Founded in 2003 by Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han, Music@Menlo is an internationally acclaimed summer festival and institute combining world-class chamber music performances, extensive audience engagement, intensive training for preprofessional musicians. Music@Menlo offers a variety of educational and artistic activities, which have enhanced the chamber music community of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Intimate performance venues and signature offerings such as AudioNotes CDs, Café Conversation events and the Encounter lecture series, offer a wide range of opportunities for chamber music fans and newcomers of all ages to connect with the art in new and innovative ways. The festival and institute are based at Menlo School in Atherton, California, with concerts, lectures, a training program for aspiring professional musicians, Young Performers Concerts and open-to-the-public master classes. Following the course charted by the inaugural season in 2003, and spurred by its success and expansion, all festival seasons have been constructed around well-defined themes in chamber music history.