End of the Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz, CA each June

[Nick Royal]

Stephen Ruffo, one of the main staff members, sent out a note about the end of the
Mandolin Symposium, started in 2004 for 12 seasons. The brainchild of David Grisman and Mike Marshall, they brought wonderful mandolinists to Santa Cruz as teachers and performers.

I attended many of them and learned a lot; heard wonderful music; and participated some great ensembles. I am sorry to think of the ending of the Symposium, but also realize what a real gift they have been for those of us who have attended them.

[Marcus CA]

I was on the fence about whether to go this year, and I'm sure glad that in May, I decided to go. Classes, mealtime conversations, evening concerts, roommates, and midnight jams were all tremendous!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Man! Now what am I going to do in June?

[Gary Leonard]

So glad I went this year. Reading the email, it seems like something may rise out of the ashes. The email I received:

"Well fellow lovers of our little instrument, the Mandolin, it is time for us to say a sad goodbye to all of you for now. The Mandolin Symposium has been a very unique type of experience that has been All Mandolins, All of the Time and we have enjoyed sharing our knowledge, skills and love of the Instrument with you. Especially all that have worked so hard to make the Symposium what it is, David and Mike plus all the Great Instructors and especially Patrice for her tireless energy and creativity and someone that has added so much to the Mandolin Experience, and to Pete to be the one to manage our Web and to answer all the questions and help the students get settled, Ross who we nicknamed ‘Rockford’ as he could figure out how to solve or do anything, John O’Brien who took such great care of all of the instruments, Maria for her great Photos over the years, Dan Large who was so masterful in helping to create a great Music Appreciation experience and Jesse Ruffo for taking care of the Videos and many of the other things. A Great Big Thank You to Lynn Dudenbostel for his devotion of time for years to taking care of all of the Instruments for us and you and for donating all of his proceeds in support of the Mandolin Symposium Scholarship Program. To Tracy for 12 years of her Art and for capturing the spirit of the Mandolin Symposium in so many artful ways. We especially say goodbye to those of you that have been with us for every year and our hope is to continue all of those relationships.

Over the next period of time, we will recreate our Web site to reflect our Wonderful 12 years together. We will stay involved in creating new experiences and our hope is that many of you will join us in the near future. For me, from my deepest heart, I can tell you that the sadness and letting go of something that has meant so much to me is only softened by those that we have touched in some special way and to know that this experience will not be lost but simply renewed in a different form.

Once again, Thank you to David and Mike for their generosity and spirit over the years and especially to all of you for being such great students of life and of the Mandolin. I am one of the luckiest people in the world to have shared this experience with so many.
"

[Tom Wright]

I wish Stephen had made a clearer statement that the Symposium is done..."time for us to say a sad goodbye to all of you for now". Not sure what that means. The past tense..."The Mandolin Symposium has been a very unique type of experience..."
does make it sound final. Maybe a word of explanation..."Costs have risen, attendance has dropped..." or something like, would be nice.

I am very glad I went twice. I learned a huge amount from hearing so many players at close range, and am sure I will always remember those times.

[DSDarr]

Oh no! I'm glad I went twice, but I was ready for some more. Hopefully something similar in scope will take its place here on the West Coast.

[Karen H]

So sad--it's been such an amazing time. I'll miss seeing you all, Nick, Eddie, David, and many others. I am guessing there are explorations for something in Port Townsend, given the hints thrown out in our surveys the last few years. In the meantime I may go to Kaufman camp in TN, which is around the same time of year. Tim C will be an instructor there next year.

[Glassweb]

It was the ultimate mando-hang the time I went. Nothing but good vibes every day, every minute. Thanks to Dawg, Mike, Lynn and all who were involved. I believe Chris Thile may have been one of the original founders as well...

[Lynn Dudenbostel]

I feel very honored to have been a part of this great event for 7 years. Met some great folks, made many wonderful friendships, and hopefully helped some folks enjoy their mandolins even more. I hope something great rises from the ashes. This news will certainly leave a void in my summer.

[Eddie Sheehy]

I'm going to start a petition from The Cheerleaders...

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I am really glad I finally went last year, and if I had known this year was going to be the last, I would have gone this year as well. One of the most incredible musical experience I ever had, and I will miss it dearly. I hope something will be resurrected down the road, but I have a feeling it will probably be some place else other than Santa Cruz. Still I would go again in a heartbeat.

[Spruce]

Man! Now what am I going to do in June?

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee22/e_stamp/36_1_zpsbv2eump5.jpg (http://s231.photobucket.com/user/e_stamp/media/36_1_zpsbv2eump5.jpg.html)

[Eddie Sheehy]

Great idea, I'll make chocolate...

[Mark Seale]

I made it up there twice and with my dad once. It was a special and unique event. I do hope something else does rise up, the bridging of so many styles was part of what made it so special.

[JFDilmando]

Nothing to be said other than ....a very, very sad day.... Similar to a death in the mandolin family

[Mandolincelli]

I've met so many wonderful mandolinists and gained exposure to such rich history and interesting music over the last 7 years there. And I've learned a ton. There are some people like Karen H. from N. Carolina, or Jim from L.A. or Rhonda or Eddie from Ireland or Donnie Stiernberg or Mike and Dawg or Eric Stein or Rich Del Grosso and on and on and on, that I don't see anywhere else but the Mandolin Symposium. John's right about a death in the Mandolin family, but without a proper funeral. I think we should start a new thread called "Survivors of the Mando Symposium: What are we gonna do now?"

It was awesome while it lasted.

Ken

[Marcus CA]

I think we should start a new thread called "Survivors of the Mando Symposium: What are we gonna do now?"

That feels like "Survivors of the Titanic." :disbelief: I'd rather be part of "Mando Symposium: the Next Generation."


