Music of Vermont

Vermont is a state in the United States. It is perhaps best-known for the college rock produced in Burlington, Vermont, a scene which produced the long-running jam band Phish. The state is long famous for its iconoclastic composers, from Revolutionary-era Justin Morgan through electronic/avant-gardist Otto Luening. Vermont's long list of contemporary composers includes Jon Appleton, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz, David Gunn, Brian Johnson, John Levin, Justin Levinson, Peggy Madden, Erik Nielsen, Thomas L. Read, Su Lian Tan, and Gwyneth Walker.

Music education and institutions

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1934, was the first state-funded orchestra in the nation. The Vermont Youth Orchestra has come to prominence since the mid-1990s under the direction of composer/conductor Troy Peters. The Consortium of Vermont Composers was formed in 1988 to promote composers of classical music from the state; the Consortium calls Vermont the "most composer-friendly state" in the country.

Vermont has a program entitled the Vermont MIDI Project, a non-profit program that encourages young students from elementary school to high school to compose music and submit what they have written to a diannual competition. If selected, the compositions are performed by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. This program makes use of Sibelius notation software, which allows people to compose music electronically.

Local Music

Vermont is also known for it's powerful, home made punk rock scene. Any given weekend a show can be found in someone's barn or backyard. Bands hail mostly from one of four places: The Upper Valley (anthem driven classic punk), Rutland (pop punk), St. Jonsbury (street punk), and Burlington (hardcore). The list of bands is too long to show but notable bands include: The Foodstamps, Class Clown, The River City Rebels, The Rotaways, The Yarbles, Ninja Death Squad, The Bazookas, and certainly many more.

Music festivals

The Marlboro Music Festival, which has been held since 1950, is an important festival for the state's music. There is also a Champlain Valley Folk Festival, and the One World, One Heart Festival, sponsored by local ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry. The One World, One Heart Festival is held in Warren, Vermont and features concerts by folk and country performers.

References

• Byron, Janet (1996). Country Music Lover's Guide to the U.S.A. (1st ed. ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312143001. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
• "Consortium of Vermont Composers". Consortium of Vermont Composers. Retrieved January 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• Champlain Valley Folk Festival