Classicopia Returns With Concerts, Summer Music Camp

Daniel Weiser, co-founder and Artistic Director of Classicopia, is like the friend who moves away but actually does keep in touch and comes back often to visit. This month sees his return to the Upper Valley to resume a music camp for young people and to present three concerts.

In 2000, Weiser and then co-founder Marcia Colligan created Classicopia, a non-profit organization dedicated to the performance and teaching of chamber music in the Upper Valley and beyond. (Colligan has recently retired.) In addition to staging concerts, Classicopia began a summer music camp for young people in 2001 which continued through 2008.

Weiser left the Upper Valley in 2009. While his absence rendered the summer camp impracticable and therefore discontinued, Classicopia concerts have not disappeared. Rather, they have continued on a regular basis, according to Weiser, featuring “usually at least six concert weekends during the year in several different venues, ranging from churches to town halls to private homes.  Since we began, we have actually presented over 500 concerts in twenty different towns, including Hanover, Lebanon, Windsor, Newport, Fairlee, Fairlee, Sunapee, Quechee, Woodstock, and more.”

Now after a 15-year hiatus, the summer camp is back, with the assistance of Upper Valley pianist Elizabeth Borowsky. Weiser’s 16-year old twin daughters “who have seen pictures of themselves as babies at the original Music Camp,” and according to their father, both “fabulous singers,” indicated interest in serving as camp counselors.

Three concerts are scheduled in the coming weeks:

A Student Concert, the culmination of the music camp, will take place on Saturday, August 13 at 10 a.m. at the First Congregational Church in Lebanon NH. It is free and open to the general public.

There will also be a Faculty Concert on Friday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, with music by Bruch, Dvarionas, Faure, Piazzolla, and more.  Cost is $20 for general, $15 for Church members, and $10 for Camp families.  Children 18 and under are always free.  The same concert will be performed on Thursday, August 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Al and Marilyn Austin-Nelson in Hanover, NH.

For tickets and further information, please click here.

(Photos of Classicopia Summer Music Camp with permission of and courtesy of Daniel Weiser)

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Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.