In his speech, Stern described the class as an "encounter," with the goal of teaching students to "learn how to look and how to listen."
Stern urged the student musicians, playing in a piano quintet and a string quartet, to refine their performances and ask why they were playing.
He asked them to consider the broader context of the music, "both in terms of the piece and in terms of the composer and the context of the time," said James Wannatos, conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra.
Although he was a demanding teacher, Stern also displayed a sense of humor, asking piano quintet first violinist Eileen Woo '01 to "write a love letter to [her] boyfriend" as she played.
Woo said she appreciated Stern's enthusiastic instruction.
"It was a little intimidating at first, but he really teaches you not to be ashamed of anything," Woo said.
His advice to young musicians was straightforward.
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