Winchendon Musical festival makes its return

John Arcaro will be among the performers at the Winchendon Music Festival, which takes place on Sept. 25.

John Arcaro will be among the performers at the Winchendon Music Festival, which takes place on Sept. 25. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MIKE RITTER 

By GREG VINE

For the Athol Daily News

Published: 09-20-2024 2:33 PM

WINCHENDON – After a year’s hiatus, the popular Winchendon Music Festival is returning to the Toy Town.

Three of the five performances will take place in the Murdock-Whitney House, home of the Winchendon History and Cultural Center, while two will be held in the auditorium of the Beals Memorial Library, which is celebrating its 110th anniversary.

Event director and organizer Andrew Arceci said he was excited to bring the festival back to life for music lovers in northern Worcester County and the North Quabbin. The WMF features musical genres ranging from classical to jazz. He told the Athol Daily News that, while finances necessitated cancellation last year, he was confident the festival would return.

“Scheduling and finances for this sort of thing can be pretty tricky,” he said. “Funding relies on the availability of grants, as well as private donations. And scheduling is tough when you’re trying to get artists who are sometimes scattered around the globe to commit to adding Winchendon to their schedules.”

Marie Urquhart, a member of the festival’s board of directors, said events like the Winchendon Music Festival are important to the cultural life of the area.

“I guess the words ‘musical desert’ might be appropriate for Winchendon,” she said. “You can travel to bigger cities – Worcester and, certainly, Boston – for symphony music and the like, so the opportunity to have something like that really close here in town is very, very special. It brings folks who really love the music, it brings some seniors who come from local senior living facilities who were musicians. They are just so appreciative of it.”

One of the festival’s featured musicians, John Arcaro, has performed in venues large and small, and said he particularly enjoys playing his music in smaller settings.

“As a jazz pianist, performing in nightclub settings is what I’ve always done,.” he said. Another reason he regularly takes part in the WMF, he explained, is that he is Arceci’s cousin. “Andrew and I both have family ties to Winchendon, so we have kind of a special place in our hearts for the town and the people of the area. It’s a way for us to give back and share our love of music.”

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Although he came of age during the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, the 71-year-old Arcaro said he found himself drawn to jazz as a youngster.

“Dave Brubeck was one of my early heroes,” he said, “and I use to try to imitate ‘Take Five’ by ear. My early explorations and improv were totally by ear, and I was totally self-taught. I did end up taking lessons and I learned how to read (music).”

Much of what he learned, he said, was done as he sat next to his father and listened to him play the piano – something he did each night after work.

Arcaro teaches at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and said, “I tell my students, when the Beatles came across the pond, I was already into listening to Thelonious Monk. So, my trajectory was already kind of set.”

Arcaro originally had his mind set on a medical career, but “I wasn’t dedicated enough. Then I found a jazz ensemble at UMass and that kind of set my course. So, I transferred to Berklee and then forgot to leave.”

Arcaro completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Berklee in 1977 and stayed on to teach.

“The school was growing, I realized some of my teachers were graduates, and we were a great source of cheap labor,” he said with a chuckle.

The Winchendon Music Festival gets underway at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, with a performance by guitarist Colin Davin at the Murdock-Whitney House. Among other things, Davin appeared with the late opera singer Jessye Norman on the final season of “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Other performances include:

Thursday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m., Murdock-Whitney House: John McKean on clavichord.

Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., Beals Memorial Library: John Arcaro & Band.

Saturday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m., Beals Memorial Library, pianist Yoko Hagino.

Sunday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m., Murdock Whitney House: Andrew Arceci & the Winchendon Music Festival artists.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.