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Seasonal star creators gathered at Hotchkiss Library of Sharon Nov. 23 for a lesson on folding the traditional holiday design.
Fröbel also was one of the first to encourage the use of patterned geometric building blocks for young children as gifts, which were later adapted for children’s education about sixty years after his death. However, Fröbel is not the creator of the folded star despite it being named after him. The knowledge of crafting it is speculated to have been known to many well before his time.
The Froebel Christmas Star, however, is no children’s feat. The four strips of paper require a shockingly high level of preciseness in order to reach the finished product, and while the first few steps may give the impression of an easy craft, the star proved a significant challenge for those in attendance who represented a wide variety of ages. Many of the steps are more akin to weaving than they are to folding. Instructor Anne Cameron spent multiple weeks practicing herself in order to prepare.
On the day of the workshop, Cameron used a video as an assistant, slowly going through step by step and checking in on each table. Soon, as the project reached its more complex stages, Cameron went from table to table and back again going over many of the specific rules on exactly how to fold the stars. Despite the difficulty, participants kept a determined outlook. After many attempts, do-overs and backtracking, attendees eventually finished their first star.
Matthew Kreta
The 16-pointed stars go by many names depending on where they are made.
Artistic Director Christine Gevert will lead more than 30 Crescendo singers in two concerts this holiday season.
The Crescendo Chorus of thirty singers is joined by soprano Paulina Francisco (Canada), countertenor Nicholas Tamagna (Germany), tenor Gene Stenger (Connecticut), bass-baritone Douglas Williams (Massachusetts), and Crescendo Period Instrument Orchestra with musicians from New York City and Boston. The performances are led by Crescendo’s founding artistic director, Christine Gevert.
“Baroque music appeals directly to our emotions. It is the foundation of most of the music we hear nowadays. These compositions incorporate melodies, rhythms, and even forms from folk music. The cantatas are full of dance rhythms, and familiar tunes, which makes them very accessible to our ears. Even without being a classical music fan or choral music lover, it is hard to not be cheered up by forty voices and fifteen instruments singing music that has great harmonic progressions, and beautiful melodies,” Gevert explained.
Crescendo’s concerts will take place at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lime Rock Dec. 28 and 29.Provided
“The natural trumpets and period timpani are played by experts, and their sound is very solemn and lively at the same time. The Christmas cantatas were composed for the most important moment in the church celebrations. The period instruments used in these works have a sound that is a bit more transparent, and perhaps differentiated than the instruments we hear in modern orchestras, and they also have very unique colors. That makes them perfect to accompany the human voice,” she added.
Gevert was raised in Chile and lived in Europe for twelve years. She had been thinking of moving to Boston in the early 2000s but found the Early Music scene there difficult to break into as a foreigner. Luckily for local audiences, she found her way to the Northwest Corner.
“I met the minister of Trinity Church Lime Rock at a meditation retreat in Rishikesh, India, and she let me know that the small Episcopal parish had many music-loving members, and that the music director position was opening up. I applied, and was hired in October of 2001. It took a bit to get the music program going, but I was able to constitute Crescendo here in the fall of 2003, and our audience, chorus and instrumentalists came immediately also from the adjacent areas in New York and Massachusetts. We became an independent 501 (c)(3) organization in 2006,” Gevert says.
Leading ensembles and producing events comes with its own set of challenges. Musicians are not typically educated or trained in management, marketing, and fundraising for arts organizations.
“You need to learn everything at the same time while leading the artistic part of the organization. Everything is done on a shoe-string budget. It was always my goal to bring the very best professionals to our programs, and to pay them a just fee. So most of our funds are used for that, and very little is left for management, marketing, and development. Understanding the functioning of a not-for-profit organization is a journey that has many unexpected challenges and obstacles. Learning to be a leader is not easy in any discipline,” Gevert explained.
“Adoration of the Magi,” by 17th century artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Provided
Gevert feels that society has changed since Covid, with many people still reluctant to attend live performances. The renewal of audience members, supporters, and amateur musicians is more important than ever.
