Summer series triumphs at Music Mountain

Benjamin Hochman and Friends opened the 2023 Music Mountain summer series at Gordon Hall.
Anne Daily
Benjamin Hochman and Friends opened the 2023 Music Mountain summer series at Gordon Hall.
Music Mountain in Falls Village is set to begin its 95th season on June 2.
The summer will open with a benefit concert and reception featuring pianist Benjamin Hochman and Friends from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Espina Ruiz, the festival promises a season rich with transformative musical experiences.
Oskar Espina Ruiz, who has been Artistic Director of Music Mountain since 2016, brings a wealth of experience and passion to the festival. He divides his time between performing, teaching clarinet at the School of the Arts in North Carolina during the winter and residing at Music Mountain in the summer.
“It’s very convenient,” said Espina Ruiz. “I mean, it’s such a peaceful place.”
Espina Ruiz’s first full season was in 2017 when he took over from Music Mountain’s founder, Jacques Gordon. Gordon was also the concertmaster at the Chicago Symphony from 1921 to 1930 and the founding first violinist of the Gordon String Quartet.
“I had been curating concerts for over ten years at Treetops Chamber Music Society in Stamford, which put me in touch with many groups that play at Music Mountain,” Espina Ruiz recalled. “When the opening came up at Music Mountain, I applied. Despite being a clarinetist, my extensive experience organizing festivals made me a good fit.”
His diverse background allows Espina Ruiz to play many roles as director including performing, teaching, writing grants, organizing and more. “It’s all connected,” he explained.
“I love playing more than anything else, but I also love teaching, and organizing is something I’ve done all my life. So, it kind of comes naturally.”
The 95th season’s theme, “From Struggle to Triumph,” is a testament to the transformative power of music and in particular, music performed live at this venue.
Espina Ruiz noted, “The place itself is quite transformative. It was built to emulate the inside of a violin, and it’s a very beautiful campus. It’s at the top of a mountain so it’s quite an experience just to drive here. Then you come inside this theatre that looks exactly as it did 95 years ago. Many people come in with headaches and problems and leave feeling renewed because they went through this trip that the music brought them through.” He added, “They are ready to take on life as they come out of Music Mountain.”
Opening night on June 2 promises a spectacular start with pianist Benjamin Hochman, violinist Ben Bowman, and cellist Joel Noyes from the Met Opera Orchestra. The trio will perform Beethoven’s Piano Trio in C Minor, Rebecca Clarke’s Piano Trio, and Schubert’s Piano Trio in E Flat Major. The concert will also feature the presentation of Music Mountain’s Lifetime Achievement Award to former board president Ann McKinney and will be followed by a free reception on the Great Lawn.
“I very much wanted to make sure that every program included what we call ‘a discovery piece.’ It’s very contemporary, but it’s also a way we are looking back because Jacques Gordon, the founder, did that from the very beginning; to include music by living composers or lesser-known composers. So, the idea of the discovery piece goes all the way back to the beginning, although back then the living composers might have been Ravel and Turina which are considered classics now,” he laughed.
The festival also includes a robust jazz program.
“Jazz is very interesting,” said Espina Ruiz. “It’s similar to chamber music in that it’s a small group, they are listening to one another and having a conversation very much like in a Beethoven string quartet.”
While Espina Ruiz is not a jazz player, he enjoys improvisation and works with knowledgeable board members to curate the jazz programs. This year, the jazz concerts will continue to delight audiences on Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., while Sunday afternoon chamber music concerts offer a chance to enjoy music outdoors with a picnic on the lawn.
Espina Ruiz shared that intermission is also a big part of the Music Mountain experience. “People come out and talk to friends and enjoy an ice cream or a glass of wine. Others come early or stay afterwards and have a picnic. It’s just wonderful.”
With a capacity of 265, Gordon Hall remains the heart of Music Mountain, providing exceptional acoustics in a historic setting. As Music Mountain looks to the future, ongoing renovations and grant funding aim to restore the historic houses on the campus and revive residential education programs. For now, the Music Mountain continues to nurture both adult and younger musicians, ensuring that the tradition of teaching and performing remains vibrant.
As Oskar Espina Ruiz reflected, “Music sends you on a trip at every concert, and you come out transformed.”
This article was originally published in The New Pine Plains Herald and is reprinted here with permission.
PINE PLAINS — The shelves at Peck’s Market, Pine Plains’ only grocery store, appeared thinly stocked last week as the century-old family business confronts mounting financial and legal pressure. After failing to respond to a federal lawsuit seeking more than $77,000 for unpaid food deliveries, the store now risks a default judgment that could leave its owners liable.
The suit, filed in April by Connecticut distributor Bozzuto’s Inc., alleges Peck’s Market owes $77,959.49 for deliveries made between February 2024 and April 2025, plus $3,650 in legal fees. On Aug. 8, United States District Court Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke ordered owners Donald and Charlene Peck to show cause why a default judgment should not be entered. Court records show no response was submitted by the Aug. 18 deadline.
