Flutist Allison Kiger returns to Milford bringing friends

Allison Kiger grew up in Milford and performed flute concerts around town at an early age. She was well known in the community and, for many of the uninitiated, her name was synonymous with “flute.” She was always interested in educating people about her instrument.

The Kindred Spirits Arts concert on Sept. 12 at the Grey Towers pool pavilion was dedicated to the memory of Allison’s father, Bill Kiger. Yosef Feigelson, artistic director of the Kindred Spirits Arts Program (KSAP) knew Bill Kiger for almost three decades and remembers his generosity and community engagement. Mr. Kiger also helped with KSAP in the beginning.

Allison Kiger played at one of the first KSAP concerts in 2002 and continued to participate in many of the following seasons between 2006 and 2012. Often those concert appearances were coupled with a performance at Delaware Valley School. This is the first time in a long time that she has been back. The audience welcomed her like an old friend.

Feigelson curated the concert which featured music by Schubert, Bizet, Puccini, Copland and Barber. Kiger brought her colleagues with her: Peter Adamczyk, pianist; Juan Esteban Martinez, clarinetist; and Kathleen Echols, soprano.

While it is somewhat unusual to have a soprano in a quartet along with flute and clarinet, it worked, and the audience praised the quality and expressiveness of Echols’ voice. The setting was perfect as her notes wafted through the space. She has recently played Maimi in La Boheme with the Opera Vermont and Nedda in I Pagliacci in the Pacific Lyric Association.

Adamczyk studied composition and musicology at the Eastman School of Music and holds a B.A. in Music from Rice University and an M.A. in music from NYU. He has performed as an organist and a pianist in this area as well as in France and Germany. His musical compositions have been premiered in New York, Los Angeles and Beijing.

Martinez is a principal clarinetist with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. He has also played in sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall and Weill Recital in New York and he works with Ms. Kiger at the Bar Harbor Music Festival in Maine during the summer.

Martinez has an iconoclastic way of moving his body to be perfectly in sync with the music he is playing. It’s very controlled and is almost like an extension of the music itself and his facial expressions are perfectly coordinated with this. The audience was totally enthralled. Kiger says, “He is exceptional as his movements are locked in within the music.”

Kiger is the artistic director of the 60-year-old Bar Harbour Music festival where they put on 40 classical music events each season. Martinez and Adamczyk help out with that, as well. Yet, she always has time for one or two solo concerts.

“It’s a wonderful accomplishment that Yosef and KSAP have grown the program so much. This venue at Grey Towers is such a standout that any ensemble would enjoy playing here. It’s a real local treasure and eventually, could become a national treasure.”

The audience would definitely agree with that, and many expressed gratitude at being able to see world class musicians right here in this “precious” town. Milford resident Paula Luckring, concert goer extraordinaire, expressed it this way, “Kindred Spirits celebrated 25 years this summer with a wonderful lineup of musicians and a very diverse music program. Hearing everything from early music and classical to opera and jazz made every concert a new & interesting experience. It was such a sweet ending to the season on Saturday by hearing Milford’s own, Allison Kiger, play the flute.”