Free concert at Grey Towers celebrates festival

MILFORD — A free performance by the Black Bear Conservatory of Music that features the works of the classical masters inspired by nature is planned for Saturday, June 6, at 5:30 p.m., at Grey Towers National Historic Site, 122 Old Owego Turnpike, in Milford. Co-sponsored by the Grey Towers Heritage Association and the US Forest Service, the program is scheduled as part of the Milford Music Festival. It will be held outdoors under a tent. “We are thrilled to be offering this free musical performance as part of the Milford Music Festival,” said Barbara Buchanan, President of the GTHA. “Part of our mission is to strengthen the connection between this wonderful site and the community. What better way to do that than to participate in a popular community event by offering music at this beautiful venue.” The Black Bear Conservatory of Music is a non-profit, community-based institution dedicated to excellence in music education. Each week, the conservatory invites students and award-wining faculty from three states to its downtown Hawley location. From weekly lessons to engaging Master Classes and community programs, BBCM is dedicated to building the community through music. The June 6 performance will feature a string quartet with pieces by Mozart and Haydn. This repertoire by two of music’s greatest masters will enliven the historic and pristine grounds through the sounds of the famous “Frog” and “Spring” quartets. Headed by BBCM’s Robert Murphy, the Renegade Quartet will present music that was inspired by the excitement of the seasons and the beauty of nature. They offer these timeless symbols in an idyllic setting that is representative of the very sights and sounds that inspired the Classical masters of the past. Grey Towers itself inspired first James Pinchot and then his son Gifford to become the eminent conservationists of their time. The ancestral home of the Pinchot family, has a long-standing tradition of combining the arts and nature. The US Forest Service partners with many organizations to continue this legacy with the Conservation and the Arts program, which includes music, literary programs, dramatic readings, landscape painting and other artistic endeavors. For more information contact Grey Towers at 570-296-9630 or info@fs.fed.us/gt. Or visit www.greytowers.org or www.fs.fed.us/gt.