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"The visitor who turns up Priest Road soon
emerges from its canopy of trees to see a handsome yellow farmhouse on
a hill, the center of a sylvan scene complete with weathered barns,
lazing cows and the kind of sunsets that some local partisans insist
only take place in this verdant corner of upstate New York. The
visitor also is likely to notice a cellist doing passagework on the
front porch, a violinist sitting on the grass near the vegetable
garden marking a score, and a hot game of croquet on the lumpy lawn
between the house and a converted barn where, upstairs in the
rehearsal studio, a pianist plays Bartok in counterpoint to the click
of the mallets below. This is just what violist Lila Brown had
in mind for her farm in 1985 when, together with violinist Judith
Eissenberg, she launched..." Music from Salem.
They saw it as a way to bring musicians of
international reputation together, offer them the peace and beauty of
rural Washington County, and provide the community with beautiful
music. From a single concert, it has grown to present seven concerts,
four in the summer and three in winter/spring, and childrens
workshops. Most concerts are performed at Hubbard Hall (a small
opera house in its previous life) in Cambridge, ten miles south of
Salem.
A unique feature of Music from Salem is that
rehearsals are open to the public. Rehearsals are most often
held at the farm and sometimes occur at Dionondehowa Wildlife
Sanctuary, Shushan, and Gardenworks in Salem. where those
observing may interact with the chamber players. Occasional
workshops also provide an opportunity for beginning professionals to
work with the MFS players in private coaching sessions and master
classes. |
