The Venue

The Vermont Music and Arts Center at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute

The Avaloch Farm Music Institute (AFMI) provides private air conditioned bedrooms for 34 residents with new comfy beds and supplied bedding, tasty chef-made meals, 7 Steinway grand pianos, all within a compact campus on level ground. The bedrooms are charming and sufficiently sound-proofed to make them suitable for private practice. The living areas are set up in two-bedroom suites with bathroom facilities within each suite.

Three delicious, healthful, creative meals a day are served in the dining room, prepared by our chef and his staff. There are always snacks, fruit, and beverages available, and each suite has a small refrigerator for personal use. There is a laundry room, fitness room and ping-pong and pool tables for use by all residents.

The elegant residential facility, comfortable studios, pleasant dining area and Common Room, all enhanced by the beautiful, bucolic surroundings make a residency at Avaloch a fulfilling and treasured opportunity.

Getting to Avaloch

The Avaloch Farm Music Institute is situated in Boscawen, New Hampshire, 80 miles north of Boston and 14 miles from Concord, NH. The closest major cities/towns are Boston, MA, Concord, NH and Manchester, NH.

Arriving by Car:

The AFMI address is 16 Hardy Lane, Boscawen NH, 03303.

If coming North along Rt. 93, take Exit 17 to Rt. 4W. Go 5-6 miles on Rt 4 and bear left on Route 4 at the Rt. 3 split.

After approx. 1 mile, go left on Water St. After 1-1/4 miles, Water St. makes a sharp right angle. Hardy Lane (dirt road) is the next left.

When coming from Western MA or VT or traveling up Rt 91, rely on your GPS.

On Hardy Lane, turn right at the large stone (which reads “Avaloch”) and park temporarily in the lot behind the main hall in order to check in and unload any belongings. Check in at the large red building.

After checking in and unloading please move your car to the visitor parking lot found by going back out to Hardy Lane, turning right at the stone, and then turning right again at the parking sign close by. At the far end of the lot, there is a short path and foot bridge (well lit at night) that leads from the visitor parking lot to the main campus.

Arriving by Air:

The two main airports close to Avaloch Farm Music Institute are Boston Logan Airport (80 minutes away) or Manchester Regional Airport (45 minutes away). Uber/Lyft costs from Boston Logan usually range from $100-200 depending on the time of day. Uber/Lyft costs from Manchester Regional Airport usually range between $60-100 depending on the time of day.

From Boston Logan Airport, here are some additional ground transportation options to get to Avaloch: Ground Transportation at Boston Logan International Airport (massport.com) . There is also a shuttle (see below) that visitors can take to Concord NH which is a short 20 minute cab ride from the farm.

From Manchester Regional Airport, here are some ground transportation options to get to Avaloch: https://www.flymanchester.com/ground-transportation/

Arriving by Train:

The closest AMTRAK train station is Boston South Station (BOS). When booking on the Amtrak website, there is also the option of including a mixed service (train+bus) option all the way to Concord NH (CNH), where one can then take a 20 minute taxi/lyft/uber ride to Avaloch.

Additional Resources:

Concord Coach Lines offers a bus service that runs between Boston Logan Airport and downtown Concord NH. A one-way ticket costs $24 and a roundtrip ticket costs $42. Learn more here: Boston Logan International Airport Bus Stop | Concord Coach Lines

Here are some additional shuttle services that operate between both Boston and Manchester airports which will travel directly to Avaloch.

Lakes Region Airport Shuttle Service: Concord Car Service | Lakes Region Airport Shuttle (lrairportshuttle.com)

Boston Airport Shuttle: Transportation to Boston Logan Airport from New Hampshire (bostonairportshuttle.com)

Mountainview Shuttle: Mountain View Shuttle, airport and resort transportation (mtnviewshuttle.com)

How Participants Derive Maximum Benefit From The Program

VMAC (the Vermont Music and Arts Center) is a workshop for serious amateur musicians who would like to play chamber music in an informal and congenial atmosphere – to “take a vacation with music.”

VMAC differs from most workshops in that our faculty usually play with us rather than listening and teaching from the outside. Instead of being assigned groups for three or four pieces of music, we choose our own repertoire and form our own ensembles, which may include one of the coaches at our invitation. Playing with the faculty – being coached from within the group – inspires us, and we learn from their example. Selected “Works of the Week” are suggested for groups that want more formal coaching, but participants may ask for coaching on a different work of their choice. See the Daily Schedule page for a more complete description of the program.

To derive maximum benefit from the program, participants should come prepared to play at least a few works from the standard chamber literature. The staff will gladly provide coaching on prepared works. Elementary instruction is not offered, but experienced musicians who are new to playing chamber music are very welcome.

At home we may not have the right combination of good players for larger works or unusual instrumentation, but VMAC provides winds, singers, strings, pianos, harpsichord, and an extensive music library. It gives us the opportunity to revisit works we have studied in other workshops, and to introduce other musicians to our lesser-known favorites. Most participants play with a great many others and encounter a wealth of new pieces as well as the old favorites.

The Center maintains a library of over 1000 performing editions of chamber music, from baroque to contemporary, for strings, winds, keyboard, and voice.

Participants in VMAC are automatically members of the Vermont Music and Arts Association (VMAA). The members elect a governing board, which administers the Center.

Please email us at vmacinfo@gmail.com with any questions about the program.