Inspiration and Gratitude at the Steans Music Institute for Young Artists

An open letter from Steans Music Institute jazz artist Or Bareket to mentor Rufus Reed:

Dear Rufus,

I wanted to thank you for the experience I had participating in the Ravinia workshop- I went back home to Israel a few days ago, and I couldn't hope for a better way to spend my last week in the U.S.
I feel fortunate that I got to work with you a lot- I learned so much from you about my instrument and my craft from our lesson and the group sessions.
It is a rare thing that a great musician is an equally great teacher, and it's even more uncommon to meet someone who teaches with such generosity, patience and grace like you have. I feel that I was able to absorb things on a very deep level because the way teach, the way you play and the way you generally conduct yourself all feel like one thing, it's a tangible and clear experience that I feel I can always go back to in my memory and be inspired.
I work to cultivate this quality in myself as a human being, musician and teacher.
The same goes for David, Nathan and Curtis- being around all of you for a week was so important to me because of the strong sense of community, friendship and humanity as a context for music making- something that's generally overlooked, I feel, in this increasingly academic world. I want to carry this spirit on into my life and my music.
I don't know when I'll be coming back to New-York, it's going to be a while but I'll definitely do it. and I hope we can meet again and I can study with you more.
I'm really digging into the A string meanwhile, and it's going really well.

Thank You,

Or