This musical adventure guide is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont, a premier destination.
You'll know you're witnessing something special when the violinist catches the cellist's eye mid-phrase, a silent conversation happening in real time. At Taconic Music's summer festival, chamber music reveals its most intimate secret: it's a collaboration so close you can see the musicians breathing together, leaning into shared musical moments, responding to each other's subtle cues.
Four Saturday evenings (from June 21 through July 12 at Riley Center for the Arts) create Manchester's most accessible window into this collaborative art form. Add two Young Artists concerts featuring emerging conservatory talents, plus a special anniversary celebration at a wildlife sanctuary in nearby Shushan, New York, and you have a month-long soundtrack that helps define summer in Manchester.
"Like going to a really good restaurant, you don't need to understand how your meal is cooked," explains Joana Genova, Taconic Music's co-founder. "You will enjoy it because it touches the heart and the soul and emotions in us as human beings."
This philosophy drives everything Taconic Music does. Since establishing the organization in 2016, artistic directors Genova and Ariel Rudiakov have built a festival that welcomes newcomers while challenging seasoned classical music lovers. Their summer programming mixes established repertoire - think Brahms and Mendelssohn - with contemporary works by living composers.
"We seek out modern voices, living composers who deserve to be heard because their points of view are different based on how and when they live," Rudiakov explains. Over the years, they've commissioned over 20 new works, continuing that tradition with current commissions from composers like Sato Matsui.
The Saturday evening concerts at 7:30 PM showcase faculty and guest musicians in Riley Center's intimate setting. Unlike symphony concerts where musicians follow a conductor, chamber music reveals constant communication between players. The first violinist might serve as the informal leader, but roles shift constantly - when the cellist takes the melody, everyone else steps back to support.
"Your ears and your antennas have to be open for the balance within the group," Rudiakov notes. "The music weaves in and out and the roles weave in and out and everybody has to breathe together."
This summer's guest artists include a Celtic harpist, adding new colors to the traditional chamber music palette. Each concert begins with a pre-reception featuring wine and cheese, giving audiences time to mingle before settling in for the evening's performance.
Adults pay $30 for general admission, while students and children attend free - part of Taconic's commitment to accessibility. "We keep our performances low-cost or at no cost," Genova emphasizes, "so we reach different ages and people who can afford to go to concerts and people who cannot."
Monday evenings June 30 and July 14 at 7 PM showcase the festival's Chamber Music Intensive students - nine musicians selected from over 30 applications nationwide. These concerts offer a different energy: emerging artists presenting both classical and contemporary works, with the enthusiasm that comes from spending a month immersed in Vermont's musical and natural landscape.
The Young Artists concerts operate on a free-will offering basis, with a suggested donation of $15 for adults (students and children still free). The format accommodates families perfectly - if bedtime calls or breaks are needed, you're encouraged to slip out whenever necessary.
"What really sets this apart is the supportive, non-competitive environment," Rudiakov explains. The intensive students live together in Burr & Burton dorms, cooking meals together and exploring Vermont between their rigorous daily coaching sessions. Sometimes faculty literally lock them out of practice rooms on beautiful days, insisting they experience kayaking or hiking instead.
"Our motto is where music meets life," Genova says. "You have to experience life to become a good musician."
This summer includes something unique: a benefit concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Dionondehowa Wildlife Sanctuary and School on Sunday, June 29 at 4 PM in Shushan, New York. Tickets are $15 with proceeds benefiting both organizations - a perfect example of Taconic's community partnerships extending beyond Manchester's borders.
The Riley Center location puts you at the heart of Manchester's cultural district. Stroll through Northshire Bookstore before the concert, grab dinner at Curate afterward, or combine your evening with a day exploring Hildene's grounds - where some of the intensive students perform during their residency.
"The first thing that comes out of our mouth is Northshire Bookstore," Genova says when recommending Manchester experiences. "Then all of the art galleries - Ellenbogen, the Southern Vermont Art Center, Hildene."
Taconic has built strong partnerships throughout Manchester, from business supporters like Manchester Designer Outlet and Mother Myrick's to performance venues and cultural institutions. "We support them, we tell people from the stage about their businesses," Rudiakov notes. "We keep it as local as we possibly can because we all really need each other."
For chamber music newcomers, Taconic removes every barrier they can. No dress code, no rigid concert etiquette, no obligation to stay for the full performance. The intimate setting means you can see the musicians' expressions and feel included in their musical conversation.
All concerts are also livestreamed on Taconic's YouTube channel, allowing remote audiences to connect with the performances - a practice that began during the pandemic and continues because it reaches people who might not otherwise access live classical music.
"Just come, don't be afraid, you will love it," Genova encourages. "Most people are afraid of not understanding it, but they have to feel it. All our faculty concerts and young artist concerts, we select works that we personally love and believe in, and we play our hearts out. That translates to the audience."
What gives this festival its authentic character is the deep investment its founders have made in Manchester. The Rudiakov family has been part of the local music scene since the 1980s, when Ariel's parents purchased a home near the current Riley Center. Joana and Ariel bought their own Manchester home in 2002-2003, renovating and expanding it while building Taconic Music into a year-round cultural anchor.
"We have had so many comments from people who come to us and say, part of the reason why we moved to this town is because our kids can take lessons, or we can come to concerts," Genova shares. "One person even said, you raised the value of my real estate, because you help provide culture and music."
That year-round commitment creates the foundation for a summer festival that feels like a natural extension of Manchester's cultural life rather than an imported event. Whether you're hearing chamber music for the first time or you're a longtime devotee, Taconic's summer festival offers four weeks of evenings where world-class musicians create intimate musical conversations you're invited to overhear.
Taconic Music's Summer Festival runs June 16-July 14, 2025. Chamber Music Saturdays are June 21, 28, July 5 & 12 at 7:30 PM. Young Artists Concerts are June 30 & July 14 at 7 PM. All concerts at Riley Center for the Arts, 143 Seminary Avenue. Tickets and information: taconicmusic.org
This musical adventure guide is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont, a premier destination.
