Love, music, art, business…how do they all fit together? How is music created around a unique story? What does a commission look like?
Join us for a listening party as we dive into a world premiere from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert of the 2026-27 season. At the center of this concert is a new work for orchestra and vocalists composed by Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad. The piece is based on the historic story of Weybridge couple Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, taking inspiration from their story and weaving their letters to one another into the music. We’ll listen to the recording from our September concert, dive into the score, discuss how real life events can inspire new art, and take an inside look into the commission and composition process.
Banner image from Lukasz Kobus, Wikimedia Commons.
About the Speaker
Matt LaRocca is a cross-genre composer, performer, and educator who likes making beautiful sounds – you’re just as likely to see him playing with a rock band as conducting an orchestra. He is the Artistic Advisor and Special Project Conductor for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra where he works with all things non-traditional, a professor of composition/theory at the University of Vermont, and the Music Director of the Champlain Philharmonic Orchestra.
Matt performs on the electric viola (through an array of guitar pedals) with Michael Chorney’s psych-rock improvisation ensemble Freeway Clyde and is a frequent collaborator with rock, folk, and electronic musicians. He has written string and orchestral arrangements for and performed with artists such as Guster (his music can be heard on their OMAGAH! album), Grace Potter, Henry Jamison, Francesca Blanchard, and more. With a love of improvisation and crossing disciplines, Matt is a regular in the dance world and his collaborators include Jessie Owens and Paul Besaw.
LaRocca holds degrees in chemistry and music from Middlebury College and a doctorate in music composition from Boston University. He lives in Waterbury Center with his wife Heather and their children Jasper, Sawyer, and Macy. Learn more on his website here.
About the Fall Festival 2026
Each year, our Fall Festival celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month in October and reminds Vermonters of the impact and breadth of the humanities. This year’s Fall Festival 2026: Our Woven History recognizes the stories contained in our Vermont Reads 2026 book, Charity & Sylvia by Tillie Walden, while also commemorating the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.
Please contact us at info@vermonthumanities.org for information on disability services. To request a specific accommodation, contact us at least three weeks prior to the event. Vermont Humanities strives to provide accommodations whenever possible. All event locations are ADA accessible.
