The Winchendon Music Festival (WMF) is a non-profit organization and concert series held in
Winchendon, Massachusetts
Winchendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,364 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs (also known as Spring Village). A census-designated place, ...
. The Festival showcases performances by international artists from a variety of genres including (but not limited to)
classical,
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
historical performance
Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of Western classical music, classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of ...
, and
world music. Concerts are free to the public, with support from several local Cultural Councils, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, the Winchendon History & Cultural Center, and the First Congregational Church of Winchendon.
Background
The Winchendon Music Festival was founded in 2016 by multi-instrumentalist, scholar, and composer Andrew Arceci, and dedicated to the memory of his late father, Dr. Robert J. Arceci (1950-2015). Dr. Arceci was a pediatric oncologist from Winchendon, with a passion for the arts.
The Winchendon Music Festival presents solo, small ensemble, and chamber orchestral programs. Noted artists have included
Anne Azéma
Anne Azéma (born October 19, 1957) is a French-born soprano, scholar, and stage director. She is currently artistic director of the Boston Camerata. She has been an important or leading singer of early music since 1993. She has created and dir ...
, the
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol Trio,
Randall Scotting,
Arcadia Players, and other acts. Festival founder and Director Andrew Arceci leads several of the Festival's musical programs each year, performing on viola da gamba, violone, and bass.
Performances for the Winchendon Music Festival take place at several venues around Winchendon, including the Murdock-Whitney House (Winchendon History & Cultural Center), Old Centre Church (
Old Centre Historic District), Beals Memorial Library, Robinson Broadhurst Amphitheater, and American Legion. During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
from 2020-2021 Festival pivoted to online offerings for the Winchendon community, resuming a full schedule of live performances in 2022.
[Duckett, Richard]
"Winchendon Music Festival returns with new programs and months of the year."
''Telegram & Gazette''. Published 2022-12-16
References
{{reflist
Music festivals in Massachusetts
Performing arts in Massachusetts