Preserving culture: a conversation at the Norfolk Library

Betsy Vorce and preservationist Edward F. Gerber, trustee of Historic New England.
Jennifer Almquist

Betsy Vorce and preservationist Edward F. Gerber, trustee of Historic New England.
At Norfolk Library on July 22, Vin Cipolla, President and CEO of Historic New England, and Melvin Chen, Director of Norfolk Chamber Music Festival discussed the rich tradition of music and arts festivals and their role in preserving culture.
Edward F. Gerber, a trustee of Historic New England, sponsors “Connecticut Preservation at Work,” a series of conversations with civic leaders, preservationists, and educators. Speaking to a full house, Gerber introduced Cipolla as, “a lifelong preservation and arts advocate protecting our cultural fabric.”
Cipolla has held leadership roles at the National Park Foundation, the Municipal Art Society of New York, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Fidelity Capital, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has taught at Columbia.
Historic New England is the oldest, largest, independent preservation organization in the United States, with 38 history museums, farms and landscapes, and a collections center in Haverhill, Massachusetts that houses 1.5 million archival documents, plus 125,000 decorative arts objects. Cipolla shared plans for a “bold transformation” of their historic shoe manufacturing factories into Haverhill Center, a “cultural catalyst for the region that will reverberate internationally.”
Cipolla introduced Chen. “What I find spellbinding about chamber music is that connection, that warm intuitive partnership among musicians. Why is Norfolk important to artists and audience?”
Chen garnered global acclaim for his own musical performances, taught at Bard and was artistic director at Hotchkiss School Summer Portals. He received a doctorate in chemistry from Yale, and a double master’s degree from Juilliard in piano and violin.
Chen responded, “Norfolk is a small town, perhaps an unexpected place to have a major summer music festival. Early families Battell, Eldridge, Stoeckel had a vision for Norfolk. They commissioned architect Ehrick K. Rossiter in 1906 to build our Music Shed. Norfolk Chamber Music Festival is a natural outgrowth of that original vision.”

Chen went on to say, “The important part of what we do is educating the next generation. When our young musicians arrive from around the world, I tell them they follow in the footsteps of great musicians who performed on our stage: Rachmaninoff, Caruso, Kreisler, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Percy Grainger, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Sibelius.”
Vin Cipolla observed, “Something special happens in summer festivals that is irreplaceable in the field. Has the Norfolk experience affected your own music?”
Chen smiled. “It is rare in the life cycle of a professional musician to have the luxury of time to work on a piece. Here musicians delve deep, perform for an audience, then meet their audience.”
“At a time of much pressure,” observed Cipolla, “we are blessed with an abundance of festivals, yet we must be vigorous supporting them. What does preservation mean to you?”
Chen replied, “We are responsible for the programmatic preservation of the original spirit of Norfolk, while strengthening the current role of classical music in society. We have extraordinary talent here. I am optimistic that if we educators continue to encourage the creativity of young musicians and artists, people will be drawn to the arts and music.”
For more information on Historic New England Events visit: historicnewengland.org
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.