With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Lyle Cedric (Skitch) Henderson
Music
1918 – 2005
During Henderson’s ownership of the Hine and Buckingham farmstead properties, he founded and conducted the New York Pops which performed at Carnegie Hall beginning in 1983. But he and his wife had already dedicated themselves to preserving and reusing the buildings on the farm, creating “The Silo,” a renowned store, art gallery, and cooking school which they operated from 1972 to 2005. Throughout the complex could be found pieces from Henderson’s extensive collections, which ranged from musical archives and instruments, such as a Steinway studio grand piano signed by four Steinways, to toys and model airplanes, to farm tools. In 2003 the couple co-founded the Hunt Hill Farm Trust with the goