July 14/10: Bigger than it Seems

July 14/10: Bigger than it Seems, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Daily Shoot: Make a photo from a low point of view. Go for a dramatic effect by changing the appearance of the size of your subject.

This lily seems to be towering over the building behind it. It's all a matter of perspective - and sometimes we lose perspective. Small problems seem to be big ones as we let them take up too much space in our thoughts. Funny how we sometimes let the negativity take over, when there are so many positives to focus on. So my new challenge is to let all the beautiful things in life take over to tower over those negatives - put the negatives in their place. So much to celebrate in life - we need to concentrate on that.

July 13/10: Summer Rain

Summer Rain, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Distant rumbles announce the coming storm
The sky darkens
Rain, first light then pounding
A waterfall rushes from the roof
Cascading to the ground
Splashing into the pool that wasn't there before
Rivulets race downhill to the street
Summer rain

July 12/10: Lily

July 12/10: Lily, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Daily Shoot: Focus on a fragment of an object today. Make a photograph that only shows part of an object, not the whole thing.

As I shot this I thought about how one focuses changes one's perspective. If we want this world to flourish and bloom, we have to focus on both the detail and the whole. When we see only details, we forget how everything is interconnected. Pesticides used to kill mosquitoes to eradicate certain diseases caused other issues, equally negative. There is no useless creature or plant.

Our society is driven too much by economics with a look to short term gain and not enough by a sense of the future. How do our actions now affect the future of this planet? It may be costly to convert to more sustainable energy , but if we don't we will have more environmental disasters on the scale of the BP oil spill. Some risks are just not worth taking.

This may be one flower - it nourishes the bees which pollinate our fruit trees which provide food for the birds around here .... As the human population increases we carelessly slash and burn acres of forest, we pave over living spaces, we extract resources. We need to look at the details - what are we trampling on?

Details or big picture - it is never one or the other to get a full understanding.

July 11/10: View from the Studio

July 11/10: View from the Studio, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Sunday - the day to leave CAMMAC. I like to stay and take advantage of the setting. On Sunday morning throughout the summer there is a concert series followed by a brunch. Without classes, there is time to chat, sit by the lake, take a swim, or as I did, play some music. Most of the studios are named after composers. We went to Telemann where we played music by Sammartini and Telemann, of course. With windows on three sides, you have the sense of playing in the woods. Fortunately, most of the mosquitoes don't make it into these huts, though occasionally playing is punctuated by slapping sounds as people swat at these pests.

It's always hard to leave but I know next year I'll be back for another "family" week.

More photos

July 10/10: Singers in the Evening Concert

Singers in the Evening Concert, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Saturdays at CAMMAC are very busy. Classes go on as usual in the morning. In the afternoon the children who have participated in the children's program do a concert. I admit I missed that and spent the afternoon in the water and then playing music.

After supper the student concert takes place. This year it started a little differently with a procession by all (singers and instrumentalists performing a round, followed by some performances in the boathouse. Then this boat came with two singers. The rest of the concert took place in the main concert hall. It always ends with a choral performance, this year accompanied by the orchestra. Not all classes perform (thankfully - as some years the concert has gone on endlessly) - and this year's version was over before ten.

As I have been going to CAMMAC for over twenty years, I have friendships that go back. A wine fueled conversation near the lake, under the stars is de rigeur before we all head home on Sunday. There are so many stars visible without city lights. I love to see them accompanied by the song of the bull frogs. Later we heard loon calls - such an iconic sound of Quebec lakes.

July 9/10: Staying at CAMMAC

July 9/10: Staying at CAMMAC, originally uploaded by susanvg.

The heat broke today with a sudden rain shower. It was wonderful to feel a cool breeze blow in through the window. It's amazing how much more energy I have.

Here's a little CAMMAC history.

CAMMAC was founded in 1953 by George and Madeleine Little and Carl and Frances Little. They had the idea to bring together amateur musicians who would enjoy spending a week immersed in music in a country setting. At first the camp ran in rented space for a short period. When a fishing lodge became available it was bought along with some nearby cottages. Now a winterized building has been built so activities can run in different seasons, but the main program is the seven week summer season. Learn more about CAMMAC's history.

Madeleine Little still spends part of her summer in a cottage nearby. All three of her children have taught at CAMMAC. Her grandchildren and now her great grandchildren spend part of their summers here. Many grandparents bring their grandchildren to spend a week here. It is a wonderful place for families.

While most people stay in the main lodge, some stay in the older Lake House. Others camp. Much depends on people’s budgets. The new Main Lodge was built to strict environmental standards including using geothermal energy, a green roof and radiant heating (definitely not needed this week!).

In the afternoon today I played lots of music. One of my favourite places to play is in what years ago was a boathouse - now Studio Gaby. There are windows on three sides looking out on the lake. A balcony on the three sides has chairs for those who want to spend time near the lake. When we play in there, every so often a head pops in to see who is playing and to express their pleasure.

Some people play in the practice huts in the woods.

Days are long - packed with things to do - music to play and hear, conversations and friendship. It doesn't get much better than this.

July 8/10: Thursday Concert

July 8/10: Thursday Concert, originally uploaded by susanvg.

An important aspect of CAMMAC is the teachers. In Early Music Week (one of seven weeks each with a different focus), most come from Montreal. As Montreal has two universities with Early Music programmes, there is a wealth of incredible teachers to draw from. Many come back from year to year. In this atmosphere you not only benefit from their musical expertise, but you get to know them. This week I have classes with Francis Colpron (director of Les Boréades) a marvelous recorder player and flutist, Sophie Larivière co-director of Ensemble Caprice, who also directs Flutissimo (the recorder orchestra in which I play), Hélène Plouffe – a wonderful violinist / violist (member of Les Boréades and Quatuor Franz Joseph) and Matthias Maute, co-director of Ensemble Caprice. Through the years I have had the opportunity to get to know the many teachers as well as their families. I go to many concerts in Montreal (as anyone who reads my blog knows) and it is always a pleasure to see my teachers perform. It is an added bonus for me – to see them put into practice what they have been conveying to me as well as on a personal level. And they know they have a knowledgeable (and friendly) public when they see CAMMACers in the audience.

There are also younger teachers who join the staff. This year Vincent Lauzer is teaching. I have seen him perform in Montreal from the time he was barely a teenager with the group Flûte Alors! Now he is on the brink of a career. He is starting his masters at McGill and is already a very accomplished musician. In September I heard him play at the Recorder Competition ( part of the Montreal Recorder Festival) where he won first prize. Here he has the opportunity not only to teach, but also to perform and to perform with his teachers (Sophie Larivière when he was younger and Matthias Maute at McGill).

I have always found the teachers encouraging and welcoming. They bring out the best in all the participants. And each year I go away feeling I have grown as a musician (and vow to practise more until life gets in the way).

And what a treat to hear concerts at CAMMAC . From Wednesday to Friday evenings the teachers perform. There have been many memorable concerts – from virtuosic to humorous. These are high caliber concerts by high caliber musicians.

Studio Gaby - one of my favourite places in which to play

More photographs