MANCHESTER — The Manchester Community Library and Taconic Music have teamed up to bring the local community an entertaining afternoon filled with music and poetry.
Taconic International Voices, an event uniting music, poetry, and people from around the world, will be held on Saturday at the Library.
Seven members of Southern Vermont’s international community will speak briefly about their personal journeys to the United States before reading a poem in their native language, followed by an English translation.
Music, hand selected by co-artistic director of Taconic Music Joana Genova, will be paired with each poem and performed by Taconic Chamber Players – Genova and Heather Braun on violin, Ariel Rudiakov on viola, and Nathaniel Parke on cello.
The lineup of participants includes poetry readings by Maxine Linehan of Ireland, Alix Marie Fitzpatrick of Burkina Faso, Maud Maciak of France, Hubert Schriebl of Austria, Joana Genova of Bulgaria, Chie Kagawa-Addington of Japan, and Pia Tamariz of Ecuador.
Linehan will join the Taconic Chamber Players on strings for an Irish song, and Kagawa-Addington will play the koto, the national instrument of Japan.
“It was a bit of a puzzle to put together people representing several continents and find appropriate repertoire,” said Genova. “It had to be the right balance of Western classical music, traditional folk arrangements, and folk-inspired classical music.”
After countless hours of listening to recordings and searching for sheet music, Genova created “a colorful program with traditional pieces from Bulgaria and Africa, sparkling Mozart and enchanting Ravel, and two works by some of our favorite women composers, Sato Matsui and Gabriela Lena Frank.”
According to Genova, the idea for Taconic International Voices grew organically, blossoming in the early 2000s when a small group of Bulgarian, Turkish, Dutch, Belarusian, and Serbian community members started sharing meals, conversations, and a love for Vermont.
“The goal of the concert is to offer a glimpse of our different cultures and languages and to celebrate the diversity in our community,” Genova said. “I hope it will become an annual tradition as there are many more interesting people living here who come from India, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Chile, Brazil, Australia, China…the list can keep going.”
Taconic International Voices is sponsored by the Vermont Arts Council through an Arts Project Grant which supports nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and schools in their efforts to add vibrancy to Vermont communities through projects that provide equal and abundant access to the arts.
Along with Taconic International Voices, the Arts Project Grant has provided funds to the Taconic Chamber Players for Music in Action, a weeklong program that makes music accessible to all by bringing the Chamber Players to local venues throughout the area.
From now through Oct. 27, the musicians will visit Burr & Burton Academy, several K-8 schools, and the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington, playing music selected for the Taconic International Voices.
“The idea is to instill curiosity and bring awareness of other cultures,” Genova said.
Taconic International Voices is a free even, however reservations are encouraged. The program is Saturday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Manchester Community Library. There is an open rehearsal at 11 a.m. for those who are unable to attend the official showing.
A meet and greet reception, provided by Manchester Community Library, Taconic Music, and TÖST Beverages, will take place after the program. For more information, go to mclvt.org or visit taconicmusic.org.