I'm a big fan of versatility of the New Hampshire Music Festival

To the editor,

Why the New Hampshire Music Festival is described as one of the Lakes Region's best kept secrets really amazes me! The Festival has been around for 60 years, and it has evolved and improved from those early years when I first heard their wonderful music on a hot summer night in the gym at Inter-Lakes High School in Meredith. If you haven't attended one of their concerts, now held in the acoustically superior Silver Hall at Plymouth State University, you really should check them out. Talented musicians come from all over the world to meet here every summer and make beautiful music together – everything from classical to jazz. It has been wonderful having the world renowned Paul Polivnick return this year as Conductor Laureate to direct the first three weeks of the Symphony Series, and the next three weeks' concerts will feature some highly qualified guest conductors.

Chamber music concerts, offered bi-weekly on Tuesday nights, are a delightful experience, and I think the Pops concerts have also been exceptional. The best way to describe The Pops Series is Boston Pops meets Big Band, and what a great meeting they have had in their first two concerts! And the last Pops concert on Saturday, August 11th, will pay tribute to the music of Ray Charles. Festival Pops Conductor Matt Catingub is a delightfully engaging and multi-talented entertainer who keeps the musicians as well as the audience smiling and tapping their feet.

I'm a big fan of the versatility of the New Hampshire Music Festival, and also the fact that they provide quality music education in many local schools. We all need to support this musical gem that calls the Lakes Region home!

Sydney B. Stewart,

Moultonborough