Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | April 3, 2023 | wbjournal.com BY LIVIA GERSHON Special to WBJ I magine being a 16-year-old musician and performing in a 1,000-seat concert hall built to world-class standards for acoustics. at's something that youth musicians get to experience at the new Groton Hill Music Center. e center is the next evolution of the longstanding Nashoba Valley institution previously known as Indian Hill Music Center. In its old incarnation in Littleton, the youth orchestra rehearsed in a tiny hall and performed in the auditorium at Littleton High School, where the sound was hampered by the acoustics of a space not specifically built for music. "Now they're hearing how they actually sound," said Julie LeBlanc Pampinella, marketing and PR manager for Groton Hill. "e room, it honors the sound." e move to Groton brings the nonprofit organization full circle. It got its start in Groton in 1985 but soon moved to a property in Littleton. ere, it hosted visiting performers, supported its own musicians, and created music education programs in partnership with schools and other organizations all around the region. e idea for the new facility came from an anonymous donor, a person with a longstanding relationship with the old Indian Hill operation who wanted to cement Central Massachusetts as an arts destination, said David RC Leary, director of marketing for the organization. Now, Groton Hill is the largest arts and culture nonprofit in Central Massachusetts, with more than $181 million in assets, according to its 2021 filing with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. "ere's a hopping scene in Boston and elsewhere, but there wasn't really an anchor in this area for truly world-class classical and acoustic performances," Leary said. Affecting the way sound moves To make that vision a reality, Epstein Joslin Architects Inc of Cambridge designed what it calls a Village of Music located in a former apple orchard and inspired by respect for its natural surroundings. e centerpiece of the property is the 1,000-seat timber- and-stone concert hall, which opens onto a lawn where there's space for an additional 1,500 seats. During daylight performances, windows offer the audience a view of the surrounding orchards. A second performance space, Meadow Hall, has room for an audience of 300. Both buildings were designed from the ground up with music in mind. "When you come into one of our concert halls, there are no right angles," Leary said. "Everything is curved, and that really affects the way sound moves in the room." GHMC is located on a 110- acre campus, most of which is protected natural land. In addition to the two performance halls, it features private rehearsal rooms, spaces for music classes, a cafe, and a rehearsal space to accommodate lectures, receptions, and other events. e idea for the center was first proposed in 2014, and, with help from the original donor and additional supporters, it broke ground late the following year. It opened in September aer an eight-year building process led by CEO Lisa Fiorentino, who took over in 2019. e new space is bringing some big names to Central Massachusetts. A village of music Aer decades serving the local area, Groton Hill Music Center is entering its first full season as a world-class music venue Lisa Fiorentino, CEO of the Groton Hill Music Center At the Groton Hill Music Center (clockwise from upper left) bluegrass band Watkins Family Hour, the center's own Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, A Celtic Sojourn at the center's St. Patrick's Day Celebration, and the jazz band Bill Frisell Trio PHOTO | COURTESY OF GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER

• Cover