Pianist David Feurzeig will present the 89th concert in his “Play Every Town” tour of Vermont at 2 pm on Saturday, September 13, in the First Congregational Church at 14 Main Street in North Troy village. Beginning in 2022, Feurzeig embarked on this tour traveling in his solar-charged vehicle offering “252 Concerts for a Cooler Climate” in every one of Vermont’s towns. His goal is to bring attention to the interrelated issues of climate and community, and to call into question the normality of long distance touring and travel, while bringing the joy of music to his audiences. “I want to support Vermont’s local communities with live performance in village centers and downtowns, while fulfilling the University of Vermont’s mission to serve as a resource for the whole State,” said Feurzeig, a professor of music at UVM.

The program on September 13 will be peppered with humorous and informative commentary and will feature a genre-defying and astonishing variety of musical styles. Tailored specifically to the Town of Troy, the concert will include Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, composed the year the town of “Missiskouie” was chartered, along with his quirky Bagatelle WoO 56, composed the year the Town’s name was changed to Troy. Robert Lowry’s beloved hymn “Shall We Gather By the River” was written in 1864, the year the hosting First Congregational Church of North Troy was constructed. An Andante by Schubert marks the year 1812, when the town held an extraordinary meeting to pass a series of resolutions protesting the federal government’s interference with international trade. Pianist and Troy resident Christopher Sellers will join David for Igor Stravinsky’s “Five Easy Pieces” for piano 4-hands, composed in 1917, when the church’s Norris & Hyde piano was manufactured. (This is not the only relevant connection: Christopher studied piano with Stravinsky’s son Soulima in the 1970s!) The late Troy composer Bea Phillips will be represented by her lovely “Missisquoi Falls”. Other solo pieces will round out the program, including (as with every concert in the project) a one-time-only performance of a sonata by Scarlatti, in this case Sonata no. 89 for this 89th concert of the project.

Admission is free, with voluntary donations benefiting the Missisquoi River Basin Association, an active, non-profit group of volunteers dedicated to the restoration of the Missisquoi River, its tributaries, and the Missisquoi Bay.