It was awesome while it lasted.

Ken

Absolutely!!!

[mrmando]

Well, maybe if it ends up in Port Townsend, I can actually go.

[diptanshu]

:( really terrible news... i went there 2014... all the way from india! it was such a treat! i was sure i would go back again someday! :( to the beautiful campus

[UsuallyPickin]

Alas .... It was on my list of things I really wanted to do that I just didn't get done. It's so far ... the plane ticket costs as much as the school , It's a four day drive , excuses don't make experiences ...... I guess I had better start doing those other things ...... R/

[foldedpath]

Well, maybe if it ends up in Port Townsend, I can actually go.

Same here. If it's held at Centrum/Fort Worden here in PT, like the Choro workshop and the Fiddle Tunes festival, that's a 5 minute drive down the hill from my house. No excuse not to go!

On the other hand, that would probably close out many of the California folks who couldn't make the trip. It also might be tough finding a block of time during the Summer months, since the park lodging and buildings are booked up pretty solid with other festivals and events. I assume if there has already been talk of moving it here, the people in charge are looking into that. There are one or two alternative venues in the area, but Ft. Worden would be the prime spot. It's "festival central" for music events around here, and a beautiful location.

[Jan Ellefsen]

What a sad message to get. The symposium has been the highlight of the year since 2004. It's been a great experience and I really hope there's a possibility to start something similar in Port Townsend. I would like to thank Ruffo and the rest of the staff, David and Mike and all the instructors through the years, and, not the least, all the new friends I have met, for contributing to this experience. Hope to see you all again.

[Patrice]

Speaking for myself, it was a great privilege to participate in the Mandolin Symposium for all of its twelve years. It was a life-changing experience not only for me, but for my son, Ben Lange, as well. My heart and mind were opened to a vast array of music and musicians. I met and grew to love many people from all over the world. The list of instructors, staff, and others who gave their incredible energies and talents to the symposium over the years would fill up Pete Braccio's other arm. Having worked exclusively in creative endeavors for all of my adult life, I have confidence in the cycles that rule such things. Rest. Cherish the memories. I join the rest of you in anticipation of the next great thing. In the meantime, practice, practice, practice. With all my heart, love to all of you.

[Maria]

What Patrice said. I often told people that it was the most fun week out of my year, and I don't even play the mandolin. It was an honor and a privilege to participate, and contribute in my small way. I met people there I will be friends with for the rest of my life, and I am sad that I don't know when I will see them again. The memories are too numerous to mention.... from the "no noodling" buttons, to the... well, they are too numerous to mention. I am just so happy that I have thousands of images in my archives that will help us to remember all the good times, phenomenal music, and incredible experiences we all shared together over the years. Love to all! Maria

[Mandobar]

Isn't Chris living in Oregon now?

[Billgrass]

WOW! I feel so lucky that I got to go for 2 editions. Like many of us I met great folks (including Eddie!), stretched my mind and my fingers and got to step outside of my world of a fantastic week. I will miss this highlight of my year!

[Eddie Sheehy]

You can't always get what you want...

[jefflester]

Went to the first one and planned to return at some point. Sad news...

[Marcus CA]

You can't always get what you want...

Nice tune on mando, without chop chords.

[Pete Braccio]

Hey all ya all,

It was great to meet so many of you over the years at the Symposium. I want to thank you all for the help, support, good will, and positive energy that you brought to Santa Cruz every year. Without you, there would not have been a Symposium. Your energy was the spark that made everything work.

On a personal note, I have never seen a more accepting and welcoming group of individuals in my life. I saw this from the first Symposium that I went to in 2007. This feeling has only strengthened over the last several years. Both my daughter Dinah and I have benefited from being part of this community in more ways than I can even articulate.

Pete

[Lynn Dudenbostel]

How about that Pete.... my first Symposium was 2007. I didn't make '08 and '09, but was there every year afterwards. I always came home with a renewed inspiration. As I often told folks, it's the hardest week I put in behind the bench all year, but the most fun as well!

[johnbaxter]

It's a sad day to learn that the Mandolin Symposium has come to an end. I've recorded the student concerts for the last 12 years, (with the exception of 2005 and 2011 when I was traveling).

https://www.youtube.com/user/mandotunes/playlists

[Caleb]

... excuses don't make experiences ......
^^ Wisdom. I'm writing this down.

[Tom Wright]

The announcement at the Symposium website begins this way:

"This is to let you all know that the Mandolin Symposium will no longer be held yearly at UC Santa Cruz."

The talk was that the costs weren't working out, UCSC was too expensive. This doesn't say so directly, but it does specifically say the location is what is stopping.

The last line is "Hopefully we'll be able to make the Mandolin Symposium experience available to you in the future."

So I will keep watching and hoping for a renewed version to continue the unique event that is the Symposium.

[Karen H]

In addition to the cost situation, it's perhaps also that the center of gravity among the principal movers and shakers has shifted even more to the north and away from the Bay Area. I'm hopeful for a renewed version eventually--fingers crossed that it's still timed to allow people constrained by academic year schedules to attend. In the meantime, happy memories and thanks to all those who made it happen and all the friends I made.

[Mandolinator]

This was my first year, and it was a fantastic experience! Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places, so I can't imagine a better location, but I would love to be able to go again if a different venue works out.

[mcgroup53]

Go to Mike Compton's Monroe Mandolin Camp in Nashville.

[phil39]

Bugger. I couldn't make it last year and was planning to go for the first time in 2016. Does anyone have any thoughts about what to do around June / july that might be mando related, and would give me a good excuse to travel to the US around then?

[Emmett Marshall]

Next summer was going to be my first time to attend. I was really looking forward to meeting everyone and learning a thing or two. Already told my boss I was going take vacation next summer to attend this. What a bummer.