Happy Thanksgiving from the New Hampshire Music Festival

As we enter this season of gratitude, we’re reflecting on the stories that make NHMF feel like a true summer home. This Thanksgiving, we’re honored to share a story from longtime Festival musicians Kris and David Handler – their experience of discovery, connection, and the unexpected beginnings of a lifelong tradition at the New Hampshire Music Festival.

🧡 The Handler Family’s NHMF Story

It was mid-August 1995 when Kris and her fiancé, David Handler, pulled into the Pemi dorm parking lot in a beat-up, rusty Dodge van. They had just finished eight weeks at a music festival in Missouri and decided to try the final week of the New Hampshire Music Festival.

The timing felt right – Kris had grown up near Boston, her parents had just bought a farm in Maine, and there was just enough time to return home to Ohio (where they played with the Akron, Canton, and West Virginia Symphonies) to play the opening concert of the regular  season.

As they stepped out of the van, they were surprised and delighted to run into their West Virginia Symphony colleague David Langr. “I’ve been performing here for seven years, but I’m a newbie!” — he explained that many NHMF musicians had been returning for over 30 years.

And then came the magic:
The New Hampshire mountains and rivers were stunning, the Festival was invigorating, exciting, and the enthusiasm of its audience was extraordinary. Kris and David were hooked! From then on, their summers were devoted to the New Hampshire Music Festival. 

Soon, the long drive from Ohio became a looong drive from Alabama, when in 1997, Kris and David moved to Birmingham to play with the Alabama Symphony. Not long afterwards, the old Dodge van was retired and a Honda CRV with a "baby on board" sign became the mode of transportation. 

Every summer since, that CRV has made its way to New England loaded with:
🎻 three violins
🎹 an electric keyboard
🐕 a big Collie
🎶 and a son who plays both piano and violin and has never known a summer without NHMF, aside from 2020.

NHMF became more than a destination. It became a musical family, a summer home where friendships deepened year after year – onstage, offstage, and across the entire community. Even after David’s retirement from performing, the entire Handler family still traveled to New Hampshire last summer, with their son helping as a member of the Stage Crew. The Handler’s journey shows how one unexpected week blossomed into a lifelong connection to our special Festival.

🍂 With Gratitude

Stories like this remind us why NHMF endures — because musicians and audiences alike return each year, bringing their passion, their families, and their shared love of classical music.

This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for:

From our Festival family to yours, may your holiday be filled with warmth, music, delicious food, and meaningful traditions. Our sincerest thanks to each of you for being a part of our Festival community. We can’t wait to gather together again next summer!

Ready to get into the Holiday Spirit? Join our friends at the Pemi Choral Society for their Annual Holiday Concert Series

The Pemigewasset Choral Society has brought seasonal cheer to the region with its annual holiday concerts for more than fifty years. Featuring 116 singers, their three-concert series begins at Gilford Community Church on Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 pm. Performances follow at Inter-Lakes Middle/High School in Meredith on Friday, December 5 (7:30 pm) and at Silver Center for the Arts at Plymouth State University on Sunday, December 7 (3:00 pm).

Their 2025 program, “Songs by the Hearth” includes seasonal pieces drawn from many sources and feature both traditional carols as well as less familiar offerings from earlier centuries up until modern times. All concerts feature free admission with open seating.

Pemi Choral Director Will Gunn directed the Vivaldi Gloria for the NHMF opening concert last summer. Two-thirds of the Vivaldi singers were Pemi
Choral members.

For more information, visit pemichoral.org.

The New Hampshire Music Festival is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that builds community and enriches lives through the shared experience of exceptional classical music performances and educational outreach. NHMF draws from the best of the past to the edge of the future to champion classical music as a universal language of expression and understanding. Tax ID: 02-0245614

Interested in ensuring the music of the Festival plays long into the future?
Consider joining the Encore Society, or making a donation.

For more information, visit nhmf.org, email info@nhmf.org, 603-238-9007, PO Box 64, Plymouth NH 03264.