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Music For a Sunday Afternoon PDF Print E-mail
Written by staff writer   
Monday, 05 March 2007

What started as a homegrown music series now attracts artists from around the world

Be careful when you turn onto Second Street in Newport, Vermont.  You may blink and miss St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, affectionately called “the little white church with the bright red doors,” the popular venue for the Music for a Sunday Afternoon concert series.
    The church building has been in the same spot for 123 years, but the series germinated in 2005 when a local group, the Octet, presented Haydn’s “Seven Last Words.”  Gratified by the response to the concert, a small, dedicated group began planning a program of regular concerts.

    Since then, artists from as far away as Italy have enjoyed the superb acoustics of the tiny wood-frame church and the 100-member audience has reveled in the interaction afforded by the unusually collegial setting.
    Artists have included the Mainstreet Brass Quintet from the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, Francesco Attesti and Matteo Galli, pianist and organist from Italy, the Catamount Singers from the University of Vermont, and perhaps one of the best known, Elisabeth von Trapp of The Sound of Music’s von Trapp family.
    The series is run on a suggested donation basis, allowing all in the community to attend regardless of their ability to contribute.  A phone call before one of the concerts inquired whether or not “the suggested donation was mandatory.”  The caller was told no, that all are welcome.  A group home leader appeared with 5 high school-aged boys.  Following the concert, they expressed their gratitude and reached into their pockets and put whatever change they had in the plate.  “That’s what it’s all about,” said Jim McKimm, one of the founders of the series.
    Following each concert, the ladies of the church bring their culinary talents to the fore at a meet-the-artist reception in the parish house.  Few miss out on the taste treats and opportunity to talk with the musicians.  Visual artists display their works during the reception sometimes, too.  The whole afternoon has a ‘down home’ feel.
    The series has 10 monthly concerts booked for the 2007 season.  802.334.7365,
www.musicforasundayafternoon.com
Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of The Sound of Music’s Maria von Trapp, performed with Canadian Erich Kory at the “Christmas” concert this past July.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 March 2007 )
 
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