Talks, Workshops + Gatherings
Churchtown Dairy was built both to inspire and educate visitors about small-scale organic dairy farming. Our doors are open to all: farmers, gardeners, educators, learners, neighbors, artists, and social activists who seek solutions to the critical issues of our time. To that end, Churchtown Dairy sponsors a variety of social and cultural events, educational workshops, and conferences throughout the year. To stay informed about upcoming events, please sign up for our newsletter, follow us on Instagram and Facebook and check our calendar on this website.
Churchtown offers tours for student groups and private events for visitors that would like to arrange a bespoke experience at the farm, a special gathering for your weekend away with friends, or activations for workplace retreats.
For more information about tours and private events, please reach out to mike@churchtowndairy.org.
The Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy
New Dance Series Conceived and Curated by Richard Colton
Produced by Churchtown Dairy
imani &jakob present: all you see is cows in the city
A surreal, site-responsive performance exploring rebellion, ecology, and urban decay.
In this new work, NYC-based art duo imani & jakob (imani,a dancer from New Orleans, and jakob, a visual artist from the Bronx) imagine a world where cows reclaim the city—not as livestock, but as agents of revolt. Inspired by graffiti artist Skeme’s phrase “all you see is crime in the city,” the duo subverts that line to ask what it means when nature fights back.
Through dance, painting, and sound, all you see is cows in the city becomes a metaphor for systemic collapse and ecological grief. It examines humanity’s relationship to the land, to animals, and to one another—particularly how habitants of nature and underserved communities alike are the first and most deeply impacted by environmental degradation as a result of urban development.
Set in the Round Barn at Churchtown Dairy, the performance becomes an act of reclamation: of space, of breath, of balance. What does it mean to see cows in the city? Maybe it’s a warning. Maybe it’s a dream. Maybe it’s already happening.
Created for Churchtown Dairy and Performed by imani & jakob
Sound Mix by imani & jakob
* Suggested Donation at Door ($25 General Admission, $15 Senior and Under Eighteen)
The Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy 2025 is made possible, in part, with the generous support of Lisa and Thomas Blumenthal, Beatrice Bogorad, Mark and Deborah D’Arcy, David H. Hughes Jr., Barbara Kilpatrick and Charles L. Bardes, Cesar Murillo/Emergent Global Investments, Karen and Steve Schutzer, and Hudson Hall @ The Historic Hudson Opera House.
Imani Gaudin is a choreographer, multidisciplinary performance artist, and the founder of gaudanse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting accessibility and sustainable practices for underserved communities of artists. She received a Certificate of Artistry in dance and was awarded the Rose Jackson Moye Award from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). She then graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase, where she studied abroad at the Amsterdam University of the Arts. Imani has trained at esteemed institutions, including The Juilliard School and The Ailey School, and has performed works by notable choreographers such as Ohad Naharin and Alethea Pace. As a movement artist with TRIBE under the direction of Shamel Pitts, she continues to push artistic boundaries. Imani was recently commissioned by Baryshnikov Arts and the Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance to premiere her work in collaboration with visual artist Jakob Vitale, jakob & imani.
Jakob Vitale a New York and Los Angeles-based artist, seeks to educate and evoke change in society (or at least increase the possibilities of such), as art has the incredible power of impacting people, especially artwork seeking change/acknowledgement/reform/or response to topics such as war, unrest, social and political conflicts. Within his artistic discipline, Jakob has fully propelled himself into this goal, putting aside simple and aesthetically pleasing imagery for complex scenes, allegories, and narrations on urban environments of New York City and Los Angeles. Born in Bronx, New York in 1999, Jakob absorbed the environment and experience of urban life of the East coast. Later spending 3 years, beginning in 2015, in the affluent urban society of Santa Monica, California, ultimately returning to New York to study Painting and Drawing at Purchase College, School of Art and Design (BFA, 2021), Jakob instills the troubling matters of varying urban experiences (of the United States) into his artwork. Jakob was recently commissioned by Baryshnikov Arts and the Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance to premiere his work in collaboration with choreographer Imani Gaudin, jakob & imani.
The Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy
New Dance Series Conceived and Curated by Richard Colton
Produced by Churchtown Dairy
Cage & Cunningham @ Churchtown Dairy
SHOWING: COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
Music: John Cage, Ryoanji (1983–1985) [excerpt]
Choreography: Merce Cunningham [excerpts]
Choreography arranged & staged by Brandon Collwes
Musicians: Mike Jones (percussion), Jeffrey Lependorf (shakuhachi), Nick Matheos (trombone), Nozomi Sugimoto (double bass)
Dancers: Margaret Hallisey, Peggy Wallin-Hart, Tara Lorenzen, Thomas McManus, Katiushka Melo, Nancey Rosensweig, KC Wiley
**
4’ 33”
Music (1952): John Cage
Arrangement for dancers (1994): Merce Cunningham
Dancers: Sienna Blaw, Margaret Hallisey, Peggy Wallin-Hart, Eve Jacobs, Lindsey Jones, Tara Lorenzen, Justin Lynch, Nyah Maloney, Thomas McManus, Katiushka Melo, Chalvar Monteiro, Nancey Rosensweig, KC Wiley
**
ear for EAR (Antiphonies)
Music (1983): John Cage
Garrick Neuner (baritone soloist)
**
ROUND BARN MINEVENT
Music: John Cage: Inlets (1977) [excerpt], performed with Mureau (1970) [excerpt]
Choreography: Merce Cunningham
Choreography arranged by: Brandon Collwes
Choreography staged by: Brandon Collwes, Jean Freebury, Patricia Lent, Daniel Madoff, Jamie Scott, and Andrea Weber
Musicians: Mike Jones, Anthony Kirk, Nathaniel Valsania (percussionists, Inlets), Phil Pardi (recitation, Mureau)
Dancers: Sienna Blaw, Eve Jacobs, Lindsey Jones, Justin Lynch, Nyah Malone, Chalvar Monteiro
The Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy is made possible, in part, with the generous support of Lisa and Thomas Blumenthal, Beatrice Bogorad, Mark and Deborah D’Arcy, David H. Hughes Jr., Barbara Kilpatrick and Charles L. Bardes, Cesar Murillo/Emergent Global Investments, Karen and Steve Schutzer, and Hudson Hall @ The Historic Hudson Opera House.
**
BIOS
John Cage (1912–1992), one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, created genre-expanding works encompassing music, performance, writing, and visual art, including hi landmark 4’ 33”—a work where performer or performers simply exist without intentionally making any explicit sounds—which alone redefined the very concept of what music might be. His oft-quoted phrase “there is no such thing as silence” is synonymous with his influence. From his work while teaching at Black Mountain College to his decades of collaboration with Merce Cunningham, much of Cage’s output developed and offered concepts and methods of using indeterminacy, non-intention, and experimentation with materials that have significantly expanded the boundaries of music and other forms of art-making. Beginning with his early, rhythmic works for percussion ensemble through to his late, uniquely spacious, time-based “number pieces,” Cage’s output remains actively performed around the globe. His experimental, curious, and generative thinking, not only about music, art, philosophy, and literature, but also about how to live one’s life, continues to influence and invite new ways of art-making and being. His collaborations with Merce Cunningham remain important contributions to the history of dance and how dance might be in dialogue with music, even if performed autonomously. The John Cage Trust, located at Bard College, preserves and serves his legacy as a living archive.
Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) was a celebrated dancer and choreographer renowned for his groundbreaking work and his profound influence on generations of dancemakers and artists. Born in Centralia, Washington, he attended the Cornish School in Seattle where he was introduced to the work of Martha Graham and met the composer John Cage who would become his closest collaborator and life partner. In 1939, Cunningham began a six-year tenure as a soloist in the Graham company, and soon began presenting his own choreography. In the summer of 1953, during a teaching residency at Black Mountain College, Cunningham formed a dance company to explore his innovative ideas. Over the course of his seventy-year career he choreographed 180 dances and over 700 Events, premiering his final work at age ninety. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company remained in continuous operation until its closure in 2011, giving nearly three thousand performances in over forty countries. In collaboration with John Cage, Cunningham proposed a series of radical ideas including the separation of music and dance, the use of chance operations, and novel ways to utilize film and technology. He collaborated with such renowned artists and composers as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, David Tudor, Christian Wolff, and Takehisa Kosugi. Cunningham earned some of the highest honors bestowed in the arts including a MacArthur Fellowship (1985), a Kennedy Center Honor (1985), a Laurence Olivier Award (1985), the National Medal of Arts (1990), and Japan’s Praemium Imperiale (2005). In 2004, he was named Officier of the Legion d’Honneur. Today Cunningham’s work continues to be performed by professional and student dancers worldwide.
Sienna Blaw is a queer dance artist from Austin, TX. Since graduating from SUNY Purchase in 2017 Sienna has performed the works of Pam Tanowitz, Merce Cunningham, Doug Varone, and Hannah Garner, and they have performed Contact Improvisation scores at MoMa, and Park Avenue Armory. Sienna is a collaborator with Julia Antinozzi, Indah Walsh, and Christopher Williams. They are an authorized teacher of Cunningham Technique®, and they also lead Dance Church classes. They most recently performed at the Shed in Luna Luna: A Forgotten Fantasy, and in Punchdrunk’s NYC production of Sleep No More.
Brandon Collwes joined the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in January 2006, where he danced until the close of the Company in 2011 with the final Legacy World Tour. He has been a member of the Liz Gerring Dance Company since 2012 and is currently rehearsal director. He also has performed with Sally Silvers Dance and the Stephen Petronio Company, and currently teaches Cunningham Technique at DeWitt Clinton High School. He stages Cunningham’s work for the Merce Cunningham Trust and choreographs his own pieces which have been presented at numerous venues in NYC and abroad. He is also an abstract painter.
