Some Sanity in Vermont's Musical World

(Sarcasm is OFF for this post.)

For a while now I’ve been whining about two classical music organizations here in Vermont that implemented jab mandates. The first was the Rochester Chamber Music Series, right here in my adopted hometown. The second was the Sonata Piano Camp, in Bennington (about a two hour drive south of here). Both of these organizations have have taken a lot of my money in the past, but apparently they don’t want my money any more because I’m an unclean plague rat.

But all is not lost here in Virtuous Vermont. There is a chamber series in St. Johnsbury (almost a two hour drive north of here) that has not succumbed to the madness. It’s called the Northeast Kingdom Classical Series, and it’s pretty darned wonderful. There are no jab and mask mandates, and the music is great. I have attended two concerts so far, and they were amazing and thrilling. It’s a long drive, but completely worth it. Vermonters looking for a combination of good music and sanity should support this series.

My general impression of the so-called “Northeast Kingdom”, the upper right corner of Vermont, is that it is more sane and down-to-earth than the more urban or flatlander-infested areas of Vermont. (I’m technically a flatlander myself, but I reject the flatlander ethos, which involves bringing everything to Vermont that I tried to escape: bright lights, strip malls, fear-driven do-good-ism, etc.) Not only is the music series in St. Johnsbury pleasant, but the beautiful library there is also a pleasant place that is free of mask mandates. So I’m seriously thinking of moving up the NEK to escape from the insanity in the rest of Vermont that, so far, has shown no signs of dying out. If the insanity continues this summer, then I’ll know for sure that I really don’t belong in this town any more.