Marlboro Music 2024-25 Residency Series Concludes with Salon Seance
March 14, 2025
As part of Marlboro Music’s 2024-25 Artist Residency Program, we are pleased to welcome Salon Séance for an April residency that culminates with a free informal performance for the community, on Saturday, April 12 at 7 pm in the Marlboro Dining Hall.
During their residency, the group—featuring Marlboro Music violinist Mari Lee—will further develop and present its newest work in progress, Shape of Becoming, exploring how the people in our lives shape our identity and guide us in discovering our unique voices. Centered around a live performance of Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 2, the experience invites deep listening, ritual, and storytelling, reflecting Britten’s journey of personal growth and transformation.
The evening begins with an interactive ritual inspired by sutra tracing, where audience members trace Chinese characters symbolizing figures such as “mother,” “father,” or “teacher,” prompted by the question: Who shaped you? As the performance unfolds, musicians and a performer embodying Britten share stories of personal development through spoken-word storytelling woven between musical chapters. The ritual culminates with tracing papers dissolved into a vessel of water, symbolizing how individual stories merge into a shared, collective experience.
Inspired by Japanese Noh theater, the production incorporates non-linear storytelling, movement, and dialogues between past and present. Interwoven are narratives inspired by interviews with Japanese craftspeople—a monk, a sushi chef, a ceramics artist, a spinning-top maker, and a glasses maker—who reflect on how personal relationships shaped their craft and lives.
Admission to the informal performance is free, but reservations are required. Please follow the link to reserve your seats. Seating is general admission (first come, first served). We hope you can join us!
Marlboro Music’s artist residency program brings exceptional emerging artists and ensembles to campus for deep creative work and informal concert offerings. For more information on Salon Séance, the ensemble’s programs, and its mission, visit salonseance.com.
Salon Seance: Shape of Becoming
Mari Lee, violin/artistic director; Tiffany Chang, violin; Tanner Menees, viola; Ari Evan, cello; Melissa Hurst, actor; Jay Stull, director
Saturday, April 12 at 7 pm
Marlboro Dining Hall – Potash Hill
2582 South Rd, Marlboro, VT
Questions? Contact us at [email protected].