Eve Jacobs is a dance artist based in NYC. She toured internationally with Jessica Lang Dance (2015-2019), and is currently a member of Cornfield Dance and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Additional performing credits include Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Washington National Opera, and the Merce Cunningham Trust. Eve’s choreography has been featured at the La Mama Moves! Festival and Tribeca Film Festival among others. She holds a BFA from Juilliard, where she received the Hector Zaraspe Award for Choreography, and an MFA from Hunter College, receiving the 2024 Dean’s Award for Graduate Research. Eve serves on the dance faculty of Hunter College and Marymount Manhattan College.
Lindsey Jones is a New York City–based dancer. A graduate of SUNY Purchase, she has been a longtime member of Pam Tanowitz Dance and Dance Heginbotham. She has also performed with the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Kimberly Bartosik, Sally Silvers, Bill Young, Caleb Teicher, among others. Since 2012, Lindsey has participated in many Merce Cunningham Trust activities including Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event and Alla Kovgan’s 3D film CUNNINGHAM, and is certified to teach Cunningham Technique®. Lindsey is a Teaching Fellow and pursuing her MFA in Dance at Smith College.
Michael Jones (he/they) is a percussionist, scholar, and conductor based in the Hudson Valley, New York. His creative work focuses on touch, resonance, and the enchanted currents of percussion objects. Their research focuses on percussion seen through the lenses of modernity, continental philosophy, and feminist theory. They can be heard on the New World, Cold Blue, Chen Li, Sawyer Editions, New Focus and Wandelweiser Editions labels. They regularly perform as a member of the contemporary music projects Offscreen (with Sasha Ishov) and Duo Refracta (with Shaoai Ashley Zhang). His publications can be read in Twentieth-Century Music and Percussive Notes. They currently serve as Percussion Teaching Fellow at Bard College.
Dr. Tony Kirk is an avid performer of contemporary solo and chamber music. Tony is currently a teaching fellow at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson where he coaches chamber music, teaches lessons, and handles many administrative duties. As an active chamber musician, Tony traveled with his percussion quartet BANYAN to Bogotá, Colombia for a teaching and performing residency as part of the festival Encuentro Internacional de Percusión Resonancias: Contempo 30 años. As an educator and researcher, Tony is interested in the application of research-based learning strategies to musical practice.
Jeffrey Lependorf, a composer, musician, and visual artist, is also a certified master of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute. His “Masterpieces of Western Music” audio-course is available through Barnes & Noble’s “Portable Professor” series, as well as for download through audible.com. Music recordings can be found on Ayler, Albany, Sachimay, and other labels. A nationally recognized arts leader, he currently serves as the Executive Director of the John Cage Trust, and also directs the Art Omi: Music international musicians residency program, a collaborative music-making residency he created in 2000.
Justin Lynch is from Kingston, Jamaica. He has worked with the Merce Cunningham Trust, Molissa Fenley, the Metropolitan Opera, Elisa Monte, Christopher Williams, and others. He has also collaborated regularly with Third Rail Projects, performing as a dancer, actor and/or pianist in several of its productions. Justin studied piano at the Royal College of Music in London and Boston University before earning a law degree at Columbia University. When not dancing, he is an immigration attorney for artists, and a collaborative pianist at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.
Nyah Malone (they/them) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. They received a BFA in Dance from LINES Ballet at Dominican University of California. Upon graduating, they were a recipient of the 2023 Merce Cunningham Trust Barbara Ensley Award. They have had the pleasure of working with The Limón Institute as a member of Limón2 and as a guest artist with the Limón Dance Company, the Merce Cunningham Trust, Jody Oberfelder Projects, Ballez/Katy Pyle, among other freelance projects.
Nicholas Matheos, a masters bass trombone performance student at Bard Conservatory of Music, has performed as a principal bass trombonist in a great many orchestras and various ensembles. He is currently the principal bass trombonist of the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra and has also been a founding member and principal bass trombonist for two professional orchestras: Video Game Symphony and Cinematic Symphony Orchestra. He also subs in a handful of major and regional orchestras throughout the east coast and Ohio, and is seeking new opportunities and challenges.
Chalvar Monteiro is a NY-based performer, educator and choreographer. He holds a BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. He's had the pleasure of performing with Sidra Bell Dance NY, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, GALLIM, Ailey II, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Chalvar was part of the Merce Cunningham Trust's Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event and has since taken part in several virtual and in-person Cunningham offerings. He's currently a Visiting Arts Professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
Garrick Neuner is a multidisciplinary vocalist, composer, and designer in the inaugural class of Bard Conservatory’s undergraduate vocal program. Their practice spans early music to frequent world premieres, crossing genres from chant and art song to gospel and jazz. Their upcoming senior project and recital, We Are Not in the Anechoic Chamber, merges architectural research and representation with the performance of works by composers including John Cage, Alvin Lucier, and Pauline Oliveros to explore the architectural design of acoustic ambience.
