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Welcome to the Celebration!
Every once in a while a milestone reminds us how far we've come and why. For 35 years Pentangle has been bringing people together and the party to life with a myriad of arts experiences - like the one you about to see.
This season, we're in good company in the milestone department:
It's been 75 years since visionary musician Alan Carter proposed the idea of a State symphony in the living room of Margaret and Norman Williams' home right here in Woodstock. On October 4th, we're privileged to be commemorating the anniversary of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra's founding, in the birthplace of its very first concert - the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre.
50 years ago this year, the Broadway premiere of A Raisin in the Sun "changed American theater forever" (The New York Times). We welcome Vermont's oldest and most renowned theatre company, Weston Playhouse, to the Town Hall stage for a rare and powerful retelling of this American classic.
40 years ago this summer, Richie Havens was handed the momentous and daunting task of opening the most famous outdoor concert of all time and in doing so set the stage for a whole new era of popular music. We honor and welcome him back to "the other Woodstock" this November.
In 1974 -the same year Pentangle was founded - four school mates from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles started a band that 35 years later is still going strong as the most famous Mexican/American ensemble of all time. Los Lobos opens the Pentangle Main Stage season on September 20th.
511 years ago, the Vienna Boys Choir was formed...our list of reasons to celebrate could go on and on. Obviously, we don't need a birthday or anniversary to come together and enjoy the fruits of artistic innovation. Great art is indeed timeless and ageless - just ask those who've experienced the enchantment of Puppet State Theatre Company's The Man Who Planted Trees, or the members of America's new first family of bluegrass, Cherryholmes.
Engaging, innovative, compelling, relevant, illuminating - the Arts are life's celebration. As we blow out the candles to honor Pentangle's longevity, we also rejoice in the name of creation. This year marks the nativity of our Summer @ Six concerts and Bookstock: The Green Mountain Festival of Words - programs that offer clear, refreshing evidence of how the Arts keep the party forever changing and endlessly new.
The Latin origin of "party" iimplies that through our individual participation, we each partake in a part or share of a collective experience. I invite you to please take a part of today's performance with you. In this exchange of gifts, may the cause for celebration continue and remain with you. Thank you for joining the party...Cheers!
Partridge Boswell
Executive Director |
