A Far Cry is delighted to announce that Fenwick Smith, a force in the Boston musical scene for the past 30+ years, has agreed to join the Criers in the G Major Flute Concerto by Quantz for our October 29th and 30th concerts!
Fenwick's impressive biography includes years of service with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Chamber Music Society, and New England Conservatory, as the distinguished chair of the woodwinds department. Visit fenwicksmith.com
A Far Cry had an AMAZING weekend tour in Vermont last week. We arrived in five different cars at six different homes(Montpelier/Berlin) Thursday night. Some of us had engagements in Boston until the evening, so we didn't in until very late, but ALL of our hosts were so nice. On Friday morning, we met up with Karen Kevra at Vermont Public Radio, outside of Burlington and had a live spot on what is probably one of the most popular public radio stations in the country! We were a little nervous, mostly for the interview part, but it all went just fine. We had a great lunch hour on Church Street in Burlington and then piled in the cars to head to Middlebury. We arrived at the college and entered one of the most beautiful halls! After a quick photo shoot and dress rehearsal, we had dinner and then a concert. The audience there was great and we were particularly impressed and thankful to the people who stuck around afterwards to talk to us. We decided we should encourage that more during all of our concerts - we like to get to know our audience!
Saturday, we were treated to a lunch at the New England Culinary Institute's cafeteria and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, most of us in the quiet luxury of Mr. and Mrs. Iron's house. In the evening, we had one of the most exciting concerts I've ever played and that was mostly because of the energy coming from the audience. There was something that night about the way we could communicate with the people sitting in there. It was joyfully packed, and although it was almost unbearably warm in there (how many of us saw the sweat dripping from Andrew's violin?!), there was a spirit like no other. That evening, we were treated to a nice reception, again by the Iron's, and returned home Sunday, tired and blissfully happy from the weekend. I had a special treat - my host took me on a hike, right in Montpelier, just before I left. Thank you, Leslie!
If any one is reading this who attended these concerts or other concerts of ours, even in Boston, we'd love to hear your comments! We encourage you to leave comments on this blog, or write to us!
On behalf of the Criers, thank you, thank you, everyone in Vermont! This will be our home away from home, for sure.
Sincerely,
Margaret
I have to say that going to school in Harvard square doesn't offer many choices for late night food after practicing until the building closes. Late night food in the square was limited to Charlie's Kitchen (home of the double Lobster roll), and Uno's Chicago Grill. I remember playing with a hockey team from Canada, that was treated to beer, chicken wings and Pizza from Uno's (as they were one of the tournament sponsors), and it was sooo satisfying to be eating after playing a few hours of hockey. They serve all sorts of food that have a very distinct aroma. Their selection of beers is average, but they definitely go down easy, and compliment their famous pizza the "Chicago Classic." It always sits well in my stomach, and the great part is that you can take it home if you can't finish (like in a plastic bag, with napkins of course) Well that is my plug for Uno's in Harvard Square if you happen to be there late when nothing else is open...or if you managed to find it at four in the morning (excluding Massachusetts)...yeah I go to UNO's
It really does seem like yesterday that I was gearing up to meet with a few other people for this "idea" for a chamber orchestra. Then, after a few weeks of organizing and setting up a first reading, I was in Prague, on vacation with my parents, and any time I met anyone new, this was all I could talk about. They wanted to know about my life as a grad student in Boston, and I responded with a starry-eyed description of the birth and potential of this nameless, conductorless chamber orchestra that I was starting with some of the most amazing people around. Here we are now, on the verge of our second full set of concerts. We've been riding an exhilarating wave all the way here and honestly, I could still talk about it all day long. The buzz is clearly there - people are talking in Boston (and elsewhere), people are offering us help and advice, and we're busy dividing tasks to carry us through the business aspect so we can be totally devoted to making music.
Spending this many hours with all or most of fifteen other strong personalities is, as a friend of our observed, like watching a social experiment. I could definitely see that and I found it amusing, and then realized that I couldn't choose better people for this so-called experiment. We've become quite a family, which means getting personal and comfortable, and sometimes even a little grumpy, but in the end we still love each other. We're all really excited for our concerts in Vermont this weekend. Handel, Tchaikovsky, Part, and Quantz are all becoming our own and we're ready to share our dynamic and transcending interpretations with everyone else. The character with which this all started remains with us and feeds the interaction in our playing and what transmits through the music. How lucky I am to be a part of this....
We're getting ready for our first set of our first full season, and I am so happy we get to go to Vermont to do it! I'm starting to feel like Vermont is my second home. Every time I'm there I feel very grateful and inspired by the beauty around me.... and, Vermont also has the best farmer's markets! The last one I went to had delicious West African food! But back to the concerts...well, really, first, we have to get there. We all have to leave at different times, so Margaret is trying to organize all the cars based on time of departure, space, and host family location. It's crazy, like so many things we're trying to learn how to do, but it'll be great. I think I'm in the leaving Very Very late Thursday night car, so I hope we have some good tunes!
We've managed to line up another appearance in Vermont! Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Middlebury College Music Department, we will be able to present our first concert program at the Middlebury College Art Center Concert Hall on Friday September 21 at 8pm. The hall looks absolutely beautiful, and the word on the street is that the acoustic is spectacular as well. Check it out - we're on their calendar!
Hi everyone! I just wanted to drop a quick note to ask Vermonters to tune in to 101.7 WCVT Classic Vermont on Sunday September 16th 11:00am, when I will chat with Linda Radtke on Vermont Notes about A Far Cry's September 22 concert in Montpelier!
Also, A Far Cry will appear en masse live on Vermont Public Radio on Friday September 21 at 11am, performing selections from and talking with Walter Parker about that September 22 concert.
Well, we had an awesome week in Maine, and driving back with Karl and his bass in the little Protege, I realized how much more I appreciated each individual in our group after rehearsing, brainstorming, eating, swimming, living, and spending every day and night of the week together. There's something unbeatable about seeing so many sides of each personality in such a concentrated time. More of a sense of the whole person emerges in my mind each time I think of them. This morning I sent out our rehearsal and concert schedule which we labored over so much on our last day, and it's really a lot. A lot of rehearsing, a lot of work, and a lot more time together. So it's good we love each other! I'm totally excited by the momentum that's gathering inside and out of the group. We were able to get a lot rolling last week, but the action is all really starting now. Here we go!
Well, after an incredible week of rehearsing, reading, organizing, and bonding, A Far Cry moves on out tomorrow. Thanks so much to Ellen and Kneisel Hall for hosting us and also to the many generous and friendly residents of Blue Hill, Maine. There are many stories to tell and pictures to share - watch this space!
The Criers are celebrating a full and productive first day of our retreat in Maine. After a summer spent with various individual projects, A Far Cry has reconvened. (Mostly, that is: we are missing David and Sharon, who couldn't be here this week). It has been an exciting day for everyone - to have this time at beautiful Kneisel Hall sharing music and making plans for the future. For me, this day was particularly significant because it was my first full day spent with A Far Cry since joining the group earlier this summer. I feel inspired by the Criers' enthusiasm, dedication and love for each other and for the group. And now, to prepare for tomorrow's rehearsals, meetings and concert, time for some R & R!