Philip Pardi is the author of Meditations on Rising and Falling, which won the Brittingham Prize and the Writers' League of Texas Poetry Award. Recent work appears in Alaska Quarterly Review, American Poetry Review, and Michigan Quarterly Review. He teaches at Bard College and in the Clemente Course in the Humanities.
Nozomi Sugimoto began studying violin in childhood and switched to double bass at 17. She studied with Hiroshi Ikematsu, Masanori Ichikawa, the late Naofumi Nishida, Shigeru Ishikawa, and Satoshi Okamoto, participated in the Pacific Music Festival (PMF) 2022 Orchestra Academy, and is currently a first-year master’s student at the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Nathaniel Valsania is a percussionist and multi-instrumentalist pursuing graduate studies at Bard Conservatory, studying with members of So Percussion and Metropolitan Opera timpanist Jason Haaheim. Raised between New York City and Milan, Italy, he previously trained at Juilliard Pre-College before completing a five-year dual degree at Oberlin College and Conservatory, specializing in percussion performance, Latin language, and comparative literature.
Real Organic Project: Antitrust & Food
Join us for an intimate, day-long gathering that features short, moving talks on the Main Stage from voices of the Organic Movement, as well as two sessions of focused breakout groups, a delicious lunch, and plenty of time to mingle and connect.
Speakers include farmers, journalists, and policy experts, such as: Eliot Coleman, Austin Frerick, Zephyr Teachout, JM Fortier, Emily Oakley, Linley Dixon, and Dave Chapman.
Time: 9am-4pm
Tickets: $35-$90
More information and tickets - HERE.
Garden Tour
Join us on the first Saturday of each month from June through October & tour the Medicinal Gardens at Churchtown. Learn directly from our team of gardeners about the plants and methods that make it special.
~ 10am-noon ~
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: arrowmakerquilts@gmail.com
Home Canning Workshop: Make Strawberry Jam
Join us in the Churchtown farm kitchen for a fun and informative afternoon learning how to make and preserve strawberry jam. Susan will lead you through best practices in:
• selecting and preparing your fruit
• low sugar jam recipes
• necessary kitchen supplies for successful home canning.
The principles and techniques learned will easily apply to most home canning of other fruit jams as well as tomatoes.
Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite - HERE.
Susan Chiappini is certified through the Cornell Cooperative Extension to teach home canning and makes thousands of jars of jam yearly in her work as the farm kitchen supervisor at Montgomery Place Orchards. She holds a PhD in human physiology and has studied science and nutrition at the Medical College of Virginia and Columbia University.
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: arrowmakerquilts@gmail.com
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: arrowmakerquilts@gmail.com
The Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy
New Dance Series Conceived and Curated by Richard Colton
Produced by Churchtown Dairy
Taiji Dao, Dance, Calligraphy, & Sound
An Afternoon of Taiji, Qigong and Bagua dance celebrating the mystery of the Dao through a living mandala of movement, music, calligraphy, and sound. Taiji Dao is a journey from the silence of Hundun (混沌)—the primordial chaos before creation—into the unfolding of Wuji (無極), infinite stillness, where all potential sleeps. Movement becomes brushwork. Ink becomes breath. The stage becomes a place of transformation. Dance, music, calligraphy, and listening, are magically integrated into the nature and architecture of Churchtown Dairy.
Conceived for Churchtown Dairy and Performed by Lorelei Chang
Music Created and Performed by Joseph Getter
Narration Created and Performed by Nini Melvin
Costumes by Mai Nakanisha
* Suggested Donation at Door ($25 General Admission, $15 Senior and Under Eighteen)
The Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy 2025 is made possible, in part, with the generous support of Lisa and Thomas Blumenthal, Beatrice Bogorad, Mark and Deborah D’Arcy, David H. Hughes Jr., Barbara Kilpatrick and Charles L. Bardes, Cesar Murillo/Emergent Global Investments, Karen and Steve Schutzer, and Hudson Hall @ The Historic Hudson Opera House.
Lorelei Chang is a pioneering modern dancer from China whose 40-year artistic journey bridges continents and cultures. She is renowned for integrating Qigong, dance, Chinese calligraphy, and healing arts into unique works of embodied expression. As the co-founder of DancEnlight—a cross-cultural dance company dedicated to artistic collaboration and spiritual enrichment—Lorelei has performed and taught internationally, from the U.S. and Japan to New Zealand and China. Her work has been featured at institutions such as Trinity College, the Kripalu Center, Omega Institute, and the National Qigong Association. A professional member of the National Qigong Association, Lorelei is a Shiatsu practitioner trained by Nini Melvin and a certified Radiant Lotus Women’s Qigong instructor founded by Daisy Lee. Lorelei currently studies Hun Yuan Tai Chi and Bagua with a renowned martial artist and teacher, Zhang Qilong. She holds deep reverence for her many teachers—especially her mother, who introduced her and her twin sister to Qigong in their early teens. Lorelei’s teachers’ influence permeates every aspect of her work. Through her own presence and teachings, she honors their light, and hopes that anyone she encounters benefits from her guidance and passion.
