STRINGS IN FLIGHT: Apple Hill String Quartet and Flying Gravity Circus Share the Stage in Partnership with High Mowing School 

A collaboration of live chamber music and youth circus artistry comes to Wilton, NH, November 13 and 14

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WILTON, NH – When a world-class string quartet and a troupe of young circus artists share one stage, the music doesn't just accompany the action, it lifts it. The Apple Hill String Quartet (AHSQ) and Flying Gravity Circus (FGC), in partnership with High Mowing School (HMS), have joined forces to present STRINGS IN FLIGHT: Quartet & Circus, an experience of acrobatics, aerial arts, and jonglerie set to the exquisite live music of the AHSQ.

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Performance Details

• Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m.

• Location: Pine Hill at High Mowing School (Pine Hill Auditorium), 77 Pine Hill Road, Wilton, NH

• > BUY TICKETS HERE! Adults $25; children 12 and under $15

• Information: info@flyinggravitycircus.org 

 

A Uniquely New Hampshire Partnership

The collaboration brings together three deeply rooted New Hampshire institutions. Apple Hill has been a cornerstone of the state's cultural life since 1971, and the Apple Hill String Quartet carries that legacy forward with artistic excellence and a distinguished commitment to music education. Flying Gravity Circus has served the greater Monadnock/Souhegan regions since 1999, promoting positive youth development through recreational and pre-professional circus arts education. High Mowing School is a Waldorf boarding and day school founded in 1942 for students from preschool through grade 12. Together, the three share decades of experience, deep community roots, and a commitment to arts education and access.

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“Circus arts and string music are central to arts education at High Mowing School, so working with Flying Gravity Circus and Apple Hill is a natural collaboration. Many of our students participate in FGC's Indigo Troupe, and this playful performance allows them to showcase their talents set to live string music.”
— Katherine C. Meyer, Head of School, High Mowing School

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STRINGS IN FLIGHT features the FGC "Indigo Troupe” comprising advanced high school students who specialize in preprofessional circus training. Several Indigo troupers are also enrolled in the Circus Studies Program at High Mowing School, which provides a residential circus program coupled with a premier Waldorf high school education. Thanks to a private donation, HMS recently installed a state-of-the-art aerial rigging system in its Pine Hill auditorium to support the future of aspiring circus artists. Supplemental funding was provided by the Cornelia and Michael Bessie Foundation and the Kingsbury Fund. 

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The Indigo Troupe circus artists are directed by Madison Ward and the FGC coaching team, in collaboration with Quartet members Jesse MacDonald (violin), Elise Kuder (violin), Mike Kelley (viola), and Jacob MacKay (cello).

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“Playing for circus artists changes how you listen. Every phrase has to carry them, and they answer with a kind of physical music of their own. It has been a joy to build this program together."
— Jesse MacDonald, violinist, Apple Hill String Quartet 

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The collaboration welcomes special guest Ben Hemmendinger on keyboard to provide inventive accompaniment during the transitions and interludes. Hailing from Brattleboro, Ben is known in the contradance community as a member of the WindFish Band.

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A brief opening act will feature the Souhegan Harmony Ensemble directed by Andrew Koutroubas, High Mowing School alum and founder of Silentwoods Collective. They will be joined by the “Blue Troupe,” FGC’s intermediate performance troupe. Atmospheric entertainment provided by FGC’s middle-school “Green Troupe” will greet patrons at the door and in hallways.

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Live Music and the Circus Arts

Circus is a living dialogue between body and time, and live music deepens that dialogue in ways recorded sound cannot. For FGC's pre-professional Indigo troupers, performing with the AHSQ is a rare chance to bring their hard-earned training into artistic conversation with world-class musicians.

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"These young artists have spent years building strength, skill, and trust. Performing with a live string quartet asks them to listen as deeply as they move. It's the kind of experience that can shape an artist for life."
— Madison Ward, Associate Artistic Director, Flying Gravity Circus

 

> BUY TICKETS HERE! Adults $25; children 12 and under $15

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About Apple Hill String Quartet
Called “dashing and extraordinary” by The Strad Magazine, the Apple Hill String Quartet are the Artistic Directors and resident musicians at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music. The Quartet serves as Music Directors for Apple Hill’s Summer Chamber Music Workshop in Nelson, New Hampshire, known for cultivating connection among people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and ages through its guiding philosophy, Playing for Peace. The Quartet performs concerts and conducts educational residencies locally in New Hampshire, nationally, and internationally around the globe. www.applehill.org

 

About Flying Gravity Circus
Flying Gravity Circus helps children and teens ages 2 to 18 develop strength, confidence, and a sense of belonging through recreational and pre-professional programs in southern New Hampshire. Flying Gravity ignites in young people a love for learning, performing, and teaching circus arts through non-competitive performance troupes, summer camps, and afterschool programs, enriching their lives and their communities. www.flyinggravitycircus.org 

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About High Mowing School

High Mowing School (Wilton, NH) is a coeducational, non-denominational college-preparatory Waldorf boarding and day school serving students in early childhood through grade 12. Founded in 1942, High Mowing School nurtures students’ ongoing discovery of the world and of themselves through the child-centered educational philosophies of Rudolph Steiner. HMS was the first Waldorf high school in North America and remains the only Waldorf boarding school in North America. Learn more at www.highmowing.org.

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