CPTV To Air ‘Litchfield Performing Arts’

Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) will present the premiere of Litchfield Performing Arts: Bridging the Opportunity Gap Through the Arts for 25 Years this weekend.

The half-hour film, airing Sunday, June 11, at 10:30 am, documents the arts education work of the award-winning non-profit, Litchfield County-based organization and shows how its programs have affected a generation of teens.

In a quarter century, Litchfield Performing Arts, Inc. has grown from a small classical presenter to a major provider of jazz programs and arts education. LPA’s top programs are featured in the film, produced by Vita West Muir, the organization’s founder and director, and videographer Rex Dean. They include Project Poetry Live!, Litchfield Jazz Camp, and The Litchfield Jazz Festival.

Poetry Live, founded in 1993, brings exposure to poetry, music, art and dance to 1,700 middle school students each year. Litchfield Jazz Camp, in its tenth year, is open for a month to middle and high school students from across Connecticut thanks to support from the Connecticut State Department of Education, and to students of all ages worldwide.

The Litchfield Jazz Festival, in its 11th year, returns August 4-6 featuring Dionne Warwick, Dr John, Eddie Palmieri and 12 other world-renowned acts. The festival is held at Goshen Fairgrounds and showcases, in addition to what The New York Times called “a model jazz lineup,” the work of student musicians and that of artists, crafters, photographers, caterers, vintners, and brewers from all over New England.