NC Vermont News

PLYMOUTH NOTCH, Vt. – The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site will host a Grace Coolidge Musicales on Sunday, August 28 at 3:00 p.m.  The 45-minute concert, entitled “Eloquent Expressions” is free to the public thanks to the generous support of the Donchian Foundation; donations are welcome. Pianist Abigail Charbeneau and Cellist Kate Jensik will perform musical works by Robert Schumann, Antonio Vivaldi, Gabriel Faure, Camille Saint-Saens, and Ola Gjeilo. 

The musicale will be held in the Grace Coolidge Room of the Museum & Education Center at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site.  The performance will feature the piano that was given to Mrs. Coolidge by the Baldwin Company and used in the family quarters at The White House.  A celebrity in its own right, this grand piano was once played by the composer and virtuoso pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff and is said to be the first piano ever to be transported in an airplane.    

The regularly scheduled Grace Coolidge Musicales are organized by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and generously sponsored by the Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation.  For further information, call 802-672-3773, or visit our website: www.HistoricSites.Vermont.gov 

The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site is open Tuesday – Sunday through Oct. 16, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  For further information and event listings, visit us online at www.historicsites.vermont.gov  and on Facebook at Vermont State Historic Sites. 

The performers:

Abigail Charbeneau holds a B.A. in Music from Skidmore College and an M.M. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Illinois. She is the organist at South Congregational Church and Artistic Director and pianist for the Grace Coolidge Musicale Series in Plymouth, VT. Ms. Charbeneau has held teaching positions at Millikin University, the University of Illinois, and Sonatina Piano Camp in Bennington, VT. She currently teaches and performs at the Concord Community Music School, and at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH.

Kate Jensik is a graduate of Ithaca College with a bachelor’s degree in Music. She received an Artist Diploma from Brandeis University and a master’s degree from Boston Conservatory, studying with renonowned teacher and performer Rhonda Rider. She also studied at the Janacek Academy of Music in the Czech Republic and has participated in master classes with Yo-Yo Ma, Benjamin Zander, and Paul Katz. Kate has taught at the Powers Music School, the Rivers Music School, Ithaca Talen Education Suzuki School, Ithaca College, and Brandeis University.

About the Division for Historic Preservation

The Vermont State Historic Sites are owned and operated by the Division for Historic Preservation, which is part of the Department of Housing and Community Development.  The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) works to support vibrant and resilient communities, promote safe and affordable housing for all, protect the state’s historic resources, and improve the quality of life for Vermonters.

Image: Abigail Charbeneau and Susan Cobb performed piano compositions from the July 10 musicale.

Original source can be found here.