ATHENS, Vt. – On Sunday, Aug. 11, at 3 p.m., composer-pianist David Feurzeig will pay a concert at the Athens Brick Meeting House, 2 Meetinghouse Road in Athens, Vt., as part of his “Play Every Town” series of concerts. Admission is free, and donations will be accepted to benefit the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vt.
In May 2022, Feurzeig embarked on “Play Every Town,” 252 free concerts in each of Vermont’s 252 towns to confront climate change through the power of community and music. With this project, David will become the first musician to perform in every Vermont municipality. He is traveling in his solar-charged electric vehicle throughout the state, offering free concerts to bring attention to the interrelated issues of climate and community, and to call into question the normality of long-distance touring and travel, while bringing the joy of music to his audiences.
Feurzeig, a professor of music at UVM, specializes in genre-defying recitals that bring together the music of an astonishing variety of musical styles, from ancient and classical, to jazz, avant-garde, and popular traditions. These striking juxtapositions, peppered with informative and humorous commentary, create eye- and ear-opening programs that will change how you hear all kinds of music.
Each program is locally tailored. In Athens, David will be joined by local musicans Matt Shea and Will Danforth to play some environmentally-themed songs of Danforth’s. David will play a sonata by Muzio Clementi written in 1780, the year Athens was chartered, and Mozart’s beloved variations on “Twinkle Twinkle,” written in 1781, the year the town was organized. Two polonaises by the 7-year-old Chopin will mark the year of the meeting house’s construction, and Mary Gibbons’ 1871 “Athenian March” will honor the town’s storied name. As with every concert in the project, this one will include its own unique sonata by Domenico Scarlatti, “Sonata no. 63,” for this 63rd concert in the project. And, in honor of the other Athens’ reputation as a birthplace of democracy, David will play Robert Buechel’s 1913 “Democratic Fun: A Campaign Cake-Walk.” Other solo pieces will round out the program.
Feurzeig finds his approach attracts new audiences to so-called “classical” concerts, and brings new insight to existing fans. “Classical music culture puts the ‘Great Composers’ on an almost religious pedestal. Once this was an indication of the audience’s love and respect, but now it just distances people from the music. It turns away new listeners, who feel like they’re in a stuffy museum instead of a live concert. Sure, the music can be serious, but there’s no reason anyone should feel intimidated. If I don’t get a laugh from the audience in the first two minutes, I get worried.”
Follow Feurzeig on his journey on Instagram, find up-to-date events for your town via Facebook at www.facebook.com/playeverytownvt, or visit the website at www.playeverytown.com.