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Press Releases
11-30-07
Apple Hill Launches New Year-Round Facility
Hoffman Center to expand teaching activity
Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music will break ground Friday, December 7 at 3:30 P.M. on its rural property in Nelson, New Hampshire for a new Community Auditorium and Learning Center, to be named for Apple Hill benefactors John and Jean Hoffman.
In January 2007, Apple Hill was awarded a grant from the NH Community Development Finance Authority for $180,800 toward construction of the year-round facility that will seat up to 45 people for music performances, recordings, community events, and workshops.
According to Apple Hill Executive Director Lenny Matczynski, the new building will replace the existing “Link,” which sits between the Farm House administrative building and the Apple Hill Rehearsal Barn. In addition to the auditorium, the building will house an educational office space. The auditorium will be accessible from the front and back, as well as from the Farm House and the Rehearsal Barn. New bathrooms (handicapped accessible), parking, and a New England cape exterior will match the local country style and make the building comfortable and accessible.
The Apple Hill Board of Trustees is naming the new building the John and Jean Hoffman Community Auditorium and Learning Center. John Hoffman’s leadership at Apple Hill spanned six years as president, during which the organization grew dramatically, both financially and programmatically.
Apple Hill Board of Trustees Chair Dita England noted that fundraising is continuing for the project. Interested supporters may contact her at 847-9727 for further information.
Apple Hill’s resident string quartet, the Apple Hill Chamber Players, encourage the playing of chamber music through concerts, outreach programs, and the International Summer Chamber Music Workshop in Nelson. The Players emphasize the theme of “Playing for Peace” by touring troubled areas of the world, organizing chamber music workshops, and awarding summer study scholarships to musicians from conflicted areas.
Most recently, the Apple Hill Chamber Players concluded a series of workshops and concerts in Israel and the West Bank, bringing together Arab and Israeli musicians for the first time since 1998. In December, the Players will lead a series of concerts and workshops in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. For further information on the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, see www.applehill.org.