Monadnock Music’s third annual fundraising gala will feature a circus spectacular, while raising funds for free programming for the 2023 season.
The fundraiser for the Peterborough-based nonprofit is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Knollwood at 4 Windmill Hill Road in Dublin. It will feature an aerial hoop performance, trapeze and silk and rope artists.
Monadnock Music’s goal is to bring world-class musicians to the region to provide classical concerts for Monadnock region residents in their own backyards. The organization was started in 1966 with James Bolle, who brought in musicians from big cities to perform and record in the Nelson Meeting House, and while it has grown in scope, at its heart, the mission has remained the same.
While Monadnock Music does sponsor ticketed concerts, or events for club members throughout the summer, the majority of its concerts are free and open to the public, often held in community town halls or meetinghouses.
That tradition, the “heart” of Monadnock Music’s mission, will continue next season, with at least 10 free village concerts, said Executive Producer Laina Barakat.
Although the performers have not yet been lined up for next year, Barakat said certain popular events will be back, including the Progressive Garden Party, which includes a botanical tour set to classical music, performed live by soloists in gardens around the region. This year’s garden party included tours of Rosaly’s Farm in Sharon, as well as gardens kept by Marianne Rothnie and Louisa Thoron in Jaffrey.
Barakat said Monadnock Music will also be reviving the lawn-style picnic, a popular event that was not held in 2022.
“People have asked us to bring that back next year,” Barakat said.
This year’s gala will feature performers Caroline Wright and Rachel Barringer. Barringer is an aerialist and contortionist who performs with hoops, silks, rope and aerial straps. She also performs with Wright under the name “Duo Shadow.”
Barringer, who is also a cellist, has performed with the Boston Circus Guild, Extraordinary Arts and Cirque de Light and the Shanghai Circus.
Wright began her circus career locally, with the Flying Gravity Circus, a Wilton-based youth performance troupe founded by Jackie Davis of Temple. She graduated from the New England Center for Circus Arts and has performed with multiple companies, including Cirque du Soleil and Circosphere.
“These are very high-caliber performers, and we were very lucky to get them,” Barakat said.
The circus performance will be held outside, against the backdrop of the historic Queen Anne-style home and vineyard, with views of Mount Monadnock. The 1899 house is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built for President William Howard Taft’s secretary of the treasury, Franklin MacVeagh, and later purchased by Ambassador Joseph Petrone.
Barakat said the performers will be accompanied by live music played by the Monadnock Music String Quartet.
Prior to the performance, there will be an indoor live auction, and live piano and harp performances. The acrobatics performance will be followed by fireworks at dusk.
Barakat said the annual gala has become the biggest fundraiser for Monadnock Music, bringing in about $7,500. The funds go to support the 2023 season, specifically Monadnock Music’s free village concerts and the Monadnock Music in the Schools program.
Monadnock Music in the Schools is a free program for regional elementary students, where classical orchestra musicians visit classes to introduce them to some of the classical music instrument families and do a small performance. Those performances can range from classical pieces by Mozart, to popular Disney songs.
“We want to them to start connecting with the fact that they hear classical music all the time,” Barakat said.
Tickets to the gala are $150, or $120 for Monadnock Music members, and are available for purchase at monadnockmusic.org. Ticket cost includes a meal catered by Foray Event Coordinators and an open bar.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.