In Tuesday’s (8/11) Wall Street Journal, Corinnada Fonseca-Wollheim writes, “The handsome white-washed farm buildings at Merestead have long stood empty; the only signs of animal life now are the irrepressible chirping of birds and the occasional deer dashing across a distant field. … Beginning Sept. 11, the site will come under the auspices of Copland House, a music center housed 25 minutes northwest in the home of the late Aaron Copland, which will turn Merestead into a unique artists’ colony dedicated to nurturing new American music. Under a multimillion-dollar public-private partnership, Copland House will offer composers’ residencies, workshops, and public concert series.” Merestead located in Westchester County, New York. Copland House is located in Courtlandt Manor, New York. “A unique characteristic of the program will be its emphasis on collaborative residencies, allowing composers working on opera or dance scores to come up to Merestead with their librettist or choreographer. Intimate chamber-music concerts will be given in the living room that overlooks the formal garden; another performance venue will be the all-wooden cow barn with its cathedral ceiling.” Composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel explains that the buildings scattered across the farm make the property ideal for a composer residency, where the noise participants make in their work requires more space.
Posted August 11, 2009
