ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC
About the BMC
MISSION: To Foster the Joy and Understanding of Music
Founded in 1952 by artistic director Blanche Honegger Moyse, the Brattleboro Music Center is a unique, community-based organization, exceptional for the breadth and quality of its programs. Today, under the artistic advisement of Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson, the BMC consists of numerous performance, participation, and education programs.
For over 60 years the Brattleboro Music Center has helped define southeastern Vermont as a rural region distinctive for its rich cultural life. In addition to providing a full array of education, performance and concert experiences for generations of residents, the Music Center has also attracted scores of professional musicians and other artists to the area. The result is a town and region nationally renowned as home to a rich diversity of artists and arts events.
Each year the Music Center enriches the lives of more than 10,000 residents of southeastern Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire and Massachusetts counties. Hundreds of classes, workshops, concerts and other events bring people together to learn, listen, and join together in celebration of music and community.
As an organization serving a predominantly rural region where most residents have low to modest income levels, the Music Center is committed to keeping its programs financially accessible to all. Free school programs, reduced ticket prices and financial aid, as well as specific outreach programs, help extend the demographic reach of our work as far as possible.
Participation is the Key
The true magic of music is in creating and enjoying it together. At the BMC:
- More than 400 Music School students receive instruction and play together in ensembles and three student orchestras.
- Nearly 200 singers and instrumentalists come together to make music in the BMC’s Brattleboro Concert Choir, Windham Orchestra and Blanche Moyse Chorale.
- Thousands experience live music each season at concerts presented by the BMC. Internationally renowned musicians, area professionals, local amateurs, and Music School faculty and students give over 40 concerts per year.
- Through collaborations with 6 area arts organizations and 20 public schools, the BMC creates unique performance and participation experiences for our community.