In a gala spring concert on Sunday, May 2, at 2 pm, Newtown Meeting House will be filled with song and celebration as area musicians gather to mark the completion of a wheelchair ramp that has finally made the beautiful, historic building handicapped accessible.

"The Gala Spring Concert is a thank you to the hundreds of area residents whose generosity helped make the wheelchair lift possible," says soprano and voice teacher Pamela J. Hoffman, who is organizing the event. "In particular, our thanks go out to Newtown resident Mary Mitchell, whose initial generous contribution got the handicapped access effort under way."

The concert will also be a celebration of the life of Ms Hoffman's late husband, K. Michael Hoffman, who passed away almost a year ago.

"Music was so much a part of Michael's life," says Ms Hoffman. "He seldom missed a performance by any of my students, and he never missed a concert, recital or show in the Meeting House. Making this lovely space handicapped accessible was a cause near and dear to his heart, and he would be so proud that the dream of so many has now been made real."

The Newtown Meeting House was built in 1720, in the center of Newtown where the flagpole now stands, and served as the center for all of the town's religious, social, and civic activities. When the Episcopal Church wished to build on the southeast corner of the intersection, a team of men and horses rolled the building onto logs, hitched horses to the logs and rolled the meeting house to its present location.

In the 1850s, Newtown Congregational Church purchased the building and held services there until 1988, at which time the church sold the meeting house to the Town of Newtown — for $1 and a trust was formed to operate it.

Since then, the Heritage Preservation Trust has completely restored and continues to maintain and improve the property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building's place in Newtown history is so important that local second graders attending all Newtown's public elementary schools visit the meeting house as part of their student Historic Tour.

The Meeting House serves a variety of needs. In the last 15 years, over 600 couples have been united in marriage at the building. On Sundays the building is used by a religious group which does not have its own building. Civic and private groups regularly meet there. Christenings, bar/bat mitzvahs, concerts and theatrical presentations regularly take place here.

The gleaming Colonial architecture and beautiful acoustics make the meeting house an especially fine space for recitals and concerts. People come from all over the area to perform in or attend events at the meeting house. It's one of the area's treasures, both architecturally and acoustically.

"Unfortunately, before this year, the many beauties of the meeting house were not available to everybody," says building administrator Sherry Paisley. She explains that with two flights of original stairs, whose widths and railings were built to accommodate 18th Century patrons, the building was formerly not accessible to handicapped persons.

Until January of this year, guests using wheelchairs could only enter the building if they were carried up the stairs. Even for those with lesser difficulties, such as balance or vision problems or injuries, gaining access to the main area could pose challenges.

Ms Hoffman, who holds recitals for her students in the meeting house, voiced her deep sadness when, in 2005, the father of one of her students, while building a family tree house, fell and was paralyzed from the chest down. His need for a wheelchair made it impossible to get into the building to hear his son sing.

"The horrible accident profoundly changed the lives of this amazing family, as similar accidents have changed the lives of millions in our country," says Ms Hoffman, noting that an estimated 1.4 million Americans are wheelchair bound.

Around the same time as this accident, Mary Mitchell, an author and civic-minded Newtown resident, mentioned to Mrs Paisley the many functions and performances she would love to attend but was not able to, due to difficulty negotiating the stairs.

Mrs Mitchell was the honored guest at a benefit concert in June 2007, given by several musicians who will return to perform at the May 2 gala. Mrs Mitchell donated initial seed money for the Handicapped Entry Fund. In the ensuing years, Ms Hoffman and Mrs Paisley organized a number of benefit concerts to raise funds and awareness.

When Michael Hoffman passed away tragically and unexpectedly in June 2009, his memorial service was held at the meeting house. Ms Hoffman requested that gifts in his name to be made to the Handicapped Access Fund, and the result was a flood of donations, enough allow the Trustees to complete the project.

Construction began in September 2009, and the wheelchair lift was operational as of January 4, 2010. To preserve the 18th Century integrity of the building's appearance, the wheelchair lift ascends inside the building into the sanctuary from the lower level entry, accessed through the side door on West Street.

The Performers

The Gala Spring Concert will feature music ranging from opera to musical theater to jazz. Sopranos Gwynne Wittmann, Ann Martindale and Elizabeth Norton, all students of Ms Hoffman, will sing selections from the opera, art song, and American standard repertoire.

Ms Martindale will be joined by her frequent collaborator, the pianist and baritone Richard Busch, to perform selections from Somewhere Cool, their CD of American jazz standards and original compositions by Mr Busch.

Also performing will be two internationally acclaimed concert pianists and Connecticut residents: Margarita Nuller of New Fairfield and Ãric Trudel of Hamden.  Pianists Susan-Anthony Klein and Brianne Chasanoff will accompany the singers.

The Meeting House balcony will be filled with song, as many voices join together in several ensemble numbers, concluding with Amor de mi Alma (Love of My Soul), a favorite of Michael Hoffman.

"The concert is a celebration, a gift and a thank you to all those whose generosity made the wheelchair lift possible," says Ms Hoffman.

Bethel Music Center, which prides itself on being a music educator dedicated to the needs of students and educators of all ages, has also helped Ms Hoffman in coordinating the music needed for the concert.

The concert is free and open to all. No donations will be requested, but reservations are recommended.

For reservations or more information, contact Sherry Paisley at 203-270-8293 or nmh1792@hotmail.com.