Connecticut Travel

The Litchfield Historical Society, located on 7 South Street in Litchfield has curated two exhibitions that will run through November 25, 2018.

The major exhibit this year is By the Virtue of its Citizens: Educating a New Nation at Sarah Pierce’s Academy. The exhibition explores the innovative educational philosophy of the school’s founder, Sarah Pierce, and its influence on later social and educational reforms. It also investigates the lively social and intellectual community created by the Litchfield Female Academy and the Litchfield Law School.

Items from the Litchfield Historical Society’s extensive collection of artifacts and archives from the Litchfield Female Academy will be on display, as well as several ornamental arts pieces on loan from regional institutions.
Also featured is the Litchfield Historical Society’s newest acquisition: a portrait miniature of a young Miss Sarah Pierce!

The second exhibition is titled To Weep with Those Who Weep: Mourning Practices in Litchfield. Mourning practices of the 19th century were largely affected by the death of George Washington, with an increase in memorializing the dead. The exhibit documents the tangible and intangible manifestations of loss in Litchfield and the surrounding area.

Stories of loss within the community form the basis of the exhibit, highlighting correspondence sharing condolences, discussing funerals, and reflecting on life and death. The exhibit will also touch upon reactions of Litchfield Female Academy students to death. Artwork portraying those in mourning and those being mourned will be on display, as well as poems written for those who died and objects created in their memory.

The village of Cornwall is rolling out the red carpet on Saturday, June 9 in an annual townwide festival. Participating in the events being hosted by a wide variety of groups in this gem of a village gives visitors the experience what life is like in small-town America.

The Cornwall Library will be hosting a Books and Blooms Sale, as well as a country garden tour from 10, am to 4 pm. The garden tour will include four country gardens including those of Jane Garmey, Juliet and John Hubbard, Lynden B. Miller and Amelia Starr and Matthew Ziehl, click here for more information and tickets. The Library will also be selling new and out of print gardening books at the Library located on 30 Pine Street in Cornwall.

In the village of West Cornwall, on Rte. 128 by the Covered Bridge, the Souterrain Art Gallery is hosting an artist reception for Peter Joslin, Trout Markings and Landscapes in collaboration with the Housatonic Valley Association from 3 pm – 6 pm. Don’t miss browsing at The Wish House, located above the gallery, one of the most interesting shops in the Litchfield Hills. On the lawn of the Wish House, where the Farmers Market is held, there will be a workshop for kids where they can build a tinkerwagon with Joe Brien of Lost Arts Workshop form 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you like furniture, pop into Ian Ingersoll Cabinet Makers and check out the shaker furniture made there and don’t miss a visit to Cornwall Bridge pottery that displays a wide array of pots, lamps, bowls and many other objects, all handmade in Cornwall Connecticut.

For the outdoorsy, the Cornwall Conservation Trust is welcoming visitors at their new office and exhibit space on 9 Railroad Street and, Clarke Outdoors and Trout Unlimited is planning specials for the day, click here for details.

Westport Historical Society’s 27th Annual Hidden Garden Tour, a
vibrant and beautiful tradition that highlights gem-like spaces normally unseen by the public, will
take place on June 10th this year. Five beautiful, inspiring gardens will be on view from 11am to
4pm, and landscape designers, arborists, and garden hosts will share information about how they
created the spaces and maintain their plants, trees, and garden aesthetics.

At Thistle Cottage gardens in Westport, you will be transported into a delightful world of formal
and whimsical garden “rooms”, designed by the artist owner. An English rose garden with an
Italian fountain takes center stage, with five enchanting and unique spaces that surround.
At the Bulkley Barn, an 1820s onion barn which has been meticulously restored, you can see
post-and-beam construction with the original stone foundations and antique farm equipment.
This historic barn is situated in naturalized deer resistant woodland gardens containing ferns,
Solomon’s Seal, Trillium, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Trout Lily and Mountain Laurel – all ideal for a
natural shady garden.

In Weston, a 225-year-old colonial farmhouse, on its 3-acre grounds, is noted for its 30 varieties
of peonies- from those with classic to blooms to others that hit the high notes in the full range of
floral types. For over a 30-year period, the owner, a landscape designer, has added carefully
chosen exotic specimen trees to the space – such as Coral Maple, Paper-Bark Maple and Forest
Pansy Redbud.

Upon entry to the unique Blau Garden in Westport, cherubs and Roman sculptures punctuate
beds near the circular drive and a folly of Astilbe-filled terrace beds are surrounded by stone
retaining walls and steps. The property features an allée of Pollarded Crabapples leading to a
Neptune fountain circle surrounded by gorgeous Norway spruce; whilst bamboo groves form a
backdrop to the Asian garden with a substantial Buddha, waterfalls, and trickling stream
complete with Water Lilies, Water Iris and a grass garden. Additionally, the sunken rose garden
is framed by stunning stone retaining walls with boxwood parterre and fountain pools.
For the first time, one of Westport’s oldest and most famous estates opens its splendid gates and
gardens for the famed annual WHS Tour.

