Q and A with Artistic Director Mike Kaufman

As we get set to broadcast the 2021 Festival performances, learn more about the festival and its director, Michael Kaufman - a versatile and consummate musician, devoted to great music in its many guises.

Tell us who you are and what you do? 

I’m the founder and artistic director of Sunset ChamberFest and I’m a cellist in LA. My musical activities include mostly performing, recording, and teaching. I play in the LA Opera Orchestra, in the cello quintet SAKURA, and in a number of chamber series around town. I also record for film and TV in the Hollywood studios. As a teacher, I have a private studio, I teach at LMU, and I teach chamber music at the Colburn Community School.

What was the inspiration behind starting Sunset and how did it begin? 

I started the festival in 2014. My favorite activity as a musician is to participate in music festivals around the country and the world. I knew what I believed to be the most important aspects of a festival. I wanted all of the musicians to be really spectacular, I wanted them to have interesting and challenging repertoire to learn, and I wanted to give them ample time so that they didn’t feel rushed. Also, I knew that I loved playing new music and that had to be an emphasis of the festival in some way. My good friend Brett Banducci had the idea of incorporating a program for young composers into the festival. That’s how the Young Composers Workshop was born.

What were the early days of the festival like?

When we started the festival, we had absolutely no money, just a small group of musicians who trusted the mission and donated their time and talents. The composition workshop was also very small, with only 4 students who we had recruited. After the first season, we were able to raise a little money and at least cover the out-of-state musicians’ travel expenses. And each year the membership and audience grew. Through a kind of organic process, we were able to get the festival to the point where it is today. COVID times aside, we aim to present three full-length programs at the end of a 10-day festival, which also concurrently includes the Young Composers Workshop.

How does Sunset reflect you as a musician? The breadth of your activities as a musician is striking: solo, chamber music, new music, early music, orchestral work, film, and arranging. It seems that these threads are present in the festival. Could you speak about this a little? 

Well, certainly the most important aspect of my life is chamber music. I feel like I can express myself more comfortably in that medium and I can keep learning and developing my abilities as a musician when I’m playing with really great colleagues. So with that as a core, it’s true that I am always looking for interesting elements to include in the festival during the rest of the year. When I hear a really captivating performance of a new work I hadn’t known or thought of, I’ll look up the composer and try to get a sense of their other music as well. When something really special comes up in my life (like being part of the short film In a Heartbeat) I see if there’s a way to incorporate that in the festival, perhaps doing a major live-to-picture production. 

What have been some of the highlights of the festival for you? 

Every once in a while, there is a performance or collaboration that is truly unique and special. Playing the Brahms B Major Trio with pianist Marisa Gupta and violinist Max Tan was one of those moments. It was somehow both very passionate and natural at the same time, I felt like I could be very expressive and we all could in our own ways, while somehow also creating a cohesive performance! Another special performance was of the Britten Second String Quartet back in 2016. We found out a few hours earlier about the Orlando shooting and hadn’t even started to process that. The performance was extremely intense and honest. It somehow helped everyone in the room to connect with that horrible moment in a beautiful, touching way. 

Could you speak about the value of the Young Composer’s Programme for its participants?

 The Young Composers Workshop has really taken on a life of its own. I am amazed year after year of how the level seems to keep rising. Since the students are on such a high level already, when the performers are working with them, we can really push them to be precise in their notation and show them what types of techniques work better than others. They have said that it is rare to find musicians who will take as much time as we do here to work on their music with them, rehearse it as we would any other great music, and perform and record it. Then they have these excellent recordings that they can (and have used) to succeed in competitions, festival applications, and most importantly, college applications. Each year, at least a quarter of our participants are returning students.