Unsilent Night is an original composition by Phil Kline, written specifically to be heard outdoors in the month of December. Since its debut in 1992, the piece has been performed in cities around the world.
In the spirit of community and creativity, Kingston will host its sixth annual Unsilent Night on Dec. 19, an immersive, musical walking experience created by composer Phil Kline. The event transforms the streets into a moving soundscape, inviting participants to become part of a living, breathing musical composition.
Kline, a veteran of New York City’s downtown scene with a résumé that zigzags from rock clubs to revered museums, has long delighted in blurring the boundaries between public art and public ritual. Raised in Akron, Ohio, he came to New York to study English literature and music at Columbia University, then embedded himself in the unruly creative ferment of the early 1980s East Village. He co-founded the post-punk band the Del-Byzanteens with Jim Jarmusch and James Nares, collaborated with Nan Goldin on the soundtrack to “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency,” and played guitar in Glenn Branca’s cacophonous ensemble, allexperiences that shaped his appetite for art that is social, subversive and never quite where most expect it to land.
Unsilent Night debuted in Greenwich Village in 1992 and has since traveled to more than 175 cities on five continents. The premise is simple: Participants walk a set route while playing one of four prerecorded tracks on phones, speakers or whatever portable device they can wrangle. The piece lasts 45 minutes, “the length of one side of a cassette,” Kline likes to remind people, and the format he originally composed for.
In practice, Unsilent Night is far more than a clever technological conceit. Its chiming, layered textures refract through streets and buildings, creating what one Wall Street Journal critic described as “bell sounds [that] lap up against buildings and ricochet all around,” warming “even the coldest of hearts.”
That sense of immersion has resonated with critics over the years. Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times called the experience “suspended wonderment.”
For Kevin Muth, the organizer of the Kingston event, that feeling was immediate and personal.
“I went to my first Unsilent Night in Manhattan in 2002,” Muth said. “I was new in town, hadn’t quite found my people yet, but braved the cold and took the subway with my boombox to Washington Square Park. It was snowing. There were hundreds of people gathered around the fountain and volunteers handing out cassette tapes. There was a countdown, and we all pressed play at the same time and started walking. The music was sparkling and shimmering, and the crowd felt like a funny mix of solemn and festive. As the procession slowly made its way east, the sounds changed from chimes, to choruses, to church bells, bouncing off the buildings and mixing with the honking horns of traffic waiting for us to pass. When the crowd reached the Christmas tree in Tompkins Square Park, the music faded except for one warbling boombox with dying batteries that made everybody laugh. The crowd cheered and dispersed, and it became one of my favorite annual holiday traditions.”
This year’s walk will begin at Frog Alley Park in Kingston’s Uptown/Stockade District at 6 p.m. Participants are encouraged to download the track or the Unsilent Night app in advance and bring Bluetooth speakers if possible. The route takes about 45 minutes and is, as Muth describes it, “a moving boombox parade.”
Kline has likened the experience to a contemporary twist on a familiar holiday tradition. “I always thought of it as being sort of a variation on Christmas caroling,” Kline said, “a combination of my own work and memories of caroling back in Ohio.”
For Muth, the event’s enduring appeal lies in its openness and emotional range. “I really love this event because the holiday season can mean different things to different people,” he said. “For some, it’s a time of celebration and joy, and for others, it may be a time of reflection, or sadness. This event allows us to come together and experience the season however we need to.”
On Dec. 19, residents are invited to come as they are and take part in the transformation of Kingston’s streets. As Kline put it, “Sometimes the only way to escape is to use your imagination.”
For more information, visit unsilentnight.com.
CORNWALL — At the recommendation of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, on Jan. 20 the Board of Selectmen voted to move forward with the purchase of two new trucks.
Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, was chosen as the manufacturer. Of the three bids received, Greenwood was the lowest bidder on the desired mini pumper and a rescue pumper.
CVFD’s Ian Ridgway sat on the truck committee and said Greenwood was not just chosen for the price, but also for the design of each vehicle. He said their models had a shorter wheelbase and more ground clearance, as well as extra storage space on board, compared to the next best bid.
After $100,000 in discounts offered by Greenwood, the combined purchase price for both vehicles was shown to be $1,200,408. The delivery time was estimated at 15 months.