Joseph Getter is a creative world musician, multi-instrumentalist, improvisor, composer, and teacher. He has decades of experience in call-and-response kirtan, Javanese gamelan of Indonesia,Carnatic classical music of southern India, experimental music, drumming, and Jazz. Joseph creates music for theater, dance, sound meditations, yoga, and the circus arts. Joseph accompanies dance classes at Wesleyan University, and at Educational Center for the Arts high school. He teaches music at Southern Connecticut State University, University of New Haven, Independent Day School, and Oddfellows Playhouse.
Nini Melvin created a nature-based healing art, HUMANATURE, blending Shiatsu, Chinese Medicine, Dance, Qigong and Five Element Meridian Movement. She wrote a book, HUMANATURE, made a divination deck and many shiatsu charts, all featuring Lorelei Chang. Nini has a Master’s Degree in Dance from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. She studied and taught shiatsu at the Ohashi Institute in NYC from 1981-1994. Since 1985, Nini has trained shiatsu and Qigong teachers and practitioners locally and internationally. She teaches classes online and in person. Nini and Lorelei have been collaborating and co-creating for a decade.
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: arrowmakerquilts@gmail.com
Garden Tour
Join us on the first Saturday of each month from June through October & tour the Medicinal Gardens at Churchtown. Learn directly from our team of gardeners about the plants and methods that make it special.
~ 10am-noon ~
Chamber Music at Churchtown Dairy
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new chamber music series at Churchtown Dairy, beginning this August. Curated by renowned cellist Wendy Sutter, the inaugural season brings world-class musicians to the iconic Round Barn for intimate performances that celebrate the intersection of art, nature, and community.
Saturday, August 30, 2025
6:00 PM 8:00 PM
August 30, 2025 | 6:00-8:00 PM | Round Barn at the Churchtown Dairy
357 Co. Rd. 12, Hudson, NY 12534
Click here to purchase tickets
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36
Violin I — Jesse Mills
Violin II — Alex Fortes
Viola I — Milan Milisavljević
Viola II — Todd Phillips
Cello I — Matthew Christakos
Cello II — Wendy Sutter
– Intermission –
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (Op. posth. 163)
Violin I— Todd Phillips
Violin II- Catherine Cho
Viola — Milan Milisavljević
Cello I — Wendy Sutter
Cello II — Matthew Christakos
Chamber Music at Churchtown Dairy
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new chamber music series at Churchtown Dairy, beginning this August. Curated by renowned cellist Wendy Sutter, the inaugural season brings world-class musicians to the iconic Round Barn for intimate performances that celebrate the intersection of art, nature, and community.
Concert I
Friday, August 29, 2025
6:00 PM 8:00 PM
August 29th, 2025 | 6:00–8:00 PM | Round Barn at the Churchtown Dairy
357 Co. Rd. 12, Hudson, NY 12534
Click here to purchase tickets
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American”
Violin I — Jesse Mills
Violin II — Alex Fortes
Viola — Milan Milisavljević
Cello — Matthew Christakos
– Intermission –
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Souvenir de Florence, String Sextet in D Minor, Op. 70
Violin I — Catherine Cho
Violin II — Todd Phillips
Viola I — Milan Milisavljević
Viola II —Alex Fortes
Cello I — Wendy Sutter
Cello II — Matthew Christakos
Monthly Book Club
Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise noted) to discuss topics surrounding land, history, ecology, and community.
Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden by Maria Rodale
In Love, Nature, Magic, organic advocate and former CEO of a global health and wellness company Maria Rodale combines her love of nature and gardening with her experience in shamanic journeying, embarking on an epic adventure to learn from plants, animals, and insects―including some of the most misunderstood beings in nature. Maria asks them their purpose and listens as they show and declare what they want us humans to know. From Thistles to Snakes, Poison Ivy to Mosquitoes, these nature beings convey messages that are relevant to every human, showing us how to live in balance and harmony on this Earth.
Please email caitlin@churchtowndairy.org with any questions or to be added to the club’s mailing list.
Columbia County Players Presents: As You Like It
Shakespeare’s joyful pastoral romp through the Forest of Arden comes alive in this free, 90-minute performance at our very own Churchtown Dairy Globe! Love runs wild, disguises and discoveries abound in this comedy of banter, freedom, and falling headfirst into the unexpected.
Set in the heart of Columbia County farmland, this magical evening of theater is not to be missed!
Whether you're a Shakespeare enthusiast or a newcomer to his works, this performance is perfect for a date night, family outing, or an evening with friends.
