Summer series triumphs at Music Mountain

Benjamin Hochman and Friends opened the 2023 Music Mountain summer series at Gordon Hall.
Anne Daily
Benjamin Hochman and Friends opened the 2023 Music Mountain summer series at Gordon Hall.
Music Mountain in Falls Village is set to begin its 95th season on June 2.
The summer will open with a benefit concert and reception featuring pianist Benjamin Hochman and Friends from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Espina Ruiz, the festival promises a season rich with transformative musical experiences.
Oskar Espina Ruiz, who has been Artistic Director of Music Mountain since 2016, brings a wealth of experience and passion to the festival. He divides his time between performing, teaching clarinet at the School of the Arts in North Carolina during the winter and residing at Music Mountain in the summer.
“It’s very convenient,” said Espina Ruiz. “I mean, it’s such a peaceful place.”
Espina Ruiz’s first full season was in 2017 when he took over from Music Mountain’s founder, Jacques Gordon. Gordon was also the concertmaster at the Chicago Symphony from 1921 to 1930 and the founding first violinist of the Gordon String Quartet.
“I had been curating concerts for over ten years at Treetops Chamber Music Society in Stamford, which put me in touch with many groups that play at Music Mountain,” Espina Ruiz recalled. “When the opening came up at Music Mountain, I applied. Despite being a clarinetist, my extensive experience organizing festivals made me a good fit.”
His diverse background allows Espina Ruiz to play many roles as director including performing, teaching, writing grants, organizing and more. “It’s all connected,” he explained.
“I love playing more than anything else, but I also love teaching, and organizing is something I’ve done all my life. So, it kind of comes naturally.”
The 95th season’s theme, “From Struggle to Triumph,” is a testament to the transformative power of music and in particular, music performed live at this venue.
Espina Ruiz noted, “The place itself is quite transformative. It was built to emulate the inside of a violin, and it’s a very beautiful campus. It’s at the top of a mountain so it’s quite an experience just to drive here. Then you come inside this theatre that looks exactly as it did 95 years ago. Many people come in with headaches and problems and leave feeling renewed because they went through this trip that the music brought them through.” He added, “They are ready to take on life as they come out of Music Mountain.”
Opening night on June 2 promises a spectacular start with pianist Benjamin Hochman, violinist Ben Bowman, and cellist Joel Noyes from the Met Opera Orchestra. The trio will perform Beethoven’s Piano Trio in C Minor, Rebecca Clarke’s Piano Trio, and Schubert’s Piano Trio in E Flat Major. The concert will also feature the presentation of Music Mountain’s Lifetime Achievement Award to former board president Ann McKinney and will be followed by a free reception on the Great Lawn.
“I very much wanted to make sure that every program included what we call ‘a discovery piece.’ It’s very contemporary, but it’s also a way we are looking back because Jacques Gordon, the founder, did that from the very beginning; to include music by living composers or lesser-known composers. So, the idea of the discovery piece goes all the way back to the beginning, although back then the living composers might have been Ravel and Turina which are considered classics now,” he laughed.
The festival also includes a robust jazz program.
“Jazz is very interesting,” said Espina Ruiz. “It’s similar to chamber music in that it’s a small group, they are listening to one another and having a conversation very much like in a Beethoven string quartet.”
While Espina Ruiz is not a jazz player, he enjoys improvisation and works with knowledgeable board members to curate the jazz programs. This year, the jazz concerts will continue to delight audiences on Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., while Sunday afternoon chamber music concerts offer a chance to enjoy music outdoors with a picnic on the lawn.
Espina Ruiz shared that intermission is also a big part of the Music Mountain experience. “People come out and talk to friends and enjoy an ice cream or a glass of wine. Others come early or stay afterwards and have a picnic. It’s just wonderful.”
With a capacity of 265, Gordon Hall remains the heart of Music Mountain, providing exceptional acoustics in a historic setting. As Music Mountain looks to the future, ongoing renovations and grant funding aim to restore the historic houses on the campus and revive residential education programs. For now, the Music Mountain continues to nurture both adult and younger musicians, ensuring that the tradition of teaching and performing remains vibrant.
As Oskar Espina Ruiz reflected, “Music sends you on a trip at every concert, and you come out transformed.”
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Robin Crofut-Brittingham, a native of East Canaan, is an established artist living in Montreal. Her new book, “TheIlluminated Book of Birds” will be published Oct. 21 by Timber Press, and there is an accompanying art show at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, “Flock: Watercolor Paintings by Robin Crofut- Brittingham,” on view from Oct. 18 through Nov. 30.
The paintings in the book look as if they are from a 19th century book. In a phone interview with Crofut-Brittingham, the artist said the traditional look is intentional.
“I’m always combing over antique natural history books.”
In her travels around the world (including France and Russia), she has made a point of observing the local birds.
She describes herself as “an amateur naturalist.”
Now working as a full-time artist, and “selling enough to make it work,” it occurred to her that while regional bird guides are fine for their purpose, she could do something special with watercolor renditions of birds she has seen.
Hence the new book.
Provided
Crofut-Brittingham grew up in the East Canaan section of North Canaan, the daughter of artist Erica Crofut and the late Peter Brittingham.
There is a public opening reception on Friday, Oct. 24, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Berkshire Botanical Garden, and a special artist tour of the exhibition from 2 to 3 p.m on Saturday, Nov. 29.