Monthly Archives: January 2025

Moab Music Festival Names Tessa Lark as Next Artistic Director; She will Continue to Lead Old Lyme’s Musical Masterworks

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Tessa Lark has been named Artistic Director of the Moab Music Festival. She will continue as Artistic Director of Musical Masterworks in Old Lyme. Photo by Richard Bowditch.

MOAB, UT/OLD LYME, CT — On Jan. 6, 2025, the Moab Music Festival (MMF) announced that violinist Tessa Lark has been named its next Artistic Director. Co-Founding Directors Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins will be stepping back from the award-winning Festival (MMF) after 33 years; Lark’s role will combine the co-founders’ artistic responsibilities.

Lark currently serves as Artistic Director of the Musical Masterworks concert series in Old Lyme, Conn. and will continue in that role. Asked her reaction to Lark’s appointment, Alden Rockwell Murphy, President of the Musical Masterworks Board of Directors, told LymeLine exclusively, “”We are very excited for Tessa!” commenting further, “She now joins the ranks of distinguished visionary artists who hold multiple artistic directorships, and we congratulate her on this remarkable achievement.”

Rockwell Murphy emphasized, “Her [Lark’s] dedication to Musical Masterworks remains unwavering. With her artistry and passion, she will undoubtedly continue to enrich both the Musical Masterworks and Moab communities, making them brighter and more vibrant for all.”

Moab Festival Board of Trustees President Anne Wilson said, “While it is bittersweet to be moving on to the next chapter of artistic leadership, we are grateful to have had our founders’ direction, guidance, and support in choosing their successor. This extraordinary festival is well positioned for the future, with the strong foundation they built, and their long and exemplary tenure.”

Wilson continued, “We are delighted to welcome Tessa as the Festival’s next Artistic Director. Her long history as a Festival violinist, coupled with her immense talent and creativity, make her a perfect fit. We are excited to see Tessa’s vision unfold, and work together to usher in a new generation of world-class music in concert with the landscape® experiences, for which the Festival has become famous.”

Since her Festival debut in 2016, Lark has delighted audiences with her technical mastery, stylistic fluidity, and welcoming spirit. She boasts a Grammy- nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her recording of Sky, the violin concerto Michael Torke wrote for her. She has been engaged by the San Francisco, Seattle, and BBC Symphonies, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

A recipient of Lincoln Center’s most prestigious honor for emerging artists, the Hunt Family Award, she also received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and top prize at the Naumburg International Violin Competition. She serves as a Co-Host/Creative of From the Top, NPR’s famed showcase for young classical musicians, and is

During Moab’s 2024 season, Lark performed works from her latest album, The Stradgrass Sessions, which pays homage to her love for both Bluegrass and classical music, and her idyllic Kentucky upbringing. The variety of styles presented on the album offers a small window into her fresh take on Festival programming, enhancing what audiences have come to expect from the Festival over the last three decades.

As Lark explains, “I’ve already fallen in love many times over with the Moab Music Festival and what makes the community unique: the impactful relationships that Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins have forged through their loving leadership, the symbiosis of new classical music with canonical favorites, the complex network of the Native cultures of the region, and the presence of myriad musical styles.”

She added, “I take genuine pleasure in personally connecting with folks from all backgrounds, and am passionate about creating spaces that joyfully embrace both musical and spiritual confluence. What makes the Festival extraordinary is also my ultimate life goal: relishing nature and music, all at once. Sharing that heaven-on-earth with others is a dream come true.” 

Under the direction of Tomkins and Barrett, MMF has gained an award-winning national and international reputation, growing from a grassroots organization in a geodesic dome in 1992 to a globally respected institution attracting world-class artists and patrons who want to experience music among southeast Utah’s stunning red rock landscape. The founders were a critical part of selecting the incoming artistic director who will usher in the next generation of leadership as they become Directors Emeriti. 

“I am beyond excited to be handing the reins of the Moab Music Festival to Tessa Lark,” shares Music Director Emeritus Michael Barrett. “I’ve known Tessa for nearly 20 years and have watched with admiration as she has fulfilled the promise of her immense talent in such creative and unexpected ways. It brings me great satisfaction that she has agreed to become Artistic Director. She has a finger on the pulse of musical life in America, and I’m certain her instinct and artistry will guide the Festival toward the synthesis of art, nature, and community Leslie and I first imagined 33 years ago.

