. They’re free for anybody to take and elaborate upon, and nothing could make us happier than to see people do that.”
Programming-wise, the road ahead might be wide open, but any musicians or listeners who want to catch up on past festivals have an unusual opportunity to do so. One of the festival’s most unique accomplishments is amassing a substantial library of concert recordings that go back to Music@Menlo’s beginnings.
“We have this treasure that really speaks of our work, that really captured and documented these incredible 24 years of every summer’s music-making, and that’s something it will never leave us. It will never leave our community,” said Wu Han.
Just as enduring, the founders say, is the festival’s impact on young artists — audiences can see them at work honing technical and performing skills in master classes and some concerts. Music@Menlo’s International Program artists range in age between 20 and 30, and come from around the world, while the festival’s Young Performers division ranges in age between 12 and 19.
“I think we have touched a lot of really important young musicians,” Wu Han said.
Finckel also noted that he is proud that the festival has introduced many young musicians who have gone on to work together in other groups or projects.
“There’s so many relationships that were born because Music@Menlo existed,” he said.
“There’s a ‘Menlo Effect’ everybody talks about and that we’re extremely proud of. Out of Music@Menlo, there’s more than 40 different festivals and concert series that have been created by our alumni with the same type of energy and belief. So that is something that we’ll be proud of for the rest of our lives,” Wu Han said.
New artistic directors Atapine and Park previously served as faculty members and later as co-directors of Music@Menlo’s Young Performers Program. But they, too, have been part of the Menlo Effect, creating a concert series in Reno and taking over leadership of Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, a longstanding organization. They are also both tenured professors at the University of Nevada.
“Between the two of them, they have the energy and work ethic of like, 20 people. They are so resourceful and eager and productive and skilled at what they do, not only as musicians and players of the highest caliber, but also as administrators and artistic leaders,” Finckel said.
Wu Han and Finckel may be passing Music@Menlo’s baton, but they will likely be busier than ever. In addition to their work at Lincoln Center, they are the new co-artistic directors of South Mountain Concerts, a respected chamber series in Massachusetts that dates back to 1918. Wu Han is also the artistic director for La Musica chamber music festivals in Sarasota and Palm Beach, and she recently became the artistic advisor for the nonprofit Musicians Advocacy Fund.
They are also planning to each record some solo work, but are keeping an eye out for what had been, up until now, a relatively rare opportunity.
“Next summer we are selecting the projects mainly on the cello and piano duo because we love playing together. Every summer we always have all these invitations. We can never say yes. So next summer we’ll be visiting quite a few festivals,” Wu Han said.
Music@Menlo takes place July 17-Aug. 8 at Menlo School, 50 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton. For a schedule and ticket information, visit musicatmenlo.org.
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