Euro-tent looks to bring a new vibe to Midtown

The idea for the festival germinated after weeks of discussion with fellow Phoenicia resident Waslyn, an anti-fracking activist who wanted to put on a concert celebrating clean water. That idea became the nucleus for the festival, which evolved into something “all inclusive and participatory. It’s by invitation to artists everywhere,” said Henderson.

The “Voices for Water” concert on Aug. 24 will be performed downtown, likely at GalloPark. Chamber music will be performed at the Old Dutch Church. Children’s performances are planned for ForsythPark, along with pop up shows, with each participating artist receiving a tent for his or her display. In Midtown, Lisa Jablow, a soprano who sings with New York City Opera, will perform the one-woman opera Bon Appetit, a tribute to Julia Child, accompanied by other short musical pieces. Restaurant owners will be invited to contribute a chocolate cake, with judges awarding prizes.

One judge will be Mayor Shayne Gallo, who Henderson said had welcomed the festival “with open arms.” Gallo suggested ramping up the Taste of Kingston as part of the arts festival. Farm to Table will be participating, and invitations will be sent out soon for tastings, Henderson said.

While Henderson said opera is his first love, he’s always been interested in experimentation and cross-pollinating classical music with other genres and art forms. As a student at a Presbyterian Scottish boys’ school in Christchurch, he excelled at the bagpipes and started receiving private voice lessons at age 15. Before singing took over his life, Henderson planned to be a filmmaker, making his own movies with a Super 8 camera as a teenager and winning first place in a national televised film contest, an honor he shared with the then unknown Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings fame.

In his early 20s, he had achieved his dream of singing major roles with Opera Australia, performing with such greats as Joan Sutherland. He also founded his own chamber opera company.

In 2000 he and Bex, an actress and singer whom he had met while performing in London, moved to New York City. Henderson sang with orchestras all over the U.S. and also performed in operas overseas, such as the Teatro di San Carlo, in Naples. Both he and Bex missed the country, so in 2003 they moved full time to a small cottage off Hurley Mountain Road.

Henderson said he has been fascinated by Kingston since discovering it 10 years ago. “If you can think out of the box there are so many fascinating spaces just waiting to be filled with art,” he said. One such place is the abandoned brickyards on the Rondout. “It’s East Berlin meets the Hudson River painters,” he said, noting he encountered skateboarders as well as walls of graffiti. “It’s perfect for cutting-edge performances and has access to both the water and the road. It could be like Mass MoCA. It’s something living and creative.”

Henderson said someday he would like to launch a high-quality chamber opera company in Kingston, which would present rarely performed works and offer professional young singers plumb roles. In the meantime, you will find him during the day at the Uptown Gallery, which is having its first opening for an exhibition of the abstract paintings of Fred Duignan, this Saturday, June 15, from 3-6 p.m. And every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, evening, you will find him and his family, along with the Airharts, at San Severia, lending the performers support and bringing lots of cheer to Midtown Kingston.  For information about upcoming performances at San Severia, e-mail [email protected].