“The Scent of Apples” is the world premiere of a solo marimba composition by Bennington College Alumna, Tina Davidson, inspired by the poems of Robert Frost. Distinguished percussionist and percussion professor at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign, Josh Graham will bring this evocative piece to life at Bennington Museum to kick off the 10th season of Music at the Museum. The program is presented in partnership with Bennington College and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum.

Frost’s poems serve as inspiration for this piece and are part of a long-term project that pairs literary figures and their writing with new works for the marimba. Other works within this project include works for solo marimba by Griffin Candey based on “The Nick Adams Stories” by Ernest Hemingway at Hemingway’s birthplace outside of Chicago, and a work by Mike Conrad based on the poetry of Iowan James Hearst at Hearst’s home in Cedar Falls, Iowa. “The Scent of Apples” will be framed by some of these and other additional pieces for solo marimba. A question and answer session with the performer and composer will follow.

The premiere of “The Scent of Apples” represents a unique opportunity to celebrate the enduring global legacy of Robert Frost through a contemporary artistic lens. This project not only provides an enriched cultural experience for the audience but also underscores the importance of cross-genre collaboration and innovation to inspire new perspectives.

The 10th season of Music at the Museum is dedicated to Shirley Brodsky.

Special thanks to the Robert Frost Society, the Fund for North Bennington, Bennington College alumni Sarah Tenney, the Bennington College Music Department and Woolley Fund, American Heritage Trees, and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum for supporting the creation of this composition.

Composer Tina Davidson

Tina Davidson is a highly regarded American composer known for her distinctive voice and praised by the New York Times for her “vivid ear for harmony and colors.” Davidson earned her BA in piano and composition from Bennington College in 1976, studying under Henry Brant, Louis Calabro, Vivian Fine, and Lionel Nowak. 

With a career spanning over forty-five years, Davidson has received commissions from renowned ensembles including the National Symphony Orchestra, OperaDelaware, Roanoke Symphony, VocalEssence, Kronos Quartet, Cassatt Quartet, and public television (WHYY-TV). Her compositions have been widely performed by prestigious orchestras and ensembles such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Relâche Ensemble, and Orchestra 2001. Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn commissioned Davidson as part of her 27 Encore project, resulting in the composition “Blue Curve of the Earth,” initially released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2013 and later featured on Hahn’s 2018 album, “Retrospective.” She is the recipient of numerous prestigious grants and fellowships, notably being the first classical composer to receive a $50,000 Pew Fellowship.

Percussionist Josh Graham

Dr. Josh Graham, a percussionist acclaimed as “beguiling” (Chicago Tribune) and a “superb performer” (Chicago Classical Review), has performed extensively throughout the United States and Canada. He currently serves as Professor of Percussion at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign , Principal Percussionist of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, and performs with F-PLUS. Dr. Graham is active in creating new works for percussion, commissioning and premiering chamber works by a variety of composers, including George Tsontakis, Jessie Montgomery, Marta Ptaszynska, Charles Peck, Emma O’Halloran, Matthew Ricketts, Matthew Barnson, Dave Hollinden, and Liza Sobel Crane, among many others.