When sell-out crowds showed up for all five concerts in Antenna Cloud Farm’s opening season last year, they were wowed by the view looking down on Turners Falls and the Connecticut River from its 100-acre hideaway hilltop site.
This summer, as Antenna Cloud’s founders roll out twice as many concerts — including a special picnic celebration of Gill’s 225th anniversary –- the diversity of the musical offerings should produce some wows of their own.
Michi Wiancko, the Juilliard-trained violinist who bought the former dairy farm and estate at 25 Green Hill Road in Gill with her husband, composer Judd Greenstein, envisioned a retreat where musicians could relax, be inspired and offer a concert as well as a community service performance. This year, they’ve had to turn away performers as word of Antenna Cloud has spread.
“It was a little too easy,” said Wiancko, when asked about how they managed to extend the list of performers beyond the talented musicians who filled last summer’s schedule. “I turned down quite a few people I would have loved to have had here. It’s tough. I’ve never had to write rejection letters before.”
The concerts are performed in the music room of the couple’s home — with capacity for up to 80. Wiancko says she’s amazed at the intimate feel of the performances, which reverberates back and forth with the musicians. This year, there are also outdoor events on the lawn, and someday she imagines the old dairy barn could become a concert hall.
Light refreshments will be served again this year, from local artisans like Gill’s Upinngil Farm. This year’s concerts will also include some reduced-price admissions for concertgoers who can’t afford the $15 tickets.
“We love experimentation, bringing together different types of musicians and different genres,” said Wianko, who’s played with the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Symphony, and has toured China, Korea and Taiwan with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.
Greenstein, meanwhile, has composed works for the Minnesota Orchestra, and Alabama and North Carolina symphonies. He promotes new music as co-director of New Amsterdam Presents, New Amsterdam Records and the Ecstatic Music Festival, as well as Zurich’s Apples & Olives festival.
This year’s concert lineup promises to showcase a wide array of dazzling musical talent, beginning June 8 at 7 p.m. with an opening outdoor concert/dance party with Ladama, a Latin roots/folk/pop collective with members from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and the U.S.
Their “Confesión” was chosen by Billboard as a top pick for best new Latin alternative song. The group, which works to engage young people through its vigorous take on traditional Latin music forms, will be part of a special outreach program at the Turners Falls Brick House on June 7 at 5 p.m. to reach the wider, Spanish-speaking community as part of Antenna Cloud’s community service work.
The second concert, June 24 at 5 p.m., features The Hands Free, with Pulitzer prize-winning composer-violinist Caroline Shaw, guitarist James Moore, accordionist Nathan Koci and bassist Eleonore Oppenheimin in an innovative, eclectic mash-up of “lush sonic textures and explosive improvisations.” The New York-based collective is also scheduled to do an interactive outreach performance at the Franklin County Jail.
An outdoor 225th anniversary celebration of Gill on July 7 at 7 p.m. will feature bluegrass by Chris Brashear of Amherst — who’s also scheduled to play the Green River Festival — and North Carolina-based Jim Watson. There’s also a 5:30 p.m. “bring-your-own” picnic.
The award-winning Aizuri Quartet, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s string quartet in residence, will be featured in the series’ fourth concert July 21 at 7 p.m.
Founders, an ensemble combining folk, jazz, classical and contemporary music, will perform Aug. 4 at 7 p.m., combining trumpet, violin, cello, clarinet and string bass performed by musicians who have appeared with James Taylor, Sufjan Stevens, Sting and Björk.
Irwin Reese, a 25-year Metropolitan Opera veteran tenor, will present an evening of art songs, spirituals and works by African-American composers in the sixth concert, Aug. 19 at 5 p.m., together with Greenfield pianist Julia Bady.
Flutist Alex Sopp, who’s completing Paul Simon’s current goodbye tour, will team up with virtuoso pianist Michael Mizrahi for an Aug. 31 concert at 7 p.m. that includes works by Copland and Antenna Cloud’s Greenstein.
Banjoist-singer Anna Roberts-Gevalt and guitarist-singer Grey Mcmurray will perform Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. in a concert featuring a mix of old ballads and contemporary sounds.
NPR Small Desk Concerts 2016 winner Gaelynn Lea will perform Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. Lea plays fiddle and sings from her wheelchair, using a looping pedal to create layers of sound. Speaking publicly about her “brittle bones disease,” she is an advocate for people with disabilities and for social change.
The final concert, Sept. 31 at 4 p.m., showcases Cindertalk, featuring wine-glass virtuoso and songwriter Jonny Rodgers, who also sings, plays guitar and uses looping pedals, for a special outdoor festival-closing party. Cindertalk will also present a concert at Turners Falls High School.
“When you hear him, you can’t believe it’s one person,” said Wiancko, who adds that all of the second season’s performers are “extremely carefully chosen” for their ability to present a great concert, their need for a retreat and “their passion for community engagement” in settings that also include Musica Franklin and Sheffield Elementary School.
“One of my goals is to have artists be inspirational about music, art and creativity for kids and adults, to listen to their own voices and express themselves in ways that feel artistically fulfilling,” she adds.
Wiancko said she’s spending less time traveling around the globe to perform and more time composing and performing closer to home.
“For me, that’s the challenge: I love to throw parties, to create events and bring people together,” she said. “But that’s not a substitute for composing. I’ve lived a life of constant travel. Now it’s time to dig in my heels in the community, to be present. That’s really fulfilling.”
To purchase tickets to one of Antenna Cloud Farm’s 10 concerts, visit: www.antennacloudfarm.com.
Senior reporter Richie Davis has worked at the Greenfield Recorder for more than 35 years. He can be reached at: rdavis@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 269.