Finding ways to keep the Winchendon Music Festival alive – The Gardner News

WINCHENDON — Summer is the time for sharing music, laughter and fun, but this year those who provide joy as we gather together have also been sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic.

Frank Zappa, writer, musician and satirist, once said, “Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid.”

For the last four years, Andrew Arceci has organized the Winchendon Music Festival to bring together all genres, including jazz, folk, classical, baroque, Celtic — a smorgasbord of styles the musician organized so that people could sample the unique sound and determine whether it resonated with them.

Arceci began with three concerts in 2016 to honor his father. The presentations began to grow with help from the Winchendon Cultural Council (a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council). Additional support was also provided by the Ashburnham Cultural Council, Gardner Cultural Council, Templeton Cultural Council, Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, and the Massachusetts Festivals Program (Massachusetts Cultural Council). WMF 2020 would have marked a milestone five years, but COVID-19 changed it. There could be a chance in the fall, but chances are looking slim.

Arceci located the festival in Winchendon because his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents came from the town.

“I never lived in Winchendon, but it is the one place I have been in and out of my entire life,” said Arceci.

The artists wanted to offer something in place of the canceled festival to engage the audience and keep the festival alive. All musicians have followed the COVID-19 safety guidelines and recorded their music at home, some with limited equipment. Some artists who had been set to perform may not have been able to produce a recording because they were taking care of children or parents, or maybe live in an area where train noises or even sirens would become an unwanted part of the recording.

There are recordings of both 2020 artists and also some of the 2019 artists to be accessed on YouTube.

“We tried offering short clips just to sustain the feeling of the festival,” said Arceci. “I think the clips are varied and showcase both classical and world programs as well as jazz and others.”

This year there were 12 concerts scheduled.

“We secured enough funding to really expand this year,” said Arceci. “I wanted to really celebrate the fifth year.”

Knowing concert halls will not open soon, and venues for musicians have been cut back, it is a difficult year for those who depend on concerts for their livelihood. Even those musicians who spend time in Europe will not find open doors and venues because Americans may not be welcomed.

Even if outside venues opened stateside for musicians, some of the instruments, especially the strings, could not survive the sun and humidity.

The pandemic has been tough on musicians, those who thrive while bringing joy to many. Musicians are now trying to find ways to survive until concert halls can open and people will be able to go out and enjoy music once more. Arceci hopes that many of the concerts can be presented in the fall or winter.

Because the concerts in the last four years have been free, it allowed the curious to feel no pressure. In the past four years some people just attended the classical programs and others attended just jazz programs. But there were others who attended all the concerts with open ears.

“I think it is important to present a wide range of styles, especially in the 21st century, because we live in such a connected world,” said Arceci. “It’s important to have a more global perspective regardless of where you live just to know there are many approaches, not just in the art but in the way that one looks at the world.”

Last month would have been the last of the 2020 festival presentations with three concerts: Andrew Arceci, folk artist Bill Staines, and John Arcaro & Band would have performed.

Arceci released a video for viewing where his instrument of choice happened to be an electric bass, and he channeled Larry Graham’s slap-base style from the days of funk introduced by Sly and the Family Stone. Robert Schulz demonstrated the sounds of the conga drum, bongos and the cajon, a percussion box with internal snares. Schulz gave an explanation of each drum and revealed percussion’s true place in funk.

Other compiled video presentations include pianist and composer Cristiana Pegoraro, vocalist Burcu Gulec, Jennifer Ashe, soprano and Christina Wright-Ivanova, piano, Franziska Huhn, harp, Naomi Yamaguchi, piano, William Simms on lute, Randall Scotting, Andrew Arceci and WMF artists, and John Arcaro & Band.

Arceci is multi-instrumentalist and has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He has presented at several musicology conferences and given workshops at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, the Narnia Arts Academy (Italy), Taipei National University of the Arts (Taiwan), and Burapha University (Thailand). Recording credits include BBC (UK), Novum (UK), Bołt Records/Monotype Records (Poland), Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (Germany), Cedille Records, Centaur Records, Juice Music/APM Music, Music & Arts, NPR, and PRI.

For information and a taste of the musicians who have performed or will be performing at the Winchendon Music Festival, go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ1dw9r4uFKtJUktc56aOfU2jKlZt9Hhn/.