THE PORTER-PHELPS-HUNTINGTON MUSEUM PRESENTS:

A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY THE SPRINGFIELD MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9TH AT 2:30 P.M.

Around the end of the 19th century, there were literally dozens of mandolin orchestras all over Massachusetts and New England. Now, one unique ensemble aims to revive that tradition. The Springfield Mandolin Orchestra will be strumming their stuff at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum on Sunday, August 9th at 2:30pm for a special performance. 

The Springfield Mandolin Orchestra is the first of its kind in over 100 years. It consists of players both student and professional from western Massachusetts and Rhode Island, most which are students of the Sweet Music Studio in Granby where rehearsals take place every Monday. Under the direction of Adam Sweet, the group ranges in age from 30 to 93 years old and study European music from the 15th through 20th Century and beyond, as well as local modern compositions by area musicians and composers. The ensemble contains a wide variety of its namesake instrument, including not only mandolins but mandolas, mandocellos and basses. They come prepared to perform a delightful set with repertoire consisting of Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical works by Byrd, Vivaldi, Bach, and Mozart.

The Museum itself has a link to these fretted instruments, as within the museum collections there is a Mandola supposedly given to Elizabeth Whiting Phelps by her brother in about 1790. To see this and all other collections on display, guests may also tour the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House Museum. Tours will be held every hour from 1:00p.m-4:00p.m.