Event Details:
Dates: Thursday, August 21, 2025 - Sunday, August 24, 2025
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Show Starts: 7:30 PM
Ticket Price: Free but space is limited - please reserve tickets HERE.
Columbia County Players Presents: As You Like It
Shakespeare’s joyful pastoral romp through the Forest of Arden comes alive in this free, 90-minute performance at our very own Churchtown Dairy Globe! Love runs wild, disguises and discoveries abound in this comedy of banter, freedom, and falling headfirst into the unexpected.
Set in the heart of Columbia County farmland, this magical evening of theater is not to be missed!
Whether you're a Shakespeare enthusiast or a newcomer to his works, this performance is perfect for a date night, family outing, or an evening with friends.
Event Details:
Dates: Thursday, August 21, 2025 - Sunday, August 24, 2025
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Show Starts: 7:30 PM
Ticket Price: Free but space is limited - please reserve tickets HERE.
Columbia County Players Presents: As You Like It
Shakespeare’s joyful pastoral romp through the Forest of Arden comes alive in this free, 90-minute performance at our very own Churchtown Dairy Globe! Love runs wild, disguises and discoveries abound in this comedy of banter, freedom, and falling headfirst into the unexpected.
Set in the heart of Columbia County farmland, this magical evening of theater is not to be missed!
Whether you're a Shakespeare enthusiast or a newcomer to his works, this performance is perfect for a date night, family outing, or an evening with friends.
Event Details:
Dates: Thursday, August 21, 2025 - Sunday, August 24, 2025
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Show Starts: 7:30 PM
Ticket Price: Free but space is limited - please reserve tickets HERE.
Columbia County Players Presents: As You Like It
Shakespeare’s joyful pastoral romp through the Forest of Arden comes alive in this free, 90-minute performance at our very own Churchtown Dairy Globe! Love runs wild, disguises and discoveries abound in this comedy of banter, freedom, and falling headfirst into the unexpected.
Set in the heart of Columbia County farmland, this magical evening of theater is not to be missed!
Whether you're a Shakespeare enthusiast or a newcomer to his works, this performance is perfect for a date night, family outing, or an evening with friends.
Event Details:
Dates: Thursday, August 21, 2025 - Sunday, August 24, 2025
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Show Starts: 7:30 PM
Ticket Price: Free but space is limited - please reserve tickets HERE.
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: arrowmakerquilts@gmail.com
Garden Tour
Join us on the first Saturday of each month from June through October & tour the Medicinal Gardens at Churchtown. Learn directly from our team of gardeners about the plants and methods that make it special.
~ 10am-noon ~
Garden Tour
Join us on the first Saturday of each month from June through October & tour the Medicinal Gardens at Churchtown. Learn directly from our team of gardeners about the plants and methods that make it special.
~ 10am-noon ~
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: grace@churchtowndairy.org
Monthly Book Club
Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise noted) to discuss topics surrounding land, history, ecology, and community.
These Wilds Beyond Our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home by Bayo Akomolafe
These Wilds Beyond Our Fences is a passionate attempt to make sense of our disconnection in a world where it is easy to feel untethered and lost. It is a father’s search for meaning, for a place of belonging, and for reassurance that the world will embrace and support our children once we are gone.
Please email caitlin@churchtowndairy.org with any questions or to be added to the club’s mailing list.
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: grace@churchtowndairy.org
FARM FOOD FREEDOM EVENT
BUY TICKETS HERE.
EARLYBIRD TICKET PRICE : $19 until MAY 25th
Come ask questions & contribute ideas while experiencing an inspiring day of human connection, delicious food, round table discussions, and dynamic presentations from some of the most engaging farmers, food eaters, authors, speakers, activists and leaders in the farm food freedom movement.
Don’t miss out on this day filled with stories and strategies on how to build a better food system that is trustworthy. Listen, learn, and participate in those hard yet informative conversations about our food system. During the long lunch break, enjoy a meal of healthy food and meet others that also want to make positive change in our food system.
SPEAKERS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY FIRST NAME
ASHLEY ARMSTRONG: Doctor, Michigan farmer, and founder of The Nourished Coop.
DEL BIGTREE: CEO of The Informed Consent Action Network and Host of The High Wire
KRISTEN CANTY: Real food restaurant owner and filmmaker: Farmageddon
LIZ REITZIG: Author, speaker and activist: The Raw Milk Mama
MARY HOLLAND: CEO of Children's Health Defense
MAX KANE: CEO of FarmMatch
MERYL NASS, M.D.: President: Door To Freedom
MICHAEL SCHMIDT: Canadian Raw Dairy Farmer & Farm Food Freedom Movement Co-Founder
MORGAN PHELPS: Vice President of ProAdvocate
PETE KENNEDY: Real Food Attorney & Raw Milk Drinker
SARA PATTERSON: Utah farmer at The Red Acre Center & Lobbyist
SYMBRIA PATTERSON: Utah farmer at The Red Acre Center & Lobbyist
VICTORIA KELLOGG: Kellogg Cereal Heiress who speaks out against her own family's company.
