Jayne (Davies) Tessitore: Work, Perform, Stumble, Pick Yourself Up

Jayne (Davies) Tessitore (clarinet, ’78–’79) is one of the relatively few campers who attended Kinhaven from Vermont. Now living in Essex Junction, Jayne works for a local school district, where she bills Medicaid for services provided to eligible special education students. Originally trained as a pathologists’ assistant (similar to a physician assistant), Jayne also devotes a portion of her workweek to a surgical pathology laboratory, where she processes diagnostic tissues from the OR and physicians’ offices.

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Tony Mazzocchi: Every Student Is an Outlier

Joel Dallow hosts the Cello Sherpa podcast (available at thecellosherpa.com), which explores the climb from intermediate musician to professional stage. Joel recently interviewed Tony Mazzocchi, co-director of Kinhaven. The following is an edited version of their conversation.

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Simon Lipskar: A Powerful Experience for All of Us

Since the summer of 1984 when he was a young violin student setting foot on campus for the first time, Kinhaven has been a part of Simon Lipskar’s essence. Every year since 2010, when he was asked to return as a conductor, he has made it his mission to share the sheer joy of making music together in the picturesque Green Mountains that he first discovered as a child. 

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Allen Shawn: A Transformative Experience

Composer Allen Shawn attended Kinhaven for four summers, from 1962 to 1965. He was a member of the first generation of Kinhavenites, as the school was founded in 1952 by Dorothy and David Dushkin. Allen’s connection with the Dushkins began …

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Nicholas Diaz: Plucking a Masterpiece Out Of Thin Air

“Making singing so central,” says Nicholas Diaz, Kinhaven’s choral director, “reminds kids that they’re already artists before they even pick up their instrument, and they’re capable of plucking a masterpiece out of thin air. Singing can be one of the …

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Mary Watt: A Huge Gift To Us As Teachers

Kinhavenites have enjoyed oboe teacher Mary Watt’s wonderful qualities every summer since 1982. Over her almost 40 years at camp, she has come to embody Kinhaven’s noncompetitive spirit. Mary radiates an upbeat, determined calm in everything she does, whether coaching …

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