THE PORTAGEVILLE CHAPEL

Thank you for a wonderful week at the Portageville Chapel! After a busy year with the unrest caused by COVID, there exists a peace here in this beautiful place. This week offered R&R and a time of renewal with focused practice time – a rare treat!

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I loved Letchworth State Park and the incredible falls. I was tempted to record audio of the falls to listen to later to put me to sleep – ha!

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The chapel space is wonderful – PERFECT space and instrument to learn rep for upcoming recitals. It was so nice to have access to the grand piano too!

I will miss the cottage – reading on the porch in the mornings, enjoying meals in the kitchen, and the peaceful walks down the hill to the chapel.

Thank you, Helen, Tim, for all you are and all you do. I am so grateful. Grace and peace,

David

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It has been a restorative, productive, and fun week here at the Portageville Chapel! I am so thankful to my friend, Jim, for introducing me to this place and for the time I got to spend with him and my new friend, David. This time has provided meaningful conversation, great laughs, the opportunity for practice and renewal.
 

I love the history of the chapel and am so impressed by all the work that’s been done to restore that space. The natural beauty of the area and the time to focus has been so appreciated. I’ll return to Chapel Hill with plans for the fall and renewed excitement for my work. Thanks for all of the efforts to make this retreat space possible. Peace,

Kyle – Chapel Hill, NC
 

This is my 4th visit. After an exhausting and stressful year with COVID, BLM, Election, and finding new ways to make music, it was wonderful to return here. The quiet, the fresh air, singing birds, and practicing made me feel a sense of normalcy. In addition, two dear friends/colleagues joined me. We have shared many laughs – meds for the soul. I have enjoyed introducing them to this haven.

Thanks to everyone @The Portageville Chapel for your ongoing work to make this retreat available to us. Now, more than ever, we need this space/time to reflect and renew. With gratitude and peace,

P.S. Excited to learn from neighbor, she is opening a pie shop next door to the cottage!

Jim  Shaker Heights, OH

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Thank you for my wonderful respite from the world!

Jae – Binghamton, NY

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What a difference a year makes! It was wonderful to return for a second year in a row after 16 months of minimal music making. My time was immensely restorative! Thank you and thanks be to God for Portageville Chapel!
Peace,

Colin

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So grateful to have a week here! My time here was very restorative in body, mind, and spirit. It wasn’t until I was here that I really understood the toll of the last year. The chapel is wonderful. I learned new repertoire and honed practice techniques. Thank you Helen and the Board of Trustees,  for providing such a wonderful space.

Claire – Duxbury MA

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As others have said, I have looked at the ad in TAO for years. A silver lining in the COVID cloud freed my summer to finally take action.
 

In the chapel, I appreciated the extraordinary acoustics and responsive piano. And, oh, that’s right, there’s an organ too! One reads specs online without really knowing how the pipes will sound, but the variety of color is indeed pleasant and satisfying. I envy the clarity of touch and speech – something my home-church Skinner, fine though it be, does not have. And then there is the well-provisioned cottage, far more space than one needs, with artistic details geared to the church organist.
 

Locally, we enjoyed the park and had the good fortune to hit the weekend of the Nunda Americana Festival.

Thanks to all who make this unique experience possible!

Mark – Lebanon, PA