Good Morning Gloucester

Voicing the Woods

An exhibition of Jeremy Adams’s organs and harpsichords

 On View at the Cape Ann Museum

October 22, 2016 through February 26, 2017

The public is invited to an opening reception at the Museum on Saturday, October 22 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The exhibit runs through February 26, 2017.

Voicing the Woods: Jeremy Adams, Instrument Maker showcases the prodigious skills and artistry of Jeremy Adams, one of the most gifted musical instrument makers in New England. The exhibition, which will be held in the Cape Ann Museum’s 1,500 square foot special exhibitions gallery, will include a one-stop chamber organ, a demonstration organ and a selection of harpsichords, each built in their entirety by Adams in his workshop in Danvers, Massachusetts. In addition to the instruments that will be shown in the gallery, a selection of Adams’ furniture will be displayed in the Museum’s 1804 Captain Elias Davis House, offering an interesting contrast to the period furniture in the House.

 

Jeremy Adams started his musical training at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then entered into a six-year apprenticeship at the William Dowd harpsichord shop, also in Cambridge. Dowd, working in the 1950s with harpsichord maker Frank Hubbard, had sparked an international renaissance of interest in bringing authentically historic practices into performance and instrument building, and Adams, along with a handful of other young craftsmen, were the beneficiaries of his highly competitive and well regarded apprenticeship program. Adams began his professional career in the early 1960s, an auspicious time for early music enthusiasts, and quickly gained recognition for his skills both as a musician and a woodworker. He trained with C. B. Fisk (pipe organ design and manufacturer) in Gloucester for two years, during which time he honed his skills in reed voicing and tonal finishing, and in 1969 opened his own shop on the North Shore. Adam’s harpsichords, clavichords and pipe organs can be found in public and private collections around the world, including at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston; the Sapporo Episcopal Cathedral in Sapporo, Japan; Kyoto Fukkatu Kyokai in Kyoto, Japan; the Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, MA; the Maple Street Congregational Church in Danvers, MA; and the Annisquam Village Church in Gloucester, MA.

The instruments will be complemented by a series of photographs by Paul Cary Goldberg that document Jeremy’s studio and work process, highlight some of the exquisite detail and workmanship on individual pieces and offer a better understanding of the breadth and volume of his work. 

 

Related Programs

The exhibit will be further enhanced by a robust selection of programs including gallery talks, musical performances and an organ crawl. For a full schedule of programs related to the exhibition please check our website or signup to receive CAM’s weekly e-blast at capeannmuseum.org/eblast.