Remembering Dr. Klement Hambourg

Dr. Klement Hambourg

(Photo from www.hambourgconservatory.ca used with permission of Tanya Hambourg and Corinne Visscher)

Today I am reflecting on my over 30-year relationship with my friend and colleague, Dr. Klement Hambourg. I was so sad to hear of his passing last October and want to take some time to reflect on the impact he had on me both personally and professionally. I first met Dr. Hambourg when I arrived in Palmyra, PA, to begin my first teaching job in the winter of 1987. At that time, Dr. Hambourg was a Violin Professor at Lebanon Valley College in the neighboring community of Anneville, PA, and conductor of the LVC Orchestra. When he heard there was a new string teacher in the area, he invited me to participate in the violin section of the orchestra as a community member. I was thrilled at this invitation and immediately accepted. I remember Dr. Hambourg as a wonderful musician, committed music educator, and a gentle leader. I have strong memories of him demonstrating parts on his violin and of admiring his masterful, elegant playing. His manner with the orchestra was always formal, demanding, and firm; yet always polite. I recall learning a great deal of French repertoire under Dr. Hambourg's baton, as well as being immersed in many interesting composers that were new to me at that time, such as the music of Malcolm Arnold. It occurred to me that his perspective on repertoire was different than any I had encountered before in my limited experience in Western PA. I was sure I was gaining perspective and knowledge that I would use for years to come. Truth be told, it took a little while for our personalities to gel. Dr. Hambourg was quiet, polite, and somewhat "old school." I was used to a less formal approach to orchestra rehearsals and enjoyed a great deal of laughter and musical banter in previous college orchestra experiences. After a few rehearsals, I recall sitting down to chat with Dr. Hambourg and realized we were each working hard to understand the other's perspective and approach in those early days of our friendship. It wasn't long, however, until we began to really appreciate all that the other had to offer in terms of musicianship, perspective, and musical opportunities. I continued to play in the LVC Orchestra for my entire tenure in the area and served as concertmaster beginning my second year in town. We often played gigs together at LVC, at other area colleges, and for private events. Dr. Hambourg hosted an honors orchestra at the college every year, and I sent many students to participate between the years of 1987 and 1992. I actually remember hearing him conduct the Latham Suite for String Orchestra, by Theron Kirk at that event and have programmed it many times over the years. I have used the 1st movement, "March," as a processional for the NCSSM Convocation ceremonies every year for the past 18 years. I think of Dr. Hambourg every time we play it! I also recall one of his students performing Vaughn Williams “The Lark Ascending” with the orchestra the first year I participated. I absolutely fell in love with the piece and ended up performing it as part of my Master's Recital at IUP in 1990. To this day, it remains one of my favorite pieces and a beautiful reminder of my friend, Klement Hambourg. Dr. Hambourg was a longtime faculty member of the Allegheny Summer Music Festival at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. In the summer of 1990 or 1991, (I am struggling to find documentation of the exact year!) Dr. Hambourg asked me to be a last minute replacement for his daughter, Corinne, also a professional violinist, who had a last-minute performing opportunity elsewhere. I was honored to be asked and enthusiastically accepted the invitation. I knew I had huge shoes to fill and was excited and very nervous to be given this early opportunity in my career. As part of my position, I taught lessons and performed with a number of ensembles, including sitting assistant principal 2nd violin in the student/faculty orchestra. I learned so much that summer! I met so many wonderful professional musicians from PA, New York, Cleveland, and elsewhere. I had the opportunity to play violin 2 on the Brahms Piano Quintet with Dr. Hambourg on violin 1 and his other daughter, Tanya, also a professional musician, on viola. What an experience! Throughout that summer, I honed my teaching skills, played more hours per day than I ever had before or since, and truly matured as a musician in profound ways. I do know, more than anything, I wanted to make Klement Hambourg proud that week. He had expressed a great deal of faith in me, my teaching, and my playing, and I desperately wanted to live up to his expectations. I wish I could remember all of the other great musicians I became friends with that summer! My stand partner in the orchestra was Peter VanDewater from New York City. The cellist in the Brahms was from the Cleveland Orchestra. I became friends with pianist Brian Preston, and I have great memories of turning pages for him, and feeling stressed in various chamber performances, which included ridiculously hard piano scores. He also trusted me for reasons I could not name back then! I met composer Erwin Chandler from Central PA that week and have conducted his "Music for a Festive Occasion" several times since first playing it at that event. Sadly, I don't have any photos or