Welcome to our new website and Island Arts new performance season!
The Island Arts team is thrilled to announce our new website that describes the season’s offerings for you in a colorful, beautiful, and easy-to-find way.
Our New Website
New pages describe the birth and early years of Island Arts and our Mission, laud our wonderful Creative Partners, and tell the story of the historic barn that is the Island Arts Center. Enjoy lots of photos of Island Arts artists and events. Scholarships and financial aid tools for youth to help fund arts and creativity education are described, application forms provided, and past scholarship winners recognized.
In the “Community” section, our In-School programs are outlined. Did you know that Island Arts will fund the rental of musical instruments for school children? There’s a new section about the Art Gallery at Community Bank and the roster of artists scheduled for this season is provided.
Interested in renting the Island Arts Center barn for your own event? Wondering about the progress on the Barn renovations and improvements? There’s information about this too.
We’ve made it easier to contribute to Island Arts, as a volunteer and as a donor. Click on the volunteer form and tell us about your interests. Donations can be made online or through direct personal contact. They can be one-time or recurring or in the form of a bequest. Gifts can honor a loved one. Gifts can be designated for a special purpose such as a youth scholarship or barn improvements. (Wouldn’t it be nice if we could install real bathrooms?)
You can also sign up for the newsletter to stay informed about Island Arts activities. (We never share names or contact information with any other organizations.)
The website design was a six-month creative effort that involved input and reviews from every member of the Island Arts all-volunteer board. A lot of hard work was contributed by the five members of the web team who collaborated with the professional web designer. They organized the content, studied the latest web technologies, made enumerable decisions, and ferreted out good photos. A great deal of content had to be assembled, developed, researched, written, checked, and rechecked. A reinforcing image was needed to pair with each subject. We all learned a lot about technology—and each other—along the way.
Please look around and let us know what you think about what you see!
The Upcoming 2022 Season
Now we are delighted to offer highlights of the upcoming season which will kick off with a Raffle (May 1-June 4) that ends at our annual Book Sale on June 4th where the Raffle winner will be drawn. Half the Raffle proceeds will be shared to benefit Honor Flight for veterans and Island Arts. You could win the other half! Raffle tickets will be sold by various outlets in Rouses Point, Plattsburgh, and the Islands.
Next up is arrival of the Charles Pratt Yamaha C7 grand piano in mid-June. Thanks to Charles’ widow, Morgan East, and facilitated by piano tuner Rose Kinnick, you will be able to enjoy the sound of this wonderful piano all summer long. You can read the story of Charles Pratt and his piano on the Home page.
Piano? Three solo piano concerts are scheduled—Claire Black in June, Sohyun Ahn in July, and Jorge Garcia Herranz in August. Choose our Classical Series tickets and you can hear all three concerts at a discount. For Jazz enthusiasts, The Andric Severance Trio will also make that piano sing.
Sing? Oh yes, there are several singers coming this summer too. Soprano Sarah Cullins and classical guitarist Daniel Gaviria, who perform as 8 Cuerdas, return this summer. Their sold-out appearance blew the roof off last summer! This year, they are joined by cellist John Dunlop of Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and violist Laura Markowitz of VSO who perform as Duo Dolce.
These four musicians will perform as duos and also “mix it up” in various ways. Sarah Cullins will repeat her Group Voice classes that were so popular last summer, hosted by South Hero Congregational Church on the three August Mondays before that concert.
Pop singers? Oh yes! Tracy DeCoste is the singer in Modern Pop, and MaryBeth Zamer in Nashville: The Twangtown Paramours, both coming in July. And Nashville’s own Mike Lewis will teach a Song Writing class. Citizens Concert Band, always a favorite, will feature at least one singer. And then there is A Cappella Lollapalooza, this year presenting the stellar and versatile Counterpoint ensemble for most of concert, with Chordination and the Green Mountain Chorus providing short variety offerings. Weather cooperating, these events will all be outside and include the option to picnic on the green beforehand.
Like to dance? The Bella Voca Band of six musicians including two singers will appear in August, presenting a range of pop styles. Dance or just enjoy the beat. Our Pop Series gives you tickets to the three Pop events at a discount.
Like band music a lot? The Green Mountain Brass Band performs on July 31 with picnic before.
Free for Youths Age 18 and Under
Did you know that ALL Island Arts events are free for youths 18 years and younger? Why not consider making some concerts into “family affairs” and include the little kids too? Music is so valuable in the brain development of children. Exposure to music at a young age helps a child learn the sounds and meanings of words. Dancing to music helps them build motor skills and practice self-expression. Music helps the body and the mind work together.
Island Arts outside concerts are especially well suited for young children as they can run around and dance on the grass with abandon. Even the family dog is welcome to come to outside concerts—on leash and well-behaved, of course.
More Events
Want more Jazz? How about the Vermont Jazz Ensemble and The Dixie Six? Our Jazz Series package gives you all three jazz concerts at a discount. And for youth, the Island Arts Jazz Combo 5-day class is August 8-12, culminating in a concert for parents and friends on that Friday. Students are encouraged to apply for the Jazz Combo through their music teachers.
Did you know that Island Arts offers a jazz scholarship for youth in the Champlain Islands, based on recommendations from their school or private music teacher?
Birding and Other Classes
Want something entirely different? How about three birding classes with the awesome Maeve Kim, teaching via Zoom? Or you learn to make gorgeous, unique greeting cards in three morning classes with Pat Brennan. Check out the full list of classes.
Talk to Us: We Love to Hear from You
Island Arts would love to hear from you and learn more about what you would like to see and hear. Please send us an email and give us your ideas.
- Tell us what you would like to see or hear at Island Arts, what you enjoy, what you would like to explore, etc.
- Tell us why you come to our events.
- Tell us what we should change or add so you will come or come more—or your family will come.
- Let us know if you would like to get more involved in what we do.
Thank you! — The Island Arts team
BLOG article: Volume 1 no. 1, May 2022
