For six days each year, some of the world's most accomplished musicians gather in Ithaca for Mayfest, an international chamber music series sponsored by Cornell's Department of Music.

The 2010 festival, held May 19-24 and directed by pianists and professors of music Miri Yampolsky and Xak Bjerken, featured Russian bass Alexander Vassiliev; New York Philharmonic principal violist Cynthia Phelps; Eastman School of Music professors Mikhail Kopelman, former first violinist of the Borodin and Tokyo string quartets, and Steve Doane, cellist with the Los Angeles Piano Quartet; Israeli cellist Zvi Plesser; New York-based violinist Xiao-Dong Wang; clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein; as well as Cornell and Ithaca College faculty and student musicians.

"Last year's Mayfest was all about young people -- fresh ideas, exciting temperaments and lots of laughs," Yampolsky said. "This year was more about being inspired by older, out-of-this-world musicians who have played it all and seen it all."

She pointed to Kopelman's participation in particular as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, adding that "my heart almost exploded playing the Shostakovitch Piano Quintet with him."

For assistant professor of music and festival performer Joseph Lin, the participation of students was among the highlights. Sharing a stage with professional musicians encourages and excites the students, he said, and challenges them to bring their music-making to a higher level.

In an interview, Vassiliev emphasized the educational value of introducing audiences to quality chamber music. "It's the most intimate experience of coming into contact with classical music," he said.

Students in the audience praised the concerts. For government major Laura Schwartz '12, the music available at Cornell was a significant part of her decision to study here. Minerva Ho '10 said she felt "blessed" to be able to attend Mayfest.

Lorraine Anastasio, a festival donor, explained that she and her husband support the festival because "it makes the Cornell experience so much richer for students. There's no better chamber music in the country. It's world class."

Yampolsky said that Mayfest grew from a desire to bring to Ithaca what she and Bjerken had previously been able to enjoy only far away -- the opportunity to play chamber music with the best musicians in the world.

With the help of a bequest from Sidney T. Cox '47, M.A. '48, to the music department, and the support of individual donors and many at Cornell, she and Bjerken created Mayfest so students, faculty and local residents can enjoy a personal connection with renowned chamber musicians. "Mayfest fuels me and many others with positive energy and inspiration," Yampolsky said after the final concert.

The Mayfest program's variety was "top level," according to Vassiliev, artistic director of the Kassikfest Kaiserstuhl music festival. The program included premieres of compositions by Roberto Sierra and James Matheson, pieces celebrating the anniversaries of Robert Schumann and Samuel Barber, and works by Brahms, Beethoven, Prokofiev and Messiaen. The final concert featured Klezmer music, an addition to the program that was initiated by Ithaca college instructor/jazz pianist John Stetch and clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein.

For the opening concert, Vassiliev sang "Dichterliebe," which Ithaca resident Richard Franke called "a fabulous piece, rarely performed. To sit in a small space and listen to this interpretation was an amazing experience."

Linda Glaser is a staff writer in the College of Arts and Sciences.