This timeless treasure was originally built in the 19th Century, and has been preserved and maintained by generations of gardening aficionados.

In addition to the tour, unique items for gardeners and garden lovers from local artisans and
businesses will be available for sale at the Wheeler House Garden Market on Westport Historical
Society’s front lawn, 25 Avery Place, from 9am to 4pm. Vendors include: Cynthia Alexander,
Emmy Starr Designs, Grace Connell Designs, Jean Forte Vintage Gifts, M & F Antique Prints, MCK
Gourmet and Savannah Bee. A pop-up shop featuring a selection of items especially from The
Shop at Wheeler House will be open at the Bulkley Barn with an elegant outdoor/garden theme.
Thank you to our sponsors: Berchem, Moses, PC., Brown’s Monument Works, Sachs Walsh
Insurance, Maplewood Senior Living, Newman’s Own Foundation, The LaurelRock Company,
Darton and Company, Oliver Nurseries and Design Associates, The Care of Trees, Edward F.
Gerber, Chris and Jim Corgel, JMKA | architects, Terrain Café, Amis Trattoria, Arlene and Marty
Yolles, Connecticut Arborists, Gilbertie’s Herb and Garden Center. Special Thanks to: Miggs
Burroughs, Shake Shack and Connecticut Cottages & Gardens.

Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, Westport, Sunday, June 10, 11 am – 4 pm, Garden
Market, 9 am to 4 pm. Tickets $50 for members, $60 for non-members, $75 Day of Tour.
For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit westporthistory.org or call 203-222-1424

Chamber music aficionados along with Beethoven lovers will want to mark their calendars for the start of Music Mountain’s concert season! America’s oldest continuing summer chamber music festival will kick off on June 10th with an extremely special summer event – the Complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle performed by the acclaimed Shanghai String Quartet. The technical and emotional scope of the Beethoven cycle makes it the ultimate challenge for a string quartet.

The Chamber Music Series will also feature Music Mountain premieres and welcome first-time guest artists and returning favorites. Concerts are scheduled for a 16-week season (through September 23rd) and are dedicated to the memory of Music Mountain’s late impresario and Music Director Nicholas Gordon. “Working together with Nick Gordon for a year was an honor and a privilege,” stated Music Mountain artistic director, Oskar Espina-Ruiz. “Nick Gordon’s knowledge was encyclopedic and his mentorship went a long way towards preparing me as new artistic director.”

The 89th Season launches with brio on Sunday, June 10th (3PM) with the Opening Concert & Reception featuring the outstanding Shanghai String Quartet performing the Beethoven Cycle Program #1: String Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 127; String Quartet in G Major, Op. 18 #2; and String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 #3. Renowned for its passionate musicality, impressive technique and multicultural innovations, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, the Shanghai Quartet has worked with the world’s most distinguished artists and regularly tours the major music centers of Europe, North America and Asia. The celebrated quartet has re-arranged its international touring schedule to perform the Beethoven Cycle in six concerts at Music Mountain this summer, on consecutive Sundays from June 10 to July 8 and returning on September 9 for a 6th rousing concert with a celebratory reception.

This is a one-of-a-kind season,” stated Oskar Espina-Ruiz. “In addition to the Beethoven Cycle, it includes the complete set of three rarely performed and brilliant Beethoven piano quartets from 1785; the complete Mozart “Prussian” string quartets, a set of three, which were the last string quartets Mozart composed; the great piano quintets by Schumann, Brahms, Dvorak, Dohnanyi and Shostakovich; the Mozart and Beethoven quintets for piano and winds featuring Peter Serkin; Shostakovich string quartet numbers 3, 7 and 8; and beloved master works such as Tchaikovsky’s String Sextet “Souvenir de Florence;” Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” and “Rosamunde” string quartets, and the Cello Quintet in C Major; as well as Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. (Complete chamber season listed below.)

The 89th Season features Music Mountain debuts by two outstanding quartets: the American String Quartet—resident quartet at the Aspen Music Festival since 1974 and the Manhattan School of Music since 1984—and the Escher String Quartet—in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Three new guest artists join the ranks of exceptional Music Mountain performers: 2017 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Yekwon Sunwoo, Piano, on July 15; legendary cellist of the Cleveland String Quartet, Paul Katz, on August 26; and the incomparable Robert McDonald, Piano, recital partner for many years to Isaac Stern and other distinguished instrumentalists.

Exceptional artists returning in 2018 include Penderecki String Quartet, Harlem String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, Amernet String Quartet, St. Petersburg Piano Quartet, Cassatt String Quartet, Ariel String Quartet, Victoria Schwartzman, Piano; Fei-Fei Dong, Piano; Soyeon Kate Lee, Piano; and Peter Serkin, Piano; together with highly acclaimed artists Chauncey Patterson, Viola; Ronald Thomas, Cello; Jihyun (James) Kim, Oboe; Caitlin Beare, Clarinet; Shannon Hagan, Horn; Adam Romey, Bassoon. The 2018 season closes with the Music Mountain debut of artistic director Oskar Espina-Ruiz, Clarinet, on September 23.