EVENT SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, MAY 31st
(10am - Noon) - Round Table Discussions
Site ringside in the round barn. Watch and listen to the real food movements most engaging speakers discuss, haggle and debate over some of the toughest and most pressing questions that our current food system is facing. Through tough questions at the table for discussion, and maybe even get an opportunity to sit and haggle at the table too!
(Noon - 3pm) - Lunch, Human Connection & Meet the Speakers
Lunch will be provided with plenty of time to meet, network, and connect with the speakers, other event attendees, and guests.
(3pm - 5pm...or later) - Individual Presentations
After lunch, you come back in the round barn to a unique experience of informative, powerful, and emotionally moving presentations ...guaranteed to leave you wanting more.
Monthly Book Club
Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise noted) to discuss topics surrounding land, history, ecology, and community.
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger
Award-winning Atlantic staff writer Zoë Schlanger delivers a groundbreaking work of popular science that probes the hidden world of the plant kingdom, “destabilizing not just how we see the green things of the world but also our place in the hierarchy of beings, and maybe the notion of that hierarchy itself.”
Please email caitlin@churchtowndairy.org with any questions or to be added to the club’s mailing list.
Spring Storytime Circle at Churchtown Dairy
SESSION IS NOW FULL - Stay tuned for future sessions!
Join us for a magical spring gathering in the medicinal herb garden at Churchtown Dairy. For children ages 0-5 with their caregivers, this weekly story time circle is a gentle and nourishing experience led by Waldorf educator Amelia August.
Each week, we will welcome the day with seasonal songs and verses, followed by a nature-inspired story celebrating farm life and the unfolding of spring. Families will enjoy a wholesome snack featuring Churchtown Dairy cheese, sourdough bread, seasonal fruit and herbal tea harvested from the garden. Afterward, little ones will have time for a simple seasonal activity- such as tending the herb garden, visiting the farm animals, or making a simple craft with natural materials alongside their caregivers. This hour-long gathering offers a peaceful rhythm for young children to settle into, fostering a love for stories, nature, and farm life.
Classes will be held from mid-April through May in the beautiful Churchtown Dairy herb garden.
We look forward to welcoming you and your little ones for this special springtime gathering!
About Amelia
Amelia August is a certified Waldorf educator with a deep passion for early childhood, nature-based learning, and the rhythm of the seasons. She weaves together storytelling, song, and simple, nourishing experiences to support young children and their caregivers in creating a warm and connected family life. While living and teaching from her own regenerative farm in Clermont, NY, she integrates the beauty of the natural world into her classes, offering a space where families can slow down, find community, and delight in the wonders of childhood.
You can find more information about Amelia's parent-child classes and other offerings at https://www.ameliaaugustblooms.com/
Spring Storytime Circle at Churchtown Dairy
SESSION IS NOW FULL - Stay tuned for future sessions!
Join us for a magical spring gathering in the medicinal herb garden at Churchtown Dairy. For children ages 0-5 with their caregivers, this weekly story time circle is a gentle and nourishing experience led by Waldorf educator Amelia August.
Each week, we will welcome the day with seasonal songs and verses, followed by a nature-inspired story celebrating farm life and the unfolding of spring. Families will enjoy a wholesome snack featuring Churchtown Dairy cheese, sourdough bread, seasonal fruit and herbal tea harvested from the garden. Afterward, little ones will have time for a simple seasonal activity- such as tending the herb garden, visiting the farm animals, or making a simple craft with natural materials alongside their caregivers. This hour-long gathering offers a peaceful rhythm for young children to settle into, fostering a love for stories, nature, and farm life.
Classes will be held from mid-April through May in the beautiful Churchtown Dairy herb garden.
We look forward to welcoming you and your little ones for this special springtime gathering!
About Amelia
Amelia August is a certified Waldorf educator with a deep passion for early childhood, nature-based learning, and the rhythm of the seasons. She weaves together storytelling, song, and simple, nourishing experiences to support young children and their caregivers in creating a warm and connected family life. While living and teaching from her own regenerative farm in Clermont, NY, she integrates the beauty of the natural world into her classes, offering a space where families can slow down, find community, and delight in the wonders of childhood.
You can find more information about Amelia's parent-child classes and other offerings at https://www.ameliaaugustblooms.com/
Spring Storytime Circle at Churchtown Dairy
SESSION IS NOW FULL - Stay tuned for future sessions!
Join us for a magical spring gathering in the medicinal herb garden at Churchtown Dairy. For children ages 0-5 with their caregivers, this weekly story time circle is a gentle and nourishing experience led by Waldorf educator Amelia August.
