A young Romanian pianist who studied at the Taubman Institute at Williams College this summer and who hopes to continue her studies in this country, will present a concert at Sweetwood Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Andrea Marta Baciu, a student of piano at the Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca, found the Taubman Institute web site on the Internet, when she was looking for music programs with scholarships outside her native country.
Since the institute ended, she has been the guest of members of the First Congregational Church — staying with at least five families of church members — and has practiced on Williams College pianos.
Recently, 22-year-old Baciu was interviewed at the Elliott Drive home of Ralph and Elinore Herne. In gently-accented English — she also speaks French and Hungarian in addition to her native Romanian — she talked about her background and her musical hopes. The daughter of musicians, she started taking piano lessons before she turned six years old, attended music school, high school, and then conservatory.
Her parents are both musicians and music teachers. Her mother plays and teaches piano; her father teaches piano and music theory, and directs high school choirs. They live in Bistrita in the north of the country.
She plans to audition for the master’s degree program in music at the University of Colorado at Boulder later this month.
The Hernes have their own Romanian connection. Their daughter-in-law is Romanian, and her son, their step-grandson, starts his third year at Williams College this week.
Baciu said she had not aimed particularly at the United States, but wanted to study outside her country, because of the opportunities for development.
She is glad of the choice she made.
“The United States has very generous people,†she said. “People here have helped me a lot. I’ve stayed in their homes, and Williams has let me practice on their pianos.â€
“I also like the lifestyle here,†she said. “All the appliances mean that housekeeping takes less time.
“I also like American movies, and concerts,†she said.
Although she attended one concert at Tanglewood this summer, Baciu said, “Mostly I just practice.â€
“The Taubman Institute was a valuable experience,†she said. “I learned a lot from it. The technique is unknown in Europe, and it’s a wise way of teaching that prevents injuries.â€
Baciu is hopeful about the future she is striving for, but acknowledged that she has struggled with homesickness, and misses her parents.
Home in Romania, she said, is a place of great natural beauty that gave her a good education.
The Rev. Carrie Bail, pastor of First Congregational Church, said that Baciu had come to the church during her stay at the Taubman Institute and talked of how her parents had saved for an entire year to send her here, and how she was planning to interview at Boulder in September but had no place to stay in the meantime.
“I just said, ‘It’ll be all right. We can help you,’ †Bail recalled.
“She attends the reformed church in Romania, and I thought, ‘we can find some people for her to stay with,’ †said Bail. “And in return, she helps out as she can.â€
“I just put it out to the congregation,†Bail recalled. That congregation had previously had a formal exchange relationship with a church in Romania, so, said Bail, “It was not an unknown place on the map to them.â€
And as people responded, Elinore Herne coordinated the timing — “when she could stay where,†Bail said. Baciu has stayed with at least five church families.
“There’s good Biblical precedent for this,†said Bail. “And I believe things don’t quite happen by accident. Instead of coincidence, my father used to stay things were God-incidents.
“This was something that was not impossible for us to do, and I hope it’s made quite a difference to this young woman. And we’ve made some contacts with church friends in Boulder, so I hope they will help her when she’s out there,†said Bail.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
click for more
