...The event, which will continue through March 25, will look at Dickinson’s poetry through scheduled poetry readings and workshops, a screening of the film “The Poet in Her Bedroom” (2008) and a presentation of William Luce’s one-woman play “The Belle of Amherst.” Additionally, The Big Read Upper Valley will give away 300 copies of Emily Dickinson’s “Selected Poems” to further encourage readings of her work.

...“[Dickinson] has the New England association, with deep roots in the area, and many people around here are very familiar with her,” she said. “It would therefore not just be looking at literature for the sake of literature, but it’d be looking at work that has inspired other writers and musicians both past and modern; her greatness has been so widely recognized.”

Pantos also explained that she hopes the program will make Dickinson’s poetry “more accessible” to the Upper Valley community. Sunday’s concert represented one way program organizers hope to achieve their aim — relocating Dickinson from the realm of poetry into a more widely appreciated medium.

...The concert opened with chamber ensemble Camerata New England, which presented local Vermont composer Gwyneth Walker’s musical interpretations of Dickinson’s poetry. Their performance of Walker’s compositions was elegant, creative and beautifully expressed, thoughtfully conveying the spirit of the poet to the audience. The violin, viola, piano and cello intertwined expertly to form a stunning synthesis, bringing Dickinson’s poems to life — sometimes eerily so.

Mezzo-soprano Susan Nolen next performed works by Aaron Copland, who set Dickinson’s words to music. Nolen’s beautiful, expressive and moving rendition of these pieces carried the poems seamlessly into the realm of song, visibly captivating the audience.

Following the intermission, Camerata New England presented a dexterous interpretation of the Piano Quartet in E flat major by Dickinson’s contemporary Robert Schumann. The piece was interrupted by two poem recitations. This presentation was followed by another lovely performance by Nolen, coupled with spirited performances from the Lebanon High School Superlatives, a selective choir group, who also sang a handful of Dickinson’s poems set to music.

Overall, Sunday’s performance was an exceedingly beautiful one that encouraged those in attendance to think of the poet’s works in a new context.