Electric Earth Concerts will be making their long-awaited return to in-person performances this summer, something General Manager Joan Epro has been looking forward to since the decision was made to drastically alter the 2020 season.
Instead of live concerts, Electric Earth has collaborated with a number of artists over the past year to provide videocasts to local chamber music fans, and Epro said it went as well as expected given the unprecedented circumstances.
“The videos we did were really, really good, but it’s not the same as seeing it live,” Epro said.
So, with shows spanning June through November this year, Epro is set for a return to normal for what will be a major milestone for Electric Earth as the series celebrates its 10th season.
But it wasn’t the easiest season to plan. With things opening up, musicians’ schedules started to fill up, and the late decision to hold in-person gigs again made it a little difficult to get everything in place.
“It was more difficult because we had a much smaller window to work in,” Epro said. “We had been talking about it for months and had a goal to start live shows in June.”
And for chamber music, Epro said, it’s optimal to be played indoors in a setting that lends itself acoustically because “outside the sound gets lost.”
Despite all of this, Epro is excited for what the year will bring.
“We have a lot of really wonderful artists,” she said. “I can’t wait for it to start.”
Ahead of its first live broadcast since December 2019, Electric Earth will present a final video broadcast on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth, which was actually set to be part of the 2020 season. Spiritual Voices, featuring the Ciompi Quartet, was scheduled for the series Changing the Conversation of Electric Earth, but had to be postponed for a year. It will be available from 4pm on Saturday, just two days before the official live season opener, Bird Conference, on Monday, June 21 at the Jaffrey Meetinghouse.
Mezzo-soprano Jazimina MacNeil joins an ensemble that includes Electric Earth artistic directors Laura Gilbert and Jonathan Bagg to celebrate the summer solstice.
In another collaboration with the Harris Center for Conservation Education, MacNeil and poet Henry Walters will offer a series of half-hour introductory lectures on Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 that explore the stories behind the music. and the poems they put together for a digital mixtape that interested hikers can listen to as they hike along the Hiroshi Loop Trail. The downloadable mix can be used to accompany your ride anytime after June 24.
Celebrate the 4th of July with Hanz Araki, a master of the Celtic flute and Shakuhachi – a Japanese bamboo flute – at 4 p.m. at First Church in Jaffrey Center.
One of Electric Earth’s most popular artists and annual season entrant, the Horszowski Trio will perform in Bass Hall at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture on Wednesday, July 14.
Making their Electric Earth debut in 2021, the Neave Trio head to Bass Hall on Monday, July 26. In August, David Breitman will use his pianoforte for a Mostly Mozart concert on August 2 at the Bass Hall.
“It’s a good mix of old and new,” Epro said.
Violinist David McCarroll will perform solo works by Bach on Sunday, August 15 at a location to be determined. Epro calls the planned chart “the most beautiful music in the world.”
The Schubert Quintet, which includes both McCarroll and Bagg, takes the stage at Jaffrey Meetinghouse on August 17.
The Trio Auréole, founded by Gilbert, returns to offer a consolation and celebration concert on September 12 at the Francestown Old Meetinghouse, featuring works by Ravel, Debussy, Nielsen, Earl Kim.
And the season finale on Nov. 21 at Jaffrey’s Park Theater celebrates Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”
“It’s just going to be one after another after another fabulous gig,” Epro said.
Due to various COVID-19 guidelines, the number of tickets available for each concert varies by venue and are on a first-come, first-served basis. But new this year, Electric Earth allows spectators to sit outside and listen for free through a PA system.
“So bring a blanket, bring a chair, and sit outside,” Epro said.
Epro said it will work with venues to create socially distanced atmospheres and ask people to wear masks indoors.
“We just want to keep everyone safe,” she said.
For more information and tickets, visit https://electricearthconcerts.org/.
