Musical Narratives

Barbara-Bogatin-_The-Prayer_-in-the-Chapel.mp4

December 2015

Strings Magazine

During the SF Symphony European tour in Aug/Sept 2015, I took advantage of a small window of free time to pay a visit to my husband, Cliff Saron, who was presenting his research at the Mind and Life Europe Summer Institute at a meeting not too far away in Bavaria.  While there at the Abbey-turned-conference center on Lake Chiemsee I had a remarkable musical adventure which inspired the inner writer in me to come forward when I returned.

Read the full article here.

100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, August 25, 2018

Strings Magazine

I was privileged to see Leonard Bernstein conduct in person many times while I was living in New York City, with both the New York Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. My apartment was 2 blocks from where he lived in the Dakota Building on W 72 nd Street and Central Park West, and a “Lenny sighting” in the neighborhood was always a thrill! On two occasions I had the good fortune to play under his baton, and I consider these performances to be some of the highlights of my professional career.

My first time playing in an orchestra with Lenny conducting was at Carnegie Hall in 1987 for a “Music for Life” Benefit Concert. This was the first time the classical music industry came together to raise funds for people who had been effected by the AIDS crisis, and the orchestra was comprised of musicians from a variety of groups in the New York area. At the time I was Principal Cellist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and was honored to be invited to participate. It was a deeply moving experience that changed how I thought about the profound connections possible between conductor and orchestra musicians, and it inspired me to write a tribute to Lenny during the Bernstein Centennial year.

October, 2018

Strings Magazine

Also in the Bernstein Centennial year 2018, Strings Magazine published my review of his daughter Jamie Bernstein’s memoir, "Famous Father Girl".

2008

Juilliard Journal

The Big Picture, and the Most Essential Truth—That Was Albert