Once upon a time I applied to go to a small liberal arts college in the heart of the woods of Southern Vermont. It was called Marlboro College, and I wrote my application essay about how I was obsessed with King Arthur.
As a high school junior, I visited the campus with my mother one October day to get a feel for the place. To get there, you have to first get yourself to Brattleboro, Vermont, then drive 15 minutes uphill, go through the teensy town of Marlboro (don't blink or you'll miss it), and then down a back road that ends in the picturesque Marlboro campus. I remember a bunch of low white buildings nestled on a hillside. I remember cafeteria food that involved sprouts and lentils. I remember it was fall in Vermont, and the leaves and the autumn sunlight were gorgeous.
Ultimately I decided not to attend Marlboro College. (I did move to Vermont later.) And a few years ago, Marlboro College ceased to exist. The college campus, that was also home to the famous Marlboro Music Festival, was sold off. This left a double question--what would the buyers be doing with the space, and what would happen to the Music Festival?
Fortunately, Marlboro Music has figured things out in an exciting way--they have now purchased the campus themselves (holding title through a nonprofit subsidiary), and the sale went through last month (September, 2021). And on October 23, Marlboro Music held an open house for the newly built Jerome and Celia Bertin Reich building, which is a gorgeous office and rehearsal space nestled in a corner of the campus and surrounded by woods. It was a luminous fall day and perfect for showing off the elegant simplicity of the new building, all blond wood and windows that framed the trees and brilliant sky.
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| Inner stairwell window becomes a tree-frame |
The building forms a sort of "U" shape with a courtyard framed by two arms of the "U." Here's a photo looking toward the courtyard from the inside.
And here a photo looking back at the building from the courtyard.
There was a sweet little party outside with hot cider, cider donuts, and local apples.
My favorite part of the new building was the music library. It is one of the arms of the "U" and kind of its own separate little building. Like a chapel.
This room was so beautiful and amazing and stoked with art and culture that I almost had trouble breathing. It was overwhelmingly LOVELY.
There is one whole wall of built-in cabinets and files that hold the Music Festival's actual music and scores.
They are all neatly labeled.
Look, this section holds Haydn Quartets, Strings only!!
There are work tables in the center of the room, and low seats that also have drawers (I didn't look in the drawers, but I imagine they contain music, too.)
The books in the library are about music, musicians, and composers. They're well organized and labeled, just like the cabinets.
The sharp ceiling contributes to the chapel-like vibes. I told my companion I felt like going to light a candle in the corner, like you see in European cathedrals.
There are also window seats along the outside of the library, joining the beauty of the room with the beauty of the Vermont landscape.
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| downstairs rehearsal room |
This rehearsal room is the other arm of the "U"--it has similar peaked construction to the library.
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| upstairs rehearsal room |
There's a second floor to the connector part of the U shape, and more rehearsal spaces up there. Above is one of them--a large room in the back/upper corner of the building, with two sides looking out into the woods.
We were so impressed by the gorgeous building showcased by a perfect fall day. We asked if it would be open to the public in the future so we could go check it out again or bring guests. However, we learned that it's private. It will be a working office building and creative space for the festival musicians, so essentially we got a unique chance to peek behind the scenes. How lovely that the festival participants have such a place to work and dream and play.
