Winchendon Music Festival returns with new programs and months of the year

After debuting in 2016 with three concerts, the Winchendon Music Festival quickly made a name for itself as a world class event in the small north Worcester County town of about 10,000 people.

Programs, held mostly in June, featured local, national and international artists from a variety of genres including classical, folk, jazz, historical performance and world music. Twelve concerts were scheduled for June, 2020, to celebrate the festival's fifth year. "It was vey humbling. It was very exciting. I think the festival was developing a buzz," said Winchendon Music Festival founder and director Andrew Arceci.

The world would soon sound some down notes.

However, 2-and-a-half years later, there's a buzz about the Winchendon Music Festival that remains.

"I'd like to think we're still creating a buzz, but we're moving forward," Arceci said.

The 2020 and 2021 live in-person concert seasons were canceled because of the pandemic and the festival offered some virtual programing instead. But in April of this year live in-person performances resumed with three concerts. Last month WMF came to Worcester for the first time with a concert of early Baroque music performed by Elizabeth Hungerford (soprano) and Arceci (viola da gamba) at Trinity Lutheran Church.

Now WMF is poised to offer four programs in December and January at the Winchendon History and Cultural Center, 151 Front St., Winchendon. The programs are free but registration is required.

The lineup is: 7 p.m. Dec. 18 — William Simms, theorbo. 7 p.m. Dec. 27 — Asako Takeuchi, baroque violin. 7 p.m. Dec. 28 — Philipp A. Stäudlin, saxophone, and Yoko Hagino, piano. Jan. 7 — John Arcaro and Band.

Simms, who is from Baltimore,  is an active performer of early music. Equally adept on lute, theorbo (a plucked string instrument of the lute family) and baroque guitar, he appears regularly with Apollo’s Fire, The Washington Bach Consort, Ensemble Vermillian, IndyBaroque, The Thirteen and Three Notch’d Road. "It's a unique opportunity to hear a fantastic player," Arceci said of the concert.

As a solo, chamber, and orchestral player, baroque violinist Takeuchi — who was born in Japan, grew up in the Netherlands, and is is Arceci's wife - has performed with numerous ensembles. Her concert for Dec. 27 is described as a "meditative program by candlelight" with works by H.I. Biber, J.S. Bach and G.P. Telemann.

Stäudlin, who is originally from Germany, is an award-winning virtuoso saxophonist who has performed hundreds of concerts throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. His characteristic tonal qualities, deep sense of phrasing, and superb technical skills make him one of the most unique voices in today's classical saxophone world. Born and raised in Japan, Hagino has performed piano recitals ranging from the music of Bach to contemporary repertoire.Both are now based in the Boston area. Arceci said that they are performers in the classical musical genre but the program will be 20th and 21st century classical repertoire. "We've never showcased a program like that but it's important to represent that genre," he said.

Arcaro, a professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, will play jazz interpretations of the "Great American Songbook" as well as original compositions. Arceci said Arcaro has been a popular performer at the Winchendon Music Festival every year it's been held.

"It's the first time we've done anything in winter," Arceci said of the four December and January programs.

Pre-pandemic the WMF programs were always in June, with maybe a concert in May building up to June, he said.

With the pandemic and its ongoing aftermath, such planning and programing isn't so straightforward any more.

"The world is a mess," Arceci said. "We thought we'd try something different."

Artist and venue availability, along with funds in place from grants and other sources, meant that WMF could go ahead and offer the four programs now.

"Winter's not ideal but we thought we'd pursue an opportunity while we had it," Arceci said. "Rather than waiting for the summer to come we thought we'd move and present these programs."

Arceci said all the concerts will be in a salon room of the Winchendon History and Cultural Center, a small, intimate venue seating 50 to 100 people that's ideal for a solo concert such as Simms', as well as Takeuchi's solo program. Similarly, Stäudlin and Hagino are a duo, while Arcaro will have a few colleagues, Arceci said.

Logistically, Winchendon has "very few ADA (The Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible venues," but the Winchendon History and Cultural Center does comply. Many grants are tied to programs being accessible to people with disabilities, but in any case, "I think it's important to honor that," Arceci said.

