Maverick Concert Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Maverick Concert Hall
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Maverick Concert Hall, Summer 2006
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Off Maverick Rd., Hurley, New York |
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| Area | 29.5 acres (11.9 ha) |
| Built | 1916 |
| Architect | White, Hervey |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001492 |
| Added to NRHP | December 9, 1999 |
The Maverick Concert Hall was built in 1916. It was part of the Maverick Artist Colony in Hurley, New York. Today, the hall is famous for hosting the Maverick Concerts. This is a summer chamber music festival. Alexander Platt is the current music director. The concerts feature talented musicians and groups. They perform on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The festival runs from late June to early September.
The Maverick Festival started in 1915. It was created by Hervey White. This festival was a first version of the Maverick Concerts. It stopped in 1931.
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What Was the Maverick Artist Colony?
The "Maverick" was a special place for artists to work together. Hervey White started it in 1905. He bought 102 acres of land near Woodstock, New York. White was a "freethinker," meaning he had new ideas. He was also a writer and printer. His goal was to help young artists. He wanted them to make a living until they became well-known.
Hervey White had also helped start the nearby Byrdcliffe Colony. But he soon left to create his own colony. The Byrdcliffe Colony was well-funded and very organized. Maverick was different. It was more relaxed and focused on community. It was a place where artists could be truly free.
The Maverick Festival: A Look Back (1915–1931)
The first Maverick Festival concert was in August 1915. It was held to raise money for a well for the colony. The festival was like European fairs. In July 1916, The New York Times wrote a big article about it. The headline was "Music Goes Back to Nature." The concert featured classical pieces. These included Joseph Haydn's String Quartet Op. 77, No. 1. It also had Max Bruch's Kol Nidrei and Robert Schumann's piano quintet.
The festival became very popular. As more people came, they even offered "concert camping." The crowds grew very lively and hard to manage. The festival stopped after 1931. This was due to the large crowds and money problems.
Many people say the Maverick Festival was a early example of music festivals. It is often seen as a step towards the famous 1969 Woodstock festival.
The Maverick Concert Hall Building
The historic concert hall is in Hurley, New York. It is just outside Woodstock. The building looks like a barn. It has a special gambrel roof. It was built in 1916. The roof is made of asphalt and wood shingles. The main frame is heavy timber. The walls are wide wooden planks nailed right to the frame. No architect designed the hall. Volunteers from the Maverick Colony helped build it.
The wooden structure and design create great sound. This makes it perfect for live chamber music. The Maverick Concert Hall has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999. This means it is a very important historic building.
The Maverick Horse Statue
In 1924, Hervey White asked John Flannagan to create a symbol for the colony. Flannagan was a talented sculptor. He was one of the first "direct carvers" in the United States. This means he carved directly into the material. White paid him fifty cents an hour. In just a few days, Flannagan carved a huge statue. He used an ax and a chestnut tree trunk.
The statue shows a horse coming out of a man's hands. The man seems to be rising from the earth. This amazing 18-foot sculpture stood at the entrance to the concert hall road for 36 years. It was moved inside when it started to wear down. In 1979, it was moved to the stage of the Maverick Concert Hall. A sign says it was fixed up in 2006. It is still there today.
John Cage and His Famous Piece 4’33”
On August 29, 1952, something very interesting happened at the Maverick. A young pianist named David Tudor performed a new work. It was by the experimental composer John Cage. Cage was a leading post-war avant-garde composer. This means he created very new and unusual music.
His most famous piece is called 4′33″. It was first written for piano. Many people call it "four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence." But Cage showed that it wasn't truly silent. He wanted the audience to listen to the sounds around them. These sounds included birds singing, wind in the trees, rain on the roof, and even the audience members themselves.
Maverick Concerts Today
The concert hall still hosts the Maverick Concerts. This is a summer chamber music festival. Alexander Platt is the current music director. The main part of the series is chamber music. Talented soloists and groups perform on Sunday afternoons. In recent years, Jazz and contemporary music have also become popular. There are also Saturday morning "Maverick Family Concerts." These are great for music lovers of all ages.