It is unclear when Clarke is expected to rule. A default judgment would mean the Pecks lose the case without a trial and could be ordered to pay the full amount. The attorney for Bozzuto’s declined to comment.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Aug. 20, Don Peck said the family is considering options, including raising money by selling or borrowing against property. “We’re very optimistic about the lawsuit,” he said. “We’ll take care of that. As far as the store itself, we’re trying to keep optimistic about it. We’re working at it.”
Still, Peck acknowledged the store’s shrinking inventory and the difficulties facing small, independent grocers. He said he loves the business but raised the possibility of closing or selling the store, noting that several potential buyers have expressed interest.
“We have a lot of options, just closing and selling, of course, is one,” he said.
”Hopefully if we did do that, people would come up with an idea that would work for a small town.”
For Pine Plains, the stakes are considerable. The nearest full-service supermarkets are more than 15 miles away — Hannaford in Red Hook, Tops in Rhinebeck, Freshtown in Amenia, or LaBonne’s in Salisbury, Conn. That distance poses a hardship for older residents and those without reliable transportation.
Peck said members of the community have offered support, but no clear path forward has emerged. “There’s no definite thing right now,” he said. “People are interested in supporting us in different ways. So I’m not sure which direction we’re going to go in.”
Peck also pointed to broader changes in the grocery industry that have left independent stores vulnerable. “A lot of our suppliers today are different than they were 40 years ago. They demand a certain amount of volume, because they’re taking care of bigger stores, so the volume that we have to get from them to get so many cases of grocery or dairy, or meat or frozen, has all gone up…. All these things have changed so much. It’s just unbelievable.”
Laura Strange, chief communications and engagement officer for the National Grocers Association, said many independents face similar pressures. “Independent grocers continue to navigate significant challenges in today’s marketplace,” she said. “Costs for goods, utilities, rent, and labor have all increased, yet independents have worked to compress margins to help consumers absorb rising prices and remain competitive. Even in this environment, their resilience, innovation, and commitment to their communities remain unmatched.”
Food sourcing has also dwindled, Peck said. “We used to have 57 suppliers of product coming here. You know, now we have 17. A lot of them are out of business … and a lot of them have been sucked up by other distributors.”
Brothers William and Robert Peck founded Peck’s Food Market in 1922, and Don represents the third generation of family ownership. Despite the uncertainty, he expressed hope the business will survive. “We’re working at it,” he said. “Thank God, we believe in God and Jesus. He’s with us, trying to figure out how to do this. So we’ll see what happens.”
CORNWALL — Clyde Perham Weed, 74, passed away peacefully at his home in West Cornwall, Connecticut on Sunday, August 17.
Clyde was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Jeanne and Herbert Weed. He was the grandson and namesake of Clyde E. Weed, Chairman of the board of Anaconda Copper.
Clyde was a gifted scholar. He did his undergraduate work at Vassar College, his Master’s and PhD at Columbia University. He was a wonderful Professor of Political Science and taught at Colgate University, Baruch College and spent the last 20 years of his career as a tenured Professor of Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University.
Clyde had remarkable energy and a vivacity that is hard to explain! Through his teaching, kindness and mentorship he touched so many lives.
He also wrote two important works on political realignment theory, “The Nemesis of Reform: The Republican Party during the New Deal,” published by Columbia University Press; and “The Transformation of the Republican Party 1912-1936 from Reform to Resistance”. At the time of his death, he was completing a manuscript on the political thought of Walter Lippmann during the New Deal.
Clyde loved nature and all animals. He spent many happy years walking and loving the natural beauty in West Cornwall.
Clyde leaves behind his wife of 24 years, Amy Weed, and brother Michael Weed of Los Altos, California, sister- in-law, Patricia Hurley, nieces, Emily and Maggie Weed, Brielle Cleary and nephews Jesse Weed, Daniel and Teagen Cleary. He also leaves behind his beloved Scottish Terrier “Hoover.”
Calling hours will be at The Kenny Funeral Home, 41 Main Street, Sharon, CT 06069 on Wednesday, Aug. 27 from 5 p.m. to 7.p.m.
In lieu of flowers please consider sending contributions to The Little Guild of St. Francis, an animal shelter, 285 Sharon Goshen Tpke, West Cornwall, CT 06796.
Clyde was much loved and will be truly missed by all who knew and loved him.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
AMENIA — Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44.
On Wednesday, August 20, the crew was checking excavation lines.
Work is expected to continue for the next three to four weeks. Residents should anticipate minor traffic delays.
Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44. On Wednesday, August 20, excavation began. Project Manager Don D. was at the controls of the excavation equipment.Photo by Leila Hawken