Visiting a historic home inspires all senses – including sound.
What will you hear when you visit the Ten Broeck Mansion?
All visitors to the Ten Broeck Mansion will enjoy selections from music similar to what would have been played in parlor settings at stately homes such as the Ten Broeck Mansion.
Concerts, both formal and informal, were held in private homes for personal enjoyment, part of family and friends’ gatherings, and as part of courtship rituals. Concerts were also used to raise money for causes of the time – ranging from education for girls to abolitionist societies, to support of the Underground Railroad, led by Arbor Hill neighbor and abolitionist leader Stephen Myers.
Adam Van Allen, (1813-1884), Diary, Van Allen Family Papers, Collections ACHA.
A diary entry from Adam Van Allen, friend of Thomas Worth Olcott whose family owned the Ten Broeck Mansion for 100 years, recalls that “at all parties and public receptions, he [Stephen Myers] was the recognized master of ceremonies.” Van Allen recalls that Stephen Myers frequently sought funding for the Underground Railroad – most likely at events such as parlor concerts.
The performance, with selections of Schubert, Schumann, Beach, Copland, and Price – was recorded in May 2022 in the 1798 Front Parlor at the Ten Broeck Mansion. A CD with the full recordings will be available in 2023, titled: “Music for a Change of Heart: Music in the Ten Broeck Mansion Parlors.” Look for special exhibits on the changing technology of music as part of the Ten Broeck Mansion’s 2023 exhibit theme, “Technology: Expression & Expansion.”
“We were grateful for the experience to create a program for such a special venue, and hope that we were able to capture at least a little bit what might have transpired here in the past, performed alongside pieces inspired by the work of the people who lived and worked in this beautiful space.”
– Teresa Bucholz, Soprano
About the artists:
Teresa Buchholz, soprano, is an accomplished singer working in the realms of oratorio, opera and art song whose performances have taken her to concert halls nationally and abroad, from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, to Italy (The Lake Como Music Festival), Switzerland (Verbier Music Festival) and Tel Aviv (Israel Philharmonic). She’s also worked closer to home in the Hudson Valley, with The Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Bard Music Festival and at Hudson Hall (Hudson). As an oratorio soloist she performs regularly with several orchestras across the country, including the Spokane Symphony (WA), Long Beach Symphony (CA), Portland Symphony Orchestra (ME), Helena Symphony (MT) and the Gateway Chamber Orchestra (TN). She is a member of the voice faculty as an Artist-in-Residence for Bard College’s Music Department and Conservatory of Music, and collaborates regularly with Bard colleagues Erika Switzer and Marka Gustavsson as the Blithewood Ensemble, dedicated to performing music composed for the unique combination of piano, viola and voice.
Erika Switzer, Pianist, is an accomplished pianist who performs regularly in major concert settings around the world, including at New York’s Weill Hall (Carnegie), Geffen Hall, Frick Collection, and Bargemusic, at the Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC). Her performances have been called “precise and lucid” by the New York Times, and Renaud Machart of Le Monde described her as “one of the best collaborative pianists I have ever heard; her sound is deep, her interpretation intelligent, refined, and captivating.” Switzer collaborates with a range of top singers and instrumentalists. As co-founder of Sparks & Wiry Cries, Switzer contributes to the future of art song creation through commissioning and co-hosting songSLAM events around the world. She is also an active teacher, serving on the music faculty at Bard College and its Conservatory of Music. Switzer holds a doctorate from The Juilliard School, and lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Recording by Classical Recording Service, Troy NY.
Program made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and members of the ACHA like you.