Meanwhile, the concerts have always been free to the public "and I think it's very important concerts remain free," he said. With that, "they are not free to produce." For one thing, artists have to be paid. "Thus far, WMF programs have been supported by several cultural councils, the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, and contributions from individuals, businesses, and other foundations," Arceci said.

"In the past we would try to plan one year out, two years out. But it's very different now. We're still emerging from the pandemic. We're very slowly returning to what we knew. We'll present these programs now. We'll see what grants we receive, see whether we'll do a week in the summer or do these programs when we can. It's just a different approach. It gives us some flexibility. I think it's good to have some options," Arceci said.

Arceci is an internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist (including viola da gamba, violone and double bass), concert performer, recording artist, composer/arranger, scholar and teacher (including teaching at Worcester State University for a year). He is also the artistic director of the prestigious Arcadia Players based in Northampton.

Arceci has said that he always felt a strong bond with Winchendon although he never lived there. His parents and grandparents are from Winchendon and he has visited the town many times. He now resides in Acton with Takeuchi and their two children, only about 40 miles away. The Winchendon Music Festival is dedicated to the memory of his father, Dr. Robert J. Arceci (1950-2015), who loved the arts in addition to being an expert pediatric oncologist. Andrew Arceci  has previously said that after his father’s death he felt that a music festival in town "seemed like something that could be useful for the community. Boston doesn’t need another series. Or New York."

The mission was proving to be possible. "Winchendon's a small town and we've been able to present some wonderful programs," Arceci said.

A diverse range of Artists have included countertenor Randall Scotting, violinist Beth Bahia Cohen, folk singer-songwriter Chris Moyse, Mehmet Ali Sankhol Trio (world music), French-born vocal soloist and instrumentalist Anne Azéma, Floyds Row, Muscari (Eastern Mediterranean), John Arcaro and band, and Winchendon Music Festival Artists featuring many world class classical instrumentalists (baroque).

"2020 would have been a very exciting year. We had 12 concerts lined up. We had an incredible list of artists ... I hope we'll return to that 2020 list at some point," Arceci said.

"The festival did well as a start-up. It takes several years to build something and the pandemic destroyed that in a way. We're rebuilding. The festival is still very much a start-up. We don't have an endowment. We're reliant on grants and contributions. It's hard to know what to do until we have funds secured. We're very much a small non-profit."

Last month's concert at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester with Hungerford and Arceci was also a case of taking an opportunity to present a program, Arceci said.

The venue is nice but attendance was low, he said.

Presenting organizations and performing ensembles are seeing "up and down" audiences in terms of size right now, Arceci acknowledged.

"It's hard to know these days if it's an issue of the program, or the date, or COVID. I think a number of ensembles are seeing these ups and downs."

Some groups are responding by offering hybrid performances,- live in-person and livestreamed, Arceci noted. But he doesn't think the current line-up of WMF programs in December and January "would translate well to an online platform" because the instruments and performance are so intimate that too much would be lost. Textures and qualities would not be caught on a digital platform.

Still, WMF has already proved that it can attract both audiences and world class musicians willing to come and play to them. "Each year as we were expanding we were attracting more interest which was exciting," Arceci said.

"Thankfully we've been supported with grants and individual donations. We'll see how the next several months play out. Hopefully we can present some programs in the spring and summer, but that will depend on what funding can be secured."

Winchendon Music Festival

Where: Winchendon History and Cultural Center, 151 Front St., Winchendon

How much/When: Free. Registration required at the following links:

7 p.m. Dec. 18. William Simms, theorbo. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/william-simms-theorbo-tickets-482647189737

7 p.m. Dec. 27. Asako Takeuchi, baroque violin. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asako-takeuchi-baroque-violin-tickets-482657350127

7 p.m. Dec. 28. Philipp A. Stäudlin, saxophone, and Yoko Hagino, piano. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/philipp-a-staudlin-saxophone-yoko-hagino-piano-tickets-482659646997

7 p.m. Jan. 7. John Arcaro and Band. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/philipp-a-staudlin-saxophone-yoko-hagino-piano-tickets-482659646997

For more information, visit the Winchendon Music Festival Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Winchendon Music Festival back with 4 concerts in December, January