The stirring notes of piano and violin resonated within the stately confines of the Moulton Union reception room on the Bowdoin College campus. When the hairs stood up on the back of my neck, I knew those of us gathered to hear the music were experiencing a truly magical moment.

The performances by violinist Sissi Zhang and pianists Eric Zupert and Tao Lin were part of Tuesday night’s Dine On! gala, which served as the opening celebration for this year’s Bowdoin International Music Festival and as a fundraiser for its scholarship program.

This year’s festival runs through Aug. 5 and packs each week with at least four concerts, and often more. Each year, the festival attracts more than 275 students and more than 60 instructors and guest artists.

Among the students, 135 were able to attend this year thanks to help from the scholarship fund, including the three who performed at the gala.

Twenty-nine of those scholarships were funded entirely by money raised at last year’s Dine On! gala and a spring fundraiser in New York.

This year’s party surpassed last year’s event by raising more than $44,000 for scholarships.

Following the performances, board of trustees chair Jim Morgan addressed the intimate crowd of 88 guests.

“Let me say Sissi, Eric, Tao, spectacular,” Morgan said from the podium. “You’re really what it is all about.”

Earlier in the evening, Morgan told the festival’s most committed supporters, “We have Vienna in Brunswick, and thank God we have you.”

When introducing the festival’s co-founder and director Lewis Kaplan to the crowd, Morgan told us “he lures the teachers students want to work with.”

Make no mistake: Kaplan is also a major draw.

During the cocktail reception, I chatted with Jenny Zhou of New York City, whose son, 12-year-old Alan Yao, is the youngest participant in this year’s festival. Alan attends the prestigious Julliard School, where Kaplan is on the faculty.

“We follow Mr. Kaplan,” Zhou said. “It’s a great festival.”

Former Bon Appetit editor and Brunswick resident Pat Brown chaired this year’s event committee.

“I’m deeply devoted to this festival,” Brown told me. “Four years ago I said, ‘We could do something to raise some money.’“

And thus the Dine On! gala was born.

During the lovely meal, which offered a choice of roast sirloin of beef, grilled North Atlantic salmon or grilled polenta with roasted vegetables, I had the pleasure of sitting with Morgan, Brown, Fore Street chef/owner and festival trustee Sam Hayward, Peter and Ann LeBourdais of Harpswell, and Jan and Sally Williams, who I was delighted to learn live around the corner from me in Portland.

Dessert was a white chocolate and almond semifreddo served with fresh strawberries and basil oil. It was specially created for the guests by April Robinson, the pastry chef at Fore Street.

Using his Union Jack umbrella as a gavel, Mike Fear served as auctioneer for a tempting selection of music and food-related packages.

Fear, who owns Now You’re Cooking in Bath, used his gentle British persuasion and quips such as, “This is cheap as chips!” to fuel the bidding.

In the end his efforts, combined with the generosity of the crowd, raised close to $20,000.

“I think I’m awful, but they keep inviting me back,” Fear told me during the reception.

Judging by the applause that greeted him as he made his way to the podium, it’s a fair bet the crowd did not agree with his assessment.

One thing everyone does agree upon is the high caliber music coming out of the festival.

“We have many great artists who come to teach,” Chris Schmidt of Brunswick told me. “We attract so many luminaries.”

Kevin Harris of Bath added that “some of the real gems are the Artists of Tomorrow concerts.”

Harriet Paris didn’t mince words when she told me, “It’s going to be an incredible season.”

“The thing we’re really excited about this year is the Bowdoin Virtuosi program, which started last year,” executive director Peter Simmons told me. “They’re young artists just entering the concert artist stage. They’re here to get their performances down so they can hit the concert halls worldwide.”

These musicians perform in many of the festival’s concerts, including Monday Sonatas, Wednesday Upbeat! and Festival Fridays.

“Any festival in the world would be proud to present the artists we’re presenting at Bowdoin,” Kaplan told me. “They’re among the most talented in the world and the performances will be unforgettable.”

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:

akamila@pressherald.com

Follow her on Twitter at:

Twitter.com/AveryYaleKamila