CJ Stern

Medical summer retreat in 2.000\. Christopher 17 years old. Even then he was already a conductor. Somehow he had everything in hand. He was somehow indispensable in this pioneering phase of an anthroposophical clinic. Not only because he started singing together with patients and coworkers in the early morning or performed as an entertainer and…

It’s so unbelievably sad that Chris has been taken at such an early age. He gave so much to all who met him at the RCM. He wanted to hear everyone play and experience as much as possible there. His enthusiasm was infectious and his sheer joy in hearing music was a delight. His spirit…

Zeke and I were Senior Fellows together at Dartmouth during our senior year. He was so inspirational, that years and year later, I still speak of his fellowship project as an example of the type of amazing friends that I had the fortune of knowing at Dartmouth. We had a lot of great times in…

September 2004: first time I met you, joyfully welcoming me at Dartmouth. January 2020: last time I hugged you, after celebrating my mother’s Befana in Italy. In between, too much for now, but I’ll share more. I’m shocked and I cry. Romeo is not informed, but he asked me: “Mamma, hai bisogno di un’abbracciatona?”. I’m splitting it…

I only knew him for a brief few weeks as he culminated his time at Dartmouth College in NH. I was lucky enough to be part of his Mozart Requiem project, through which his charisma, talent, passion for music and conducting, and unflinching ambition shone brightly. He had the voice of an angel! When we…

Passing along this memory on behalf of Bill Summers’s, Zeke’s Senior Fellowship advisor at Dartmouth: A great shadow has darkened the sky.  The birds have begun their silent mourning.  They sense the powerful moment of someone’s passing.  Nature knows another spirit has retired from the earth, and we who remain behind veil our faces as…