programs from that summer: just many great memories! Another great memory was the two of us performing the Vivaldi Double Violin Concerto with the Modern Mandolin Quartet backing us up at LVC in the spring of 1992 to culminate the MMQ 2-week residency sponsored through the Palmyra Authors and Artists Series. As part of that residency, MMQ performed both with the kids and alone. It was a magnificent event. I know that Dr. Hambourg enjoyed the energy of the kids, the professionalism of MMQ, seeing the students thrive and learn, and certainly the Vivaldi performance! After I moved to Maryland in 1991, we stayed in touch. In fact, one time he called me, told me he would be visiting the DC area, would like to see my school, and meet my students. He came, spent the day, met my wonderful colleagues, and spoke with the students. He gave great advice to them all, from the most advanced to the least experienced, all in his gentle, caring way. Over the years and following my move to North Carolina in 2001 and his subsequent moves to Victoria B.C. and then Toronto, we had lost touch with each other... until 2012 when he reached out to me following an In-Service presentation that I gave back in PA. Tanya had seen a press release about my presentation and forwarded it to her father. He reached out, and I was simply thrilled to hear from him. It gave me the opportunity to tell him of a small portion of his impact on me: "I want you to know how much your note means to me. I have such fond memories of those important formative years in my career. I call on many of the ideas that you shared with me as conductor of the LVC Orchestra and experiences that I had while in Palmyra on a regular basis. I love my work in string education and am so aware that you and my other mentors have had a strong hand in my development as a teacher, musician, and professional. Thank you. I also have such fond memories of our summer at Allegheny College. I still think of our performance of the Brahms Quintet as a highlight." I wanted to make sure that he knew how much I appreciated him. We fell out of touch again for a few years and rekindled our email relationship at the end of 2015. We both were about to face some challenges, and I think there was great comfort in sharing our trials with a longtime, trusted friend. We corresponded several times during 2016 and 2017, sharing memories and stories about our families, interests, and life's work. He always supported and encouraged me. My last note from Dr. Hambourg was one of congratulations and continued support in July 2017, just about exactly 2 years ago: "My copy of the American String Teacher arrived recently, and I was delighted to read your news. Congratulations! I cannot think of a more deserving recipient for the Elizabeth A.H. Green Award. Debra Myers' excellent article describes your career and your teaching philosophy extremely well. You have always been on the cutting edge--looking for innovative ways to capture the interest of young string players, and this has paid dividends. For example, your fascination with electric instruments and the interpolation of jazz within the string curriculum. String education is still too hidebound by tradition, and while the classical repertoire will always have its fundamental place, there is lots of room for expansion. You have been one of the leaders in the string world to get this message across, and will continue to do so. You might want to consider Victoria, B.C. for a seminar at some point--they have several excellent string teachers and a thriving youth orchestra which recently made a concert tour of the Yukon." His acknowledgement of my impact on students and the profession meant and means so much to me. I still wanted to make him proud. He had taken a chance on me as a young teacher and colleague back in the '80's, allowed me to mature and grow, and I continued to feel a real responsibility to fulfill his expectations. That note made me feel as if I had done ok. I also love that he wanted to give me a little nudge at the end of the note toward another bit of work. As I looked for themes in our correspondence, he usually did: always the mentor, always nudging and encouraging in the best of ways. I am pleased to say that Corinne, Tanya , and I have remained in touch through social media for the past few years, and I am certain that our friendship will last a lifetime. Their Dad had such a profound impact on who I am as a teacher, colleague, husband, and father. I can't begin to imagine the loss that they feel as they continue to re-imagine life following their Dad's passing. He was so very proud of his daughters. In his correspondence, he always included updates on their work, families, and successes, as well as wonderful updates on Leonie (his wonderful wife) and his activities. I have reflected on this wonderful friendship daily since October and will continue to do so in the coming days and years. Dr. Klement Hambourg will be missed in so many ways, but his legacy of musicianship, teaching, love, and encouragement will be carried on for many for years to come. For further biographical information, some very cool information on the Hambourg Conservatory of Music, a family legacy of music education, and further insights on Klement Hambourg's legacy and impact, click here. ~Special thanks to the Hambourg family for helping me with details and affirming this post.

Peace.
Scott