String Quartet at the Madoc Fair: Tailgate Party? How Did That Happen?
As told by Bonnie Sallans, QSCM Chair:
It was a dark and stormy night. The Fair Grounds on Cooper Road were abandoned and a little bit spooky. But Mitch Langevin, representing the Madoc Fair Board, had told us to drive up to the building behind the arena. Someone would be there.
Sure enough, despite the pouring rain, another truck pulled in. Someone got out and opened the gate. Another truck came, then a car. A brave soul clambered out and opened the main exhibit hall door. Sebastian, Artistic Director of the Quinte Society for Chamber Music, grabbed his music case and joined in as everyone rushed in out of the storm.
I followed. As the chair of QSCM, I was there to talk. But I could have stayed home. Because Sebastian brought his fiddle. He was going to play and that was what counted. Sure enough, Mitch Langevin invited us to speak. I said, “We are the Quinte Society for Chamber Music. We make classical music, live, professional, up close and personal, free for all. We’d like to play the fair.” Sebastian, already tuned up, set his bow on the string and played Bach.
It really was a dark and stormy night. You could hear the rain beating a brisk tattoo on the roof between the notes. There was no heat. The room was cold and damp. Sebastian played. No one moved. When he lifted his bow off the string for the final time, the room was silent.
For about 30 seconds. Then came the applause. The exclamations. The joy. Everyone had forgotten the cold, the rain and anything else that might have been bothering them. Next day the call came. The vote was unanimous. The Madoc Fair was going to have a string quartet! A week later I visited Hunter Ford. “Madoc Quartet is playing the Madoc Fair. Can we make it a tailgate party?” Jeff, head of the sales team, asked Todd, the manager. The answer? “Sure – We’ll send you a truck!”
How exciting is that? The Madoc Quartet, at the Madoc Fair, performing chamber music on the tailgate of a brand new 4 x4! There will be cookies, maybe even a cake. The QUINTE SOCIETY FOR CHAMBER MUSIC, founded in 2015, has been bringing professional classical musicians to this community and beyond for ten years. A decade in, it’s time for cake! Come party with us!
MQ will be at the Madoc Fair, Saturday, September 13 between 12 and 5pm. We’ll be in the arena making music, chatting with each other – musicians, fair goers and QSCM volunteers. Look for the truck! Stop. Listen. Enjoy with friends and family. Talk with our guest artists. They have stories to tell and want to hear yours. Eat cake! Chamber music is music created by friends to share with friends. QSCM offers everyone, regardless of means, an incomparable experience of music and friendship.
MQ at the Madoc Fair, the “Tailgate Party,” is one leg of QSCM’s All Terrain Tour 2025. Discover the whole tour at www.qscmusic.com . We began in Bloomfield with COMTESSA (Sept 1), and now it’s on to the Madoc Fair (Sept 13), 555 in Picton (Sept 14), and Stirling for StirlingFEST (Oct 19). Join us for all. *QSCM is a registered charity. Admission to QSCM events is free. Donations to support QSCM programming welcome. https://qscmusic.com/donate/