“We have always offered free music education to students and young musicians at Crescendo, and currently have a program in place that functions besides our concert series, and benefits young local musicians who receive one-on-one training,” she added.
Crescendo has been in Lakeville for 21 years in large part because of the many music lovers in the area. Early Music colleagues from the East Coast have also been great supporters.
“We hope that we will be able to celebrate the beauty and power of live music for many more years to come,” said Gevert.
The concerts will take place on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 at 4 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 484 Lime Rock Rd., Lakeville, CT, and on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 at 4 p.m. at Saint James Place, 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA.
Tickets are available online at www.crescendomusic.org, or on a first come, first served basis at the door, 45 minutes prior to the concert.
Tubing at Butternut.
Downhill Skiing
Mohawk Mountain
The Northwest Corner’s own Mohawk Mountain has taken advantage of the recent chill by firing up its state of the art snowmaking equipment. The resort announced an opening date of Dec. 6, and if the weather stays cold and snowy then the slopes should be ready for your freshly-tuned edges. Season passes and seasonal rentals are available now; information on options and pricing is available at www.mohawkmtn.com. The mountain will be open for night skiing every day except Sunday this season, with the lifts spinning until 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and until 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Updates on resort operations can be found on its Instagram @mohawkmtn.
Ski Sundown
The classic New Hartford resort also hasn’t formalized an opening date, but when it does, it will be spinning its lifts long into the night with its characteristic long hours. The resort is scheduled to be open until 10:00 pm every day except Christmas Eve, when it will shut down operations at 4 o’clock so employees can enjoy the holiday with their families. The resort will open back up for an evening session from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Day. Season passes are still available at the resort’s website at skisundown.com, as well as additional information about events, rentals, and facilities at the mountain. Ski Sundown has also gotten its snowmaking program rolling, as can be seen on their Instagram @skisundown.
Butternut
Butternut has thankfully emerged undamaged and unthreatened from the recent wildfire on East Mountain, and is eager to assure skiers and riders that everything is on track for a great season at the mountain. The retail shop has reopened for weekends after wildfire-induced closures, so be sure to stop by to stock up on winter essentials. Stay updated on shop opening hours at skibutternut.com or on their Instagram @skibutternut. The resort has also extended its $50 discount on both its unlimited and midweek season passes until Dec. 8.
Butternut’s flight chair on a snowy day.Courtesy skibutternut.com
Catamount
The dual-state staple is also advertising short-term reduced prices, offering a slew of Black Friday deals on its website, catamountski.com/. The mountain is slated to open on Dec. 7, and encourages riders to buy their season passes before the first skiers carve their way down the mountain’s 1000 feet of vertical drop. The resort offers a range of pass options, including their Night Summit Pass which allows access from 3:00 p.m. until the lifts stop for just $199. Recent posts on their Instagram, @catamountmtnresort, depict a pleasantly wintry scene on the hill with snow guns blazing.
Bosquet Mountain
Bosquet’s Instagram, @bosquet.mountain, also shows robust snowmaking operations in progress. Information on season passes, rentals, instruction, and package deals are available at the resort’s website, bousquetmountain.com. For the terrain park-inclined, the mountain has announced it will be hosting a rail jam from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 13, its opening day. More details on the event will be announced soon via Instagram.
Jiminy Peak
Further north, Jiminy Peak has announced its own opening day of Saturday, Dec. 7. The mountain has picked up a few inches of snow from recent weather systems moving through, and is forecasted more by the end of the week, setting the stage for some potentially stellar turns on the hill this weekend. Information on season pass sales, rentals, and more can be found at www.jiminypeak.com. Keep up with their Instagram, @jiminypeak, for updates on openings and other news.
Tubing
For those who prefer to careen down icy slopes in a seated position rather than standing, several facilities in our region offer tubing opportunities that appeal to the whole family (provided they’re over 42” tall).
Bosquet will be providing tubing throughout the winter, while Mohawk Mountain and Butternut will offer timed slots on Friday evenings and during the weekends. Information on pricing, schedules, and rules can be found at the resorts’ websites.
