Chandler Kicks Off 28^th Season
By Martha Slater

An exciting new offering at Chandler this season will be the Ragmala Music and Dance Theater, which will take audiences on a journey through time using the soulful classical music of India and the thundering Taiko drums of Japan, Friday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Ragmala will also do a performance for students in the local schools.

Randolph’s Chandler Center for the Arts will begin its 28^th season this fall with a cornucopia of arts events to enrich life in central Vermont for people of all ages and interests.

When Chandler’s executive director, Becky McMeekin, came to the job in 1998, there were only eight or nine performances per season. Since then, the onstage offerings and other programs have continued to expand, and McMeekin notes that she does most of the grant writing while the finance committee does the fundraising.

Another change is that Betsy Cantlin has joined the Chandler staff as the community outreach manager. In that role, she will be responsible for programming and activities for youth, with the aim of having new events evolve. She’ll also be talking with area teens to form a teen advisory board.

"Last fall, we had a community visioning session with 30-40 representatives from area towns," McMeekin said. "One very clear message we got was the importance of offering arts programs for youth."

The Season

This year’s events kick off Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. when Chandler hosts two distinguished New York area musicians well known to the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival audiences, pianist Cameron Grant and violinist/violist Arturo Delmoni (see article in A & E section of this issue).

The following weekend, Saturday, Oct. 14, the Cottars, two young brother and sister pairs from Cape Breton who have been rapidly making a name for themselves world-wide, will take the Chandler stage at 7:30 p.m.

The month will round out with a performance by The Capitol Steps, a troupe of Congressional staffers turned comedians, Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m., and the Weston Playhouse production of the Tony Award-winning play "Metamorphoses" Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

November will also be a busy month on the Chandler stage, with another quartet of events. The Glen Miller Orchestra, led by trombonist Larry O’Brien will bring its classic big band sound to Randolph Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.

Later that week, on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m., singers Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky will perform their innovative, original and occasionally spiritual music.

The Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, comprised of 18 of Russia’s finest young string players, will present a program of music by Bach, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky Sunday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.

The month rounds out with a special event for children of all ages when Randolph’s own No Strings Marionette Company presents an adaptation of the well-loved Russian folk tale "The Snowmaiden" Saturday, Nov. 25 at 11 a.m.

McMeekin, is particularly excited about a planned appearance by a new multi-cultural troupe, Ragmala Music and Dance Theater, which will take audiences on a journey through time using the soulful classical music of India and the thundering Taiko drums of Japan, Friday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Ragmala will do a performance for students in the local schools, in addition to the evening show.

Programs for the second half of the year include:

Iain MacHarg and the Catamount Pipe Band, the energetic Celtic band Gaelic Storm and the French-Canadian sensation "Le Vent du Nord," Marko the Magician, pianist Davide Cabassi, a top winner at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, blues singer Eric Bibb and both the annual Mud Season Variety Show and a "mini-mud" show for the younger set.

Exhibits, Festivals

Exhibits at the Chandler Gallery over the next year include the current showcase of winners from Chandler’s Local Artists Show (through Oct. 14);

•"Seeing Eye to Eye," (Oct. 21-Nov. 19) in which Whitcomb H.S. senior Maya Robinson presents an exhibit of photographs from International Youth Exchange Programs spanning 25 years;

•The annual Holiday Gift Bazaar (Nov. 25-Dec. 24);

•The Vermont Furniture & Working Drawings Exhibit (Jan. 27-Feb. 25);

• Student Art Show (March 2-25);

•2007 Local Artists Show (March 31-April 29);

•A show teaming the Vermont Weavers Guild with Chandler Gallery Committee artists (May 12-June 10).

Chandler is also adding one more festival in addition to the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival in August and the New World Festival in September.

Next spring, Chandler will partner with the area agricultural community to present the first annual Fiddlehead Festival, Saturday, May 5, celebrating central Vermont’s agricultural heritage. This event is expected to include workshops and intergenerational activities, a lunch and gathering where area farms and farmers will be recognized, and a contradance and evening concert to top off the day.

For more information, check out the Chandler website at www.chandler-arts.org.