Grace Notes
Volume 7 | December 2025
Building Collaboration:
UVB Musicians Offstage
MARY GERBI
Sometimes, the work continues offstage: sopranos Chelsea Helm and Mary Bonhag practice their Monteverdi duets on a beautiful spring day outside of St. Denis Catholic Church in Hanover.
Upper Valley Baroque’s musicians travel from throughout the Northeast and beyond, joining together for an intense rehearsal period during which they become a musical whole that is larger than the sum of its parts. Their sense of community and collaboration is greatly enhanced by the time they spend together out of the spotlight: at meals, with their hosts, and out in our communities.
Cellist Cullen O’Neil, violinist Kako Boga, and oboist David Dickey relax after the day’s work is done at one of our favorite haunts: Putnam’s Vineyard in White River Junction.
Pictured clockwise from center left: soprano Janet Stone, soprano MaryRuth Miller, mezzo-soprano Megan Roth, soprano Nola Richardson, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Eschen-Cacciola, and countertenor Wee Kiat Chia (the photographer) after a visit to Sweet Scoops ice cream shop in Randolph, which is conveniently located down the street from one of our regular venues, the Chandler Center for the Arts.
Above: soprano Nola Richardson receives instruction on driving a tractor from her host Josh Lewis at his home in Norwich; tenor Aaron Sheehan was at the ready with his camera to document the moment.
His father (Jason Fisher, violist and orchestra contractor) might be on break, but Kaito is hard at work practicing on the portative organ. Thanks to our generous hosts, UVB is quite literally a family affair!
A unique element of our musicians’ experience is enjoying family-style meals taken together at our rehearsal venues. Here is a glimpse of a dinner break at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College.
Clearly, someone couldn’t resist but to sneak a home baked cookie back to rehearsal.
The hospitality team are always sure to keep everyone well-supplied with snacks—what more appropriate than a bowl full of Vermont cheddar cheese?
Table of Contents
INTERVIEW
Filippo Ciabatti on Vivaldi
MUSICIAN PROFILE
Susanna Ogata, violin
MUSICAL TERM
Program Music
INSTRUMENT
Theorbo
PRE-CONCERT VIRTUAL PRESENTATION
Musician, Impresario, and Priest: Antonio Vivaldi
BUILDING COLLABORATION:
UVB Musicians Offstage
LOOKING BACK
Handel’s Messiah and
“Unknown Measures”
GRACE NOTES