By STEVEN JUPITER
Summer in Vermont is full of sound: birds chirping, water splashing, and music playing almost everywhere you go. Summer brings the musicians out of hibernation, eager to perform and share their talents. And in our area, Otter Creek Music Festival (OCMF) is back for its 3rd summer, offering something to music lovers of diverse tastes.
OCMF was founded as the Salisbury Summer Series in 1979 by Middlebury professor Glenn Andres. For decades, SSS partnered with Lake Dunmore music camp Point CounterPoint to bring top tier chamber music to the Salisbury Congregational Church. In 2022, Andres passed the torch to musician and arts administrator Josh Glassman, who was based in Boston but had a long-standing relationship with Point CounterPoint.
It was Glassman who turned SSS into a multiweek festival and expanded the scope of the event to include different venues and new genres.
“We focus on chamber music, which we define as music that’s acoustic and performed on a small, intimate scale,” said Glassman in a recent conversation. This inclusive view of chamber music allows OCMF to propose a wide range of genres that many wouldn’t ordinarily associate with chamber music.
This year’s programming will offer classical, folk, and Latin American music, for example, in a broader array of venues than in previous years.
“Instead of asking audiences to come to us, we’re going to bring the music to our audience,” said Glassman. “We have a slew of great volunteers and terrific partners like the Town Hall Theater, Middlebury College, and Red Clover.”
The first concert of the season will feature baritone Nick Tocci and pianist Claire Black on Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Salisbury Congregational Church, the original home of the festival. Tocci and Black will present a suite of art songs, drawing on their extensive experience with classical repertoire.
On Sunday, July 20, OCMF will present Windborne at the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. A day-long program will begin with a Community Sing at 11 a.m. and conclude with a performance at 4 p.m. Anyone can join the Community Sing, though attendance is limited to 100 people. Admission is free but pre-registration online is recommended. The Community Sing and the afternoon performance are ticketed separately.
Windborne is a Massachusetts-based quartet specializing in complex vocal harmony, inspired by a wide range of global music traditions and eras.
On Monday, July 21 at 8 p.m., the Toomai String Quintet will perform at the Mahaney Arts Center at Middlebury College. Toomai is a string ensemble known for its flair for Latin American music and the performance will be presented entirely in Spanish. This concert is being offered in partnership with the Middlebury Spanish School. Admission is free but tickets are required.
Mezzo-soprano Maren Montalbano and guitarist Thomas Schuttenhelm will perform on Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland. This intimate concert will feature an unconventional seating arrangement, with the audience seated around the performers, who will play on the landing of the main staircase. Their program is called “Songs of the Quiet Hours” and “explores night as a time of deep emotion, reflection, and transformation.”
And on Sunday, July 27, Vermont-based Skylark will perform at the Red Clover Ale Company in Brandon. “On the surface Skylark is folk,” said Glassman. “But if you dig deeper they’re a string quartet in the European tradition. They pair classical technique with folk and Celtic influences.”
“Skylark is an excellent example of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Glassman added. The quartet is from Vermont, polished yet adventurous, and will be playing at an unconventional venue.
OCMF is spreading its wings in its third season, trying new ways to connect to the surrounding communities and reach new audiences.
Glassman said that OCMF is exploring ways to stay connected during its off-season. A weekend devoted to art songs is being planned for next spring, for example.
“I’m really excited and confident about what we’re putting forward in year three,” Glassman added.
For information or tickets, visit ottercreekmusicfestival.com.
