KENT—Regardless of the genre, music is to be enjoyed and all styles of music are wonderful.
That was the message of the Bluegrass Concert offered by the Sherman Chamber Ensemble during Labor Day weekend.
“One of the reasons I started the Sherman Chamber Ensemble is I love a lot of different kinds of music. I don’t love one particular kind of music more than another. I think within every type of music there’s a lot of beautiful things. I like to try and find those and bring them out,” said Eliot T. Bailen, the artistic director of SCE.
While Bailen is known to regulars at Sherman Chamber Ensemble concerts for his cello playing during classical music concerts, he is equally at home on the guitar. It was the first instrument he learned.
He shared with the audience in between songs that the annual bluegrass concerts began about 25 years ago when he heard many of his friends were playing bluegrass at the Mauweehoo Clubhouse in Sherman. He was invited on stage to play with Jim Vogt and others. Bailen wanted to keep that energy going and decided to start offering the bluegrass concert.
“My friends were playing bluegrass. It is always fun to play with friends,” Bailen said. He offered compliments several times to how the musicians performed songs in the set.
In Kent, the annual concert is usually held outside under the big oak tree in the Kent Barns complex. Threatening weather forced them to move the Sunday, Sept. 1, afternoon concert inside the St. Andrew’s Parish Hall. There were also concerts Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Sherman Town Center and Sunday, Sept. 1, in the early evening at the Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens in Washington. While the concerts are free, there is a suggested donation of $10 per person.
Executive Director Liba Furhman welcomed everyone to the concert and thanked St. Andrew’s for allowing the group to use the hall on such short notice. A classical concert was held inside the church just days earlier. The church hosts several of the SCE concerts each year. The group also performs in New Milford and Washington.
While many of the performers are part of the core group that performs with SCE, there were also special guests. Bailen was on guitar and sang quite a few songs, along with his co-founder and wife, Susan Rotholz, who played the flute. Doori Na played the violin and Peter Weitzner was on the upright bass.
The special guests included Dave Paton playing the concertina, Jim Vogt on the mandolin, Gary DiGiovani on banjo and Charlie Vogt playing percussion and the tambourine.
The songs were a wide range of tempos and different origins, including Irish reels, a Scottish lament, songs from Appalachia and folk songs, featuring works by Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Many of the 60 in the audience had difficulty not tapping their toes to the beat.
Paton led the musicians in a rendition of a song, “The Last Farewell,” that he wrote in memory of his late son, Kaelan, who died 15 years ago.
“It came to me in a dream and it happened to be his birthday. The dream was so vivid,” Dave Paton said.
Several of the musicians took turns leading the songs and playing solos.
SCE is celebrating 42 years of performing this year. The mission of SCE is to bring world class musicians to the area communities to perform a diverse range of music with an approach that is intimate and inclusive. The concerts include Baroque programs, jazz-inspired concerts, classical, children’s and family concerts.
The next performance will be rock ‘n roll music at the Sherman Town Beach Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. It is called “Live at the Lake – the Music of 1974 and More.” Participants are encouraged to bring their own blanket or chairs, along with food, refreshments and beverages, and wear dancing shoes. Tickets are $30 per person and may be ordered online. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The beach is located at the end of Sawmill Road in Sherman.
The next series of concerts are titled “All That Jazz” and will be Thanksgiving weekend with the Kent performance Sunday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m. in St. Andrew’s Church. Handel’s Messiah will be Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. at St. Andrew’s, when SCE will join the Music in the Nave series for the annual Sing-In. All proceeds benefit the St. Andrew’s Church Music Fund.