About Music Mountain
Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Music Mountain is supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission On Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets

Specially Priced Concerts are as Follows: Tickets for the 89th Season Opening Concert & Reception with the artists featuring Shanghai String Quartet on Sunday, June 10 (3PM) are $75. Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception with the artists on Sunday, September 2 (3PM) with Peter Serkin, Piano, Jihyun (James) Kim, Oboe, Caitlin Beare, Clarinet, Shannon Hagan, Horn, and Adam Romey, Bassoon, are $75. Tickets for the final Beethoven Cycle Concert and Wine Reception with the artists on Sunday, September 9 (3PM) are $60.

Specially Priced Packages include: the Music Mountain Gold Pass, including admission to all concerts and receptions with the artists, priority reserved seating and one $20 guest ticket available for any regularly priced concert, for $780 individual and $1,500 pair, transferable; and the Beethoven Cycle Package, including admission to all 6 concerts and 2 receptions with the artists of the Beethoven Cycle, for $225, individual, transferable.

Beethoven Cycle Package on sale from January 1. All other tickets go on sale on March 1.
Regularly scheduled Chamber Music Concerts are $35. Twilight Series Concerts are $30. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE to ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday evening Twilight Concerts are at 6:30 pm. Sunday afternoon Chamber Music concerts are at 3 pm. 4-Pak Pre-Season Ticket Plans are available for $100. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit musicmountain.org or call (860) 824-7126.

The Torrington Historical Society is pleased to host a presentation about noted architect E.G.W. Dietrich on Wednesday, June 6th . Architect E.G.W. Dietrich: Bringing the Arts and Crafts Style to Torrington will be presented by Dietrich scholar, Christopher Jend, and will feature information about Dietrich and his design for the Luther Turner House in Torrington, one of the city’s most prominent historic homes. This presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Torrington Historical Society Carriage House Gallery, 192 Main Street, Torrington. The program, free to the public, is sponsored by the Torrington Chapter of UNICO National.

Architect E. G. W. Dietrich (1857-1924) was a native of Pittsburgh, PA and came to prominence in the 1880’s for his eye-catching designs of shingle style country residences. Finding success on the East coast, he relocated to New York City where he would practice for nearly forty years. He was an early proponent of the Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts styles. Through his collaboration with furniture designer Gustav Stickley, Dietrich is recognized as designing the first “Craftsman” house published in Stickley’s Craftsman Magazine in May 1903.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Dietrich was hired to design a house for Luther G. Turner (1845-1924), one of Torrington’s most prominent citizens. Turner made his career with one of Torrington’s largest industries, the Turner & Seymour Manufacturing Company, eventually serving as President of the firm prior to his retirement in 1915. The house, built circa 1904 and located on a prominent lot at the corner of Migeon Avenue and Gleason Street, went through several design iterations. Coinciding with Dietrich’s design of the first “Craftsman” house, the Turner residence is an outstanding example of Dietrich’s work in the Arts and Crafts Style.

Christopher Jend began researching architect E. G. W. Dietrich seven years ago. In that time, he has documented more than 350 of Dietrich’s designs and visited Dietrich projects in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Mr. Jend researched and wrote the successful nomination of the John Mollenhauer House in Bay Shore, New York to the National Register of Historic Places. He has presented his research on Dietrich at the Bay Shore Historical Society and the Warwick Historical Society (Orange County, New York). The latter was part of the Warwick Village Sesquicentennial and included an exhibition of drawings, renderings, and photographs of Dietrich designs.
For more information, please contact the Torrington Historical Society at torringtonhistorical@snet.net.

The Hollister House located in the bucolic village of Washington is hosting its annual event, Music in the Garden, on June 10 at 5 p.m. that is perfect for garden and music lovers. Beautifully situated on a sloping terraced site, this house garden is an American interpretation of a classic English Garden.

Unwind on the main lawn amid the loosely formal structure of this garden and enjoy a magical concert by the Deming String Quartet. The concert of baroque music will include Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major by Johann Sebastian Bach, L’estro Armonico, Opus 3, No.11 in D Minor by Antonio Vivaldi, Selections from Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks by George Frideric Handel and more.Bring a blanket or a camp chair, even a picnic if you wish – we’ll provide the rosé! Greet summer with a backdrop of a beautiful garden while enjoying an outstanding concert of baroque music.

For tickets, HHG Members $25 |Non-Members $35 https://hollisterhousegarden.org/events/music-in-the-garden.

About the Quartet
The Deming String Quartet is led by founder and violinist Larry Deming, Concertmaster of the Danbury Symphony Orchestra and Director of the Danbury Music Centre Summer Strings Program. Diane Orson, violinist with Orchestra New England (and WNPR reporter!), Barbara Wiggins, member of the Hartford and New Haven Symphony Orchestras and principal viola with Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and Mary Costanza, award winning cellist and currently associate principal cellist with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra complete the quartet.