Blue Hill, Maine

By Lara Peterson, Senior, George Stevens Academy

Despite its small size, Blue Hill has an amazingly diverse musical history. From folk music to chamber music, Blue Hill has embraced a variety of musical styles. Music has always been a big part of what this community uses to express itself. When you visit Blue Hill, you can see, hear, and feel the soul of this place through the music that makes up so much of the creative outlet in this town.

1900-1920:
Kneisel Hall:

Kneisel Hall was established in 1902 by conductor Franz Kneisel. Kneisel worked for the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a concertmaster and assistant conductor. He founded the Kneisel Quartet, a string quartet musical group. The first members of the Kneisel Quartet were: Franz Kneisel on 1st violin, E. Fiedler on 2nd violin, Louis Svecenski on the viola and Fritz Giese on the cello. Kneisel had a home in Blue Hill and came up every summer. Eventually he started bringing some of his students up to Blue Hill, and other members of the Kneisel Quartet also started coming up. This established a routine of teaching students at Blue Hill every summer; thus the chamber music school Kneisel Hall was born. This teaching tradition continued up until Kneisel’s death in 1926.

1920-1940:
The Blue Hill Troupe:

In the summer of 1924, parents encouraged their children to get together and put on the Gilbert and Sullivan play H.M.S Pinafore. These kids performed the operetta on board the yacht Shawna with car headlights from shore providing the lighting and student musicians providing music from a nearby ship. That was the beginning of the Blue Hill Troupe. In 1926 the Blue Hill Troupe moved to New York and continued to perform under the name “The Blue Hill Troupe." Since then the Blue Hill Troupe has carried on, performing a Gilbert and Sullivan opera every year since (except 1929) and giving the proceeds to New York Charities.

1940-1960:
Kneisel Hall:

After the death of Franz Kneisel in 1926 Kneisel Hall closed. But in 1953 Kneisel Hall was re-established by Marianne Kneisel (Franz Kneisel’s daughter), Artur Balsom, Joseph Fuchs and Lillian Fuchs. After its re-establishment at this time Kneisel Hall has continued into the present day as a very prestigious Chamber Music School. Kneisel Hall now accepts a total of 50 pre-professional young artists (20 violinists, 14 cellists, 9 violists and 7 pianists).

1960-1980:
Noel Paul Stookey:

Noel Paul Stookey, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame moved to Blue Hill in 1973. He then proceeded to open a recording studio and launched a new label, Neworld.

The Bagaduce Chorale:

In 1974 Mary Cheney Gould founded the Bagaduce Chorale, a small group of singers who gathered at Mary Cheney Gould’s house for the pure joy of singing. Since then the joy of singing has remained while the number of singers has increased to over 80 singers. The Bagaduce Chorale performs twice a year, once in the spring and once in the winter.

1980-2000:
The Bagaduce Music Lending Library:

It started in 1983 as a road trip between friends in a borrowed RV. Mary Cheney Gould (founder of the Bagaduce Chorale), and Marcia Chapman took a trip to visit their friend Fritz Jahoda, a famous chamber musician. During their visit they discussed what to do with a large amount of sheet music that they didn’t know what to do with. Jahoda suggested a Lending Library, and Gould offered her garage. After the Library was established, there were multiple large donations that made it necessary to upgrade to a larger building. Mary Martin stepped forward and offered a barn that had been recently built on her property. The offer was gratefully accepted. In 1965 there was an opening ceremony at the Library’s current location and since then the Library has been recognized as an international resource for sheet music.

Flash in the Pans:

Even though the steel drum group, Flash in the Pans, was formed in 1990, the story goes back to the early 1970’s. In 1973, Carl Chase heard a steel band play while he was visiting the Caribbean. He loved the sound and brought steel drums (also known as pans) up to Maine. He taught others how to play, and in 1975 formed the Atlantic Clarion steel band. In 1990, Carl Chase put out an ad for others to come and take classes to learn how to play the steel drums at George Stevens Academy. People came to learn how to play, and Flash in the Pans Community Steel Band was created.