Letter to the Keene Sentinel

Keene Sentinel, Saturday, June 1, 2002

'Monadnock Tales'

To the Sentinel:

I am writing in gratitude for everyone who was part of the
joyous premiere performance of "Monadnonck Tales" at the Colonial Theater on Sunday, May 12.

There was, first of all, my wonderful collaborator, Edie Clark, whose elegant words so beautifully captured the spirit of Mount Monadnock.

The members of the Keene Chamber Orchestra played the piece
very strongly: a composer friend of mine remarked how impressed he was by the quality of the playing. That is due in no small measure to the remarkable skills of the music director of the orchestra, Eric Stumacher, whose vision and musicianship are a pleasure to witness.

The narrator, Lew Feldstein, gave a very strong account of the work, and was unstintingly generous with his time and talents.

Technical direction by Kurt Steelman and sound design by Martin Kelly were really fine; that was not an easy job. And support from the entire Colonial Theater crew and staff was solid all the way up and down the line.

The many, many people around the region who heard the piece (the theater was just about full) I hope took home some pride of their own in being part of this wonderful community we live in.

Our extraordinarily gracious guests who were present at the preview-celebration on May 11 have been so generous in their support and praise. That event took place in the beautiful community room at Stonewall Farm, whose people and programs are a community treasure. I also cannot help but acknowledge with great respect and admiration David and Rosamund Putnam, to whom the work is dedicated.

As for the Monadnock Millennium, whose interest catalyzed the creation of this work, it has been an honor to be able to contribute to its mission: Celebrating our Past and our Future. I know we'll all continue to do just that. My heartfelt thanks to all of you.

LARRY SIEGEL
Artistic Director
Tricinium, Ltd.
Composer, 'Monadnock Tales'
128 Paine Road

Last Modified: Jun 03, 10:04