Remembering Elaine Richey
and the Inaugural Season of the
Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck

Violinist Erika Atchley attended the first season of the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck (CMFS) with founder Elaine Richey and fifteen fellow students. And she returned for five years. Now a violinist with the North Carolina Symphony, Atchley recalls the unique environment of master classes, music festival and the warm and loving oversight of Richey, which created many happy memories of her summers in Saugatuck. “Elaine was phenomenal. She was such a special person and a really great teacher.” Read more about Erika Atchley and her memories.

Violinist and teacher Aaron Berofsky, now concertmaster of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and on the music faculty at the University of Michigan, attended CMFS as a teaching assistant to Elaine. He also played in the Chester Quartet; and in its second year of existence, they were asked to play at CMFS. They ended up playing there for six years in a row. “I miss the place,” Aaron says. He credits Elaine with inspiring him through her love of chamber music. “There was nobody more devoted to teaching and students.” Read more about Aaron Berofsky and his memories.

Brandon Christensen, now professor of violin and viola at Southeast Missouri University, recalls the inaugural summer of CMFS vividly: “We all felt that thrill of being there at the start of something brand new. We felt we had a unique opportunity to set the stage for the future of this festival.” And he was impressed by the quality of the experience for his fellow students and himself. “The level of musicianship was very high and yet the group was small enough for us to have a lot of interaction with each other, with Elaine and with the community which was very warm and welcoming. It was inspiring.” Read more about Brandon Christensen and his memories.

Grand Rapids Symphony Concertmaster James Crawford met Elaine when he was eleven. He studied violin with her at the North Carolina School for the Arts through the end of high school and during summers when he was a college student at Curtis. Elaine then asked James to be an assistant teacher at CMFS, and through this experience their relationship grew more as colleagues. “She was always learning new things and was so open-minded,” Crawford said. “I miss her.” He also remembers his years with CMFS fondly. Read more about James Crawford and his memories.

Violinist Julianne Klopotic lives and works in New York City. “I really, really loved Elaine”, says Klopotic. “Though I went on to study with great teachers at Peabody [Conservatory of Music] and Mannes [College], Elaine is one of the best I ever had.” She has warm memories of her six weeks in the “church house” in that first CMFS season. “Between the concerts in the beautiful Woman’s Club hall, our master classes with Elaine, rehearsal time, and the dates we were invited to play in the wonderful local restaurants in exchange for meals, we were very busy and very happy. It was total immersion!” Read more about Julianne Klopotic and her memories.