For the first time in its series history, Live From Lincoln Center takes its show on the road, presenting The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in a broadcast from Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, which is located in Kentucky’s oldest town of Harrodsburg.
This special broadcast event, filmed on location, captures the unique intimacy of a chamber music concert with cameras and equipment located inside Shaker Village’s Meadow View Barn, a restored tobacco barn set amidst 3,000 acres of rolling Bluegrass countryside.
This episode is directed by Habib Azar, with Elliot Caplan producing documentary segments showcasing the Chamber Music Society at Shaker Village, as well as the location’s rich history. Live From Lincoln Center’s “Simple Gifts: The Chamber Music Society at Shaker Village” will air at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, 2016, on PBS (check local listings).
The performance, recorded in May 2015, features musicians from the Chamber Music Society playing works by distinctive American composers, including Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Samuel Barber and more, as well as the famed Czech composer, Antonín Dvořák, who was deeply influenced by traditional American music during an extended stay in the U.S. The highlight of the broadcast will be Copland’s beloved “Appalachian Spring,” an iconic, enduring ballet suite about a community of 19th-century American pioneers featuring the popular “Simple Gifts” Shaker melody.
Watch the Chamber Music Society’s performance at Shaker Village, then plan a visit to this landmark destination that offers visitors an active experience in the spirit of the Kentucky Shakers. Originally settled in 1805, Shaker Village today is a place for hands-on, immersive exploration and adventure. Spend the night where the Shakers once slept – in guestrooms, suites and private cottages that are tucked into 13 restored Shaker buildings. Each evokes the Shaker sensibility of simplicity through Shaker reproduction furniture and original hardwood floors and offering magnificent countryside views outside their windows.
Dine at Trustees’ Table, where menus celebrate Shaker Village’s roots by serving up dishes made of seasonal ingredients fresh from its own garden and the gardens of local farmers. While classic Southern dishes – fried chicken, corn pudding, tomato celery soup and coleslaw and corn sticks are menu staples (the latter two items are always set out for lunch and dinner for guest enjoyment), dishes inspired by the seasons make frequent appearances as well.
Daily Adventures at Shaker Village include visits to working artist studios and the bird blind, staff-led tours, excursions aboard the authentic sternwheeler, Dixie Belle, musical entertainment, woodworking demos and more. Discovery Treks, built on Shaker lessons of community, sustainability and ingenuity and created to offer guests more in-depth, interactive experiences, include Paddle + Yoga Weekends, Intro to Beekeeping and other workshops, and Family Explorer Programs like archaeology digs and learning to become an animal tracker. Additionally, Shaker Village has Signature Events that take place throughout the year, including a Fresh Food Adventures Dining Series.
While The Chamber Music Society calls Lincoln Center home, its large roster of world-class chamber musicians enables it to perform extensively all across the country, as well as internationally. In addition, CMS receives extensive national exposure on its 52-week annual radio series, and on regular broadcasts on American Public Media’s Performance Today. As a result, it is one of Lincoln Center’s great ambassadors of music.
Live From Lincoln Center was recognized for its broadcasting excellence last year with a Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program for its 2014 broadcast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street featuring Bryn Terfel, Emma Thompson, and the New York Philharmonic. This Emmy Award is the 14th major Emmy for the series. Live From Lincoln Center is also nominated for three Emmy Awards in 2016.
Other upcoming episodes this fall include three PBS Arts Fall Festival broadcasts featuring the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lang Lang’s New York Rhapsody, Joshua Bell’s Seasons of Cuba, and the New York Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration.
From Live From Lincoln Center Communications