As Artistic Director Emerita, Leslie Tomkins commented, “It has been a great honor and privilege to create and lead this organization for over three decades. Tessa came to mind immediately when considering a successor. She is a spectacular artist who brings joy and endless creativity to her playing and shines in musical genres beyond classical. Music in concert with the landscape distinguishes the Moab Music Festival from all others. Tessa has a deep connection to that special alchemy, and I look forward to seeing the Festival thrive and evolve under her imaginative, thoughtful leadership.”

Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued Jan. 6, 2025 by the Moab Music Festival.

Newest Old Lyme PD Recruit Sirigos Graduates from CT Police Academy with Highest GPA in Class

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Members of the Old Lyme Police Department stand either side of Georgios Sirigos (center) after his Jan. 8 graduation from the CT Police Academy. All photos courtesy of Town of Old Lyme..

OLD LYME—The Town of Old Lyme has announced that its newest Police Academy recruit, Georgios Sirigos, graduated from the 383rd session at the Connecticut Police Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 8. 

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker (right) and Resident State Trooper Matthew Weber stand with Sirigios (center) after his graduation.

The ceremony took place at Welte Auditorium at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn.  

Georgios Sirigios receives the Chief Luciano Award from Chief Roberto Rosado of the Meriden Police Department.

During the ceremony, Sirigos was presented with the Chief Luciano Award by Chief Roberto Rosado of the Meriden Police Department. This award is given to the recruit who maintains the highest GPA throughout his training at the academy. 

Sirigios celebrates with his family after his graduation.

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker commented, “The Town of Old Lyme is very pleased to have Georgios as part of their Police Department. He will begin his field training in Old Lyme next week.” 

Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued Jan. 8, by the Town of Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Sen. Needleman Looks Back at ’24 Election, Forward to Opportunities, Challenges Ahead

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To the Editor:

Happy New Year and Happy Legislative Session! On January 8 in Hartford, legislators from around the state including myself were sworn in for our two-year terms in office. There’s a lot of work ahead of us, but as I look forward, I’m also looking back, too.

I am grateful to all of the voters of the 33rd Senate District, across 12 different towns, for their participation in the election this past year. It was certainly consequential and will represent significant changes in Connecticut and the United States, but the most important part is how many people turned out to make their voices heard. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all who voted for me, and am also grateful to those who voted against me; your voices matter, and I will not forget your needs.

I’m looking forward to my fourth term in the State Senate and am ready to get down to business as soon as I’m sworn in. I’m focused on the Energy & Technology Committee, which I chair. Last summer’s high heat and expensive power bills reaffirmed that our residents deserve a high-quality, reliable and affordable power grid that’s built for the needs of the present as well as the future. With costs putting a damper on families’ budgets, I know this is an issue we must address, and I will do whatever I can to find short- and long-term solutions accordingly.

I’m also excited, and ready for more work, in my additional committees. As the Vice Chair of the Planning and Development Committee, I am mindful of our state’s housing crunch and will work alongside my colleagues to find new strategies and avenues that can create new housing units and help support our communities, businesses and families. As well, I’ll keep my eye on the Commerce, Finance, Revenue and Bonding and Transportation Committees as a member, making sure our roads, finances and funding remains in order.

There are plenty of additional issues that I will need to weigh in on in the Senate chambers, and my priorities will include supporting the businesses of Connecticut, finding ways to provide financial relief to families across the state and balancing our budget amid financial pressures within our borders and across the country. The new Presidential administration may also lead to changes in how our state operates, and I will be ready to address new approaches that may be necessary in the coming months.

Overall, the new legislative session represents five months of hard work, but it also represents real opportunities to give back to the people of our state and find ways to improve Connecticut now and in the future. I’m ready to do whatever I can to help our communities and our state.

To learn more about what’s going on in Hartford or to contact my office, please visit https://www.senatedems.ct.gov/senator/norm-needleman.

Sincerely,

Norman Needleman,
Essex, CT

Editor’s Note: The author is the State Senator (D) representing Connecticut’s 33rd Senate District, which includes the Town of Lyme, along with the Towns of Chester, Clinton, Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Deep River, Haddam, Portland, Westbrook, and part of Old Saybrook.