Each week, we will welcome the day with seasonal songs and verses, followed by a nature-inspired story celebrating farm life and the unfolding of spring. Families will enjoy a wholesome snack featuring Churchtown Dairy cheese, sourdough bread, seasonal fruit and herbal tea harvested from the garden. Afterward, little ones will have time for a simple seasonal activity- such as tending the herb garden, visiting the farm animals, or making a simple craft with natural materials alongside their caregivers. This hour-long gathering offers a peaceful rhythm for young children to settle into, fostering a love for stories, nature, and farm life.
Classes will be held from mid-April through May in the beautiful Churchtown Dairy herb garden.
We look forward to welcoming you and your little ones for this special springtime gathering!
About Amelia
Amelia August is a certified Waldorf educator with a deep passion for early childhood, nature-based learning, and the rhythm of the seasons. She weaves together storytelling, song, and simple, nourishing experiences to support young children and their caregivers in creating a warm and connected family life. While living and teaching from her own regenerative farm in Clermont, NY, she integrates the beauty of the natural world into her classes, offering a space where families can slow down, find community, and delight in the wonders of childhood.
You can find more information about Amelia's parent-child classes and other offerings at https://www.ameliaaugustblooms.com/
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: grace@churchtowndairy.org
Monthly Book Club
Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise noted) to discuss topics surrounding land, history, ecology, and community.
Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072 by M. E. O'Brien /Eman Abdelhadi
Eman Abdelhadi and M. E. O’Brien’s tall tales of the future draw on real experiences of the past and present. The book’s multiple narratives, equal parts hope and pain, merge into a prayer for collective survival and for the eventual flourishing of our powers of love and invention. Voices from as-yet-unlived lives instill faith that our becoming is not yet done. Abdelhadi and O’Brien have created a vivid image of the possibility that we will one day make a home of the world.
Please email caitlin@churchtowndairy.org with any questions or to be added to the club’s mailing list.
Living Foods: Cheesemaking for Home Cooks
Susan Chiappini, PhD, will lead our group in making yogurt, ricotta and creme fraiche using Churchtown raw milk in our farm kitchen. Attendees can look forward to learning how to make delicious fresh styles of cheese at home and how to best incorporate it into their cooking and lifestyles.
Susan has studied human physiology and nutrition at the Medical College of Virginia, and Columbia University and she is certified as a Master Food Preserver through Cornell Co-operative Extension. Susan is a passionate home cook who loves sharing her kitchen knowledge with others and has taught cooking classes in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New York State. Susan works seasonally as the farm kitchen supervisor at Montgomery Place Orchards, Red Hook, NY in the summer and spends winter stitching quilts for family, friends and retail.
We will be serving refreshments throughout the afternoon, including a board of Churchtown Dairy cheeses, fresh bread, coffee, and our own herbal tea for the group to enjoy as they learn.
Please register here.
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: grace@churchtowndairy.org
Monthly Cheese Tasting
Please join us for a tasting of Churchtown's award-winning cheeses. These gatherings offer a fun opportunity to learn more about the farm, creamery, tasting notes for the selection, and pairing suggestions.
Registration is limited to 12 attendees. Tastings are BYOB.
Register here.
Monthly Book Club
Book Club meets on the last Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise noted) to discuss topics surrounding land, history, ecology, and community.
The Trail: A Novel by Ethan Gallogly
The Trail is fused with humor, philosophy, and trail lore. Woven in is a back story detailing the origins of the John Muir Trail: a 211-mile trail spanning the rooftop of the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States.
Please email caitlin@churchtowndairy.org with any questions or to be added to the club’s mailing list.
Living Foods: Making Kombucha with Honey
Colleen Quinn will lead in depth instruction on how to make kombucha with honey at home. In this edition of the Living Food workshops, we'll cover kombucha brewing, fermentation, health benefits, history, and how to avoid some of the potential pitfalls of making this delicious, nourishing beverage. Each ticket includes a kit with all of the necessary tools for production.
Colleen is a beverage enthusiast and member of the team at Hudson Valley Bee Supply. She lives in Greene County, NY and shares her apiary with two dogs, a husband and a one eyed cat.
We'll be serving coffee, herbal tea from the garden and a Churchtown Dairy cheese board for attendees to enjoy as they learn.
Get tickets here.
Monthly Handwork Club
Susan Chiappini of Arrow Maker Quilts leads a monthly handwork get-together on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm at the farm. Together, we’ll work on sewing projects and troubleshoot new techniques. A Churchtown cheese board will be served for attendees to enjoy as they work.
Participants need to bring their own handwork projects with all necessary tools and materials. Please RSVP for this free event via email: grace@churchtowndairy.org
Monthly Cheese Tasting
Please join us for a tasting of Churchtown's award-winning cheeses. These gatherings offer a fun opportunity to learn more about the farm, creamery, tasting notes for the selection, and pairing suggestions.
Registration is limited to 12 attendees. Tastings are BYOB.
Register here.