By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
WINDSOR, Vt. — The West Windsor Music Festival kicks off this Friday, July 22, 200 at 7:30 PM.
The festival is the brainchild of Woodstock, Vermont resident Sakiko Ohashi. A lifelong pianist, Ohashi is bringing world renowned musicians to spread the joy of music and the importance of culture and community.
Ohashi, a native of Japan, was accepted into the Juilliard School Pre-College Division at the age of 10 for her ability to play piano. It was in 1996 that Ohashi made her concerto debut at New York City’s famed Lincoln Center. Ohashi earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from Julliard. Since then, her piano proficiency has led her to playing at numerous festivals and with several Philharmonics as a soloist.
It was at Juilliard that Ohashi met Anna Stoytcheva, a piano player who won the Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition in Milan, Italy, at age 17. Stoytcheva will be performing this weekend along with her friend and collaborator Ohashi, as well as Helen Hwaya Kim and Garman Marcano.
Kim, a renowned violinist, has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Pops at the Boston Symphony Hall. Kim earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music Degree from Julliard, and was a winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition. She also served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra.
Marcano is a Veneuzlan native and incredible cellist. He currently resides in Miami, but while in Venezuela, was the principal cellist with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. He has taught music at a number of universities and is a sort of authority on Latin Classical music.
“He is an amazing cellist. His whole family is a musical family, they are sort of the Von Trapp family of Venezuela. They would do these wonderful Christmas specials on television every year, ” Ohashi said of Marcano.
Ohashi and her husband have lived in Vermont for many years, but have come to visit for the last 16 years. They made their home all over the country, but always felt Vermont was “a home base.”
While living in New Orleans, Ohashi put on her first chamber music festival in 2005 after a year and a half of planning. After it was over, Ohashi said she looked forward to doing it again, but after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans her family was displaced. It was this incident that became the impetus for the family to move to Vermont.
“In Windsor we didn’t really know anyone. While my son and I were taking horseback riding lessons my husband took a walk down the hill. While on his walk he saw the Town Hall and the door happened to be open. He poked his head inside and thought it would be the perfect place to hold the festival that I’ve always wanted to do. So we contacted the folks from the selectboard and everyone in Windsor has been so helpful that this whole process has taken no time,” said Ohashi. A local poet has also aided Ohashi in setting up the festival and will be doing haikus in activity with children.
The festival will take place at the West Windsor Town Hall at 22 Brownsville-Hartland Road, and will feature music and performing arts all weekend.
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