CVFD raised $600,000 during its recent fundraising campaign, of which $500,000 will be given to the town to buy the trucks. That figure will be paired with $720,000 in town truck fund reserves. The additional donated funds will be used to outfit the trucks with equipment and tools.
“I want to praise the town of Cornwall,” said CVFD President Dick Sears. “We’re able to buy these beautiful new pieces of equipment courtesy of the tremendous citizenry of this town.”
FALLS VILLAGE — Robin Lee Roy, 62, of Zephyrhills, Florida, passed away Jan. 14, 2026.
She was a longtime CNA, serving others with compassion for more than 20 years before retiring from Heartland in Florida.
Robin loved the beach, sunshine, and gardening, and was known for her strength, humor, and unwavering support of those she loved.
She is survived by her daughter, Sierra R. Zinke, and brothers, Darren Roy and Todd Roy.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Sharon Thomkins Roy and Robert Roy, and her brother Nevin Roy.
No services will be held at this time.
SALISBURY — Marjorie A. Vreeland, 98, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizons, on Jan. 10, 2026.She was surrounded by her two loving children, Richard and Nancy.She was born in Bronxville, New York,on Aug. 9, 1927, to Alice (Meyer) and Joseph Casey, both of whom were deceased by the time she was 14. She attended public schools in the area and graduated from Eastchester High School in Tuckahoe and, in 1946 she graduated from The Wood School of Business in New York City.
At 19 years old, she married Everett W. Vreeland of White Plains, New York and for a few years they lived in Ithaca, New York, where Everett was studying to become a veterinarian at Cornell. After a short stint in Coos Bay, Oregon (Mike couldn’t stand the cloudy, rainy weather!) they moved back east to Middletown, Connecticut for three years where Dr. Vreeland worked for Dr. Pieper’s veterinary practice.In Aug. of 1955, Dr. and Mrs. Vreeland moved to North Kent, Connecticut with their children and started Dr. Vreeland’s Veterinary practice. In Sept. of 1968 Marjorie, or “Mike” as she wished to be called, took a “part-time job” at the South Kent School.She retired from South Kent 23 years later on Sept. 1, 1991.Aside from office help and bookkeeping she was secretary to the Headmaster and also taught Public Speaking and Typing.In other times she worked as an assistant to the Town Clerk in Kent, an office worker and receptionist at Ewald Instruments Corp. and as a volunteer at the Kent Library.
“Mike” loved the sun, sand and water and spent many summers at Westport Point, Massachusetts with the kids and their best friends, the Bauers.She was the consummate hostess, and a wonderful cook.She also appeared in several plays with The Sherman Players and also a show or two on special occasions at The Kent Community House.She took enjoyment from working outdoors doing chores around her home in North Kent.She lived in that house until she sold it and bought a condominium on North Main Street in Kent in May of 2003.She lived in the condo until 2018 after which her light began to fade and her last 8 years were spent comfortably at Noble Horizons.
“Mike” leaves behind her children, Richard (Susan) of Lakeville, her daughter Nancy Rutledge (Jim) of Salisbury; two grandchildren, Chandra Gerrard (Sean) of Litchfield, Matthew (Larissa) of Lakeville; three great grandchildren, Addison, Emilia and Everett, all of Lakeville.
She was predeceased by her beloved granddaughter Caroline in 2020.
All services are private.The Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in charge of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SALISBURY -— Rafael A. Porro, 88, of 4 Undermountain Road, passed away Jan. 6, 2026, at Sharon Hospital. Rafael was born on April 19, 1937 in Camaguey, Cuba the son of Jose Rafael Porro and Clemencia Molina de Porro. He graduated from the Englewood School for Boys in Englewood, New Jersey and attended Columbia University School of General Studies. Rafael retired as a law library clerk from the law firm of Curtis, Mallet Prevost in 2002 and came to live in Salisbury to be nearer to his sister, Chany Wells.
Rafael is survived by his sister, Chany Wells, his nephew Conrad Wells (Gillian), and by numerous cousins in North Carolina, Florida, Wyoming, Arizona, Cuba and Canada. He was the eldest of the cousins and acknowledged family historian. He will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in June. Memorial contributions may be made to Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury and Scoville Memorial Library.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
