Kindred Spirits celebrates its silver anniversary this year

The year was 2002. Nancy Pinchot, Amy Litzenberger, and Yosif Feigelson were talking about their vision of creating a venue for classical music in Milford. There hadn’t been any such thing at that time. There were several questions they had to consider:

Was there was enough of an audience of classical music lovers in Milford?

Would they come to a series of concerts rather than just a one-off?

Would big name, high quality musicians actually come to Milford?

The answers were a resounding “Yes, Yes, and Yes.”

Organization earns respect has purveyors of the arts

Their first concert was held at Grey Towers. There was a full house and many dignitaries from Milford came to support it. Among them was Barbara J. Buchanan, Grand Dame of Milford, and one of its strongest supporters who brought many people along with her.

“One singular reason for its continued success over the years is Yosef Feigelson, the artistic director of Kindred Spirits,” said board member Yana Thatcher. Feigelson, himself, is a world-renown cellist, highly respected and loved by many famous classical musicians. That makes him able to attract quality musicians to come to Milford.

Yana Thatcher is very proud of the organization. She said, “Kindred Spirits is an organization that embodies the very best of Milford—we are rich in talent, we have a strong spirit of volunteerism and beautiful public spaces that highlight the unique cultural richness of our town. My husband, Dale, and I are deeply proud to be part of Kindred Spirits where we get to collaborate with our fellow board members and such an extraordinary musician as Yosif Feigelson.”

A legacy passed on to future generations

Over the years, Kindred Spirits has given 175 concerts and more than 75 master classes and performances for the local schools. They feel that the concerts and performances are very important because they can be life changing for a child. It is also a way to bring more music to young people and the community.

Kindred Spirits will hold a fundraiser on June 13 at the Columns Museum at 3:30 p.m. to celebrate its silver snniversary. The celebrations will begin with a performance by classical guitarist, Dr. Ben Lougheed. Described as creating “music of dramatic power and lyric beauty,” Lougheed is known for his “beautifully polished, passionate, and engaging performances.”

The celebration will continue with drinks and appetizers, all while enjoying the stately main floor rooms and the beautiful front porch of Milford’s historic gem.

Tickets are $100 per person; or donate $300 and receive one ticket to the June 13 event and one complimentary ticket to each of the four 2026 Summer Concerts at Grey Towers Pool Pavilion ($150 tax deductible). Donations are welcome by anyone regardless of whether thay can attend the event. For tickets and to donate visit www.KSAP25thseasoncelebration.

The opening concert of the season is The Dolphins String Quartet on Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. in the Great Hall at Grey Towers. Presenting outstanding young talent has been a main goal of Kindred Spirits Arts Programs throughout its entire quarter century of existence. The Dolphins Quartet might well represent the future of classical music: they are well rooted in standard repertoire while also exploring new ways of interpretation and writing their own works. They are all graduates of the Julliard School and will be featuring quartets by Beethoven, Dvorak, Schulhoff, plus The Dolphins’ own Tales from the Great Lakes. Space is limited; advance ticket purchase is recommended. Tickets are $45 and available at https://shorturl.at/8hYpM.

This year there will be four concerts at the Pool Pavilion plus the season opener concert on April 26, an August concert at the Amphitheater and a final concert on Oct. 11 at the Great Room at Grey Towers. For a complete schedule and description of the concerts see https://kindredspiritsarts.org/schedule/ Tickets for the pool pavillion are $30 and can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/8hYpM.

Celebrating a quarter-century of music

When Yosif Feigelson thinks about this twenty-fifth season, he says, “This special anniversary season presents variety and quality of events we’ve built our reputation on for a quarter of century. It involves different musical genres and several generations of performers. We are bringing in exceptional young talents as well as experienced and noted artists, some already familiar to our audience.

I’m very excited and honored to close it out in October with my distinctive musical friends. A delightful season from beginning to end and a great way to signify Kindred Spirits anniversary.”

A Silver Anniversary means durability, strength, and beauty. All would probably agree that this typifies the Kindred Spirit’s twenty-fifth.