John Mark Pellegrino
Artistic Director
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Celebrating
Our 34th Season!
History
In 1974 St. Luke’s Music Director, Priscilla Rigg, initiated the concept of a chamber music series as the natural outgrowth of an active church music program. Music On The Hill was born and soon expanded its outreach to the Rhode Island community at large. Its purpose was to present concerts for varied musical interests and organized with the following goals: to provide good music at a minimal cost to families and friends in the community; to encourage everyone to broaden his musical horizons; to enable people to attend concerts that are close to their homes; and to give well-trained musicians an opportunity to perform and thereby stimulate their musical growth.
In the spring of 1981, Music on the Hill became incorporated, with elected officers and a board of directors. After guiding the series since 1974, Priscilla Rigg became the first President, followed by Mr. Ernest Drew, Dr. Bruce L. Stevens, Mr. Howard Silverman, Mr. Arnold Hellewell and Mr. David Follansbee, among others.
Over the years numerous groups have performed in the Music on the Hill series, including: The Master Singers of Boston, Fara Chamber Players, Rhode Island Philharmonic Brass, Hartt School of Music touring opera, Live Oak Trio, Delos String Quartet, Yale Glee Club, Dave McKenna, Boston Trio, David Kim, Virginia Eskin, the Borromeo String Quartet and many other performers of equally high caliber.
In addition to subscription and ticket sales, Music on the Hill has received funding from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the New England Foundation for the Arts.
Keeping a concert series alive and well today is a challenging job. But through the persistence and dedication of the Board of Directors and Officers of Music on the Hill, the series has managed to survive due to their passion for sharing music with the Rhode Island community and its openness to new ideas. In June of 2007 a group of Rhode Island-bred professional musicians proposed a Festival Series concept for Music On The Hill, Priscilla Rigg and the other 2006/2007 Officers and Board Members enthusiastically endorsed their new idea. Thus Music on the Hill is redirecting itself with a new ensemble of its own Rhode Island-born professional musicians, eager to share their talent with the community they love and inspire both classical music lovers and the next generation of musicians and audiences.
... Read more about our history