Op-Ed: The Suburban Dilemma

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Editor’s Notes: i) This op-ed was submitted by Eric Knapp, who is employed as the Town of Old Lyme’s Land Use Coordinator. He is writing here as a private citizen.
ii) This is the opinion of Eric Knapp.

Many years ago, in my former life as an attorney, I attended a hearing before a land use agency in Canterbury. Ahead of my matter on the agenda was a proposal for a single-family house. A neighbor was strongly opposed. Her argument was stated as follows: I moved to Canterbury so that when I looked out my window, I would not have to see another house. And for years, I have not. If this is approved, I will see this house every day.

This did not turn out to be a winning argument, but it did point to something deeper. The suburban lifestyle is extraordinarily popular. A good number of people want to live on a cul-de-sac, with their own land and few neighbors. 

The problem with this is that there are fixed costs, for land, utilities, driveways, drainage, not to mention basic building materials, and the incentives all point towards maximizing the return on each lot. That means that most of the new subdivisions being built out in this part of the state tend to cater to the top of the market.

As I noted in my last piece, while everyone seems to agree that the market needs more moderately priced homes, the market conditions do not favor this result. The Affordable Housing Statute, C.G.S. §8-30g, was supposed to address this, by offering greater density in exchange for “affordable” units. But this tradeoff has not been the boon it was supposed to be, and most developers in this part of the state use it as a last resort.

Along the shore, a similar dynamic plays out. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pressures homeowners to elevate their homes to be higher than the “flood elevation.” While many of the existing homes are modest ones on small lots, the cost of elevating them is quite high. The result is that if a property owner is willing (or financially able) to elevate a dwelling, they will usually want to maximize the size of the newly-elevated structure. It makes little financial sense to spend $100,000 to elevate a $200,000 house. 

Flood-prone areas are increasingly a patchwork of expensive homes that have been elevated, and their “left behind” smaller homes that have not. 

At some point, and I have no idea when, we will be hit with a Category 3 storm. When that happens, the demographics of the shore will change. FEMA will require damaged houses to be upgraded, and only those with the means to do so will be able to return. 

The state government in Hartford is pushing—with increasing force—for towns to embrace “transit-oriented development.” But the residents of this part of the state stay here precisely because it does not look like the more densely populated communities. Quite literally, you could not pay a resident of Essex or Old Lyme to live in Stamford or Norwalk, or even New London. They like living in their suburbs/exurbs and are loathe to give up the comforts of their shoreline home. 

A local Stew Leonard’s would be convenient but few here pine to live in Newington or Danbury. People may visit Trader Joe’s in Orange, but Rte. 1 there versus here is no comparison.

That brings us back to the “suburban dilemma” mentioned in the title. We are trying to square the lifestyle we love with the housing market we don’t. So far, the lifestyle is winning. It remains to be seen whether this will hold true going forward.

Letter to the Editor: Residents Urged to Attend ‘Crucial’ Zoning Meeting, Jan. 13

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Author Says Proposed 11K Sq. Ft. Smiths Neck Home ‘Threatens’ Old Lyme’s ‘Environmental Heritage … Rural Character’

To the Editor: 

Old Lyme residents need to be aware of a concerning development proposal at 43 Smiths Neck Road that threatens our town’s environmental heritage and rural character. The proposed 11,000 square-foot residence would dramatically alter our cherished riverfront landscape and sets a troubling precedent for future development along the Connecticut River. 

The developer has already clear-cut native vegetation down to the waterline, destroying critical wildlife habitat and causing visible erosion. The massive proposed structure features 35-foot white walls that would be visible across the river, with over 90 outdoor lights that would significantly impact our dark skies and wildlife. Even more concerning, the water usage from such a large residence (8 bedrooms, 7 baths, pool, and extensive gardens) could strain the limited aquifer that all Smiths Neck residents depend upon. 

The Connecticut River Gateway Commission has recommended denying this application, citing multiple violations of Old Lyme’s zoning regulations designed to protect our scenic and environmentally fragile river corridor. 

I urge concerned citizens to write letters and attend the crucial Zoning Commission meeting on January 13, 2025, at 6:30 pm at Old Lyme Town Hall. Your presence and voice matter in  preserving Old Lyme’s natural beauty and environmental resources for future generations. 

The time to protect our riverfront access and ensure compliance with our Zoning regulations is now. Please join your neighbors in attending this important meeting. 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Karter,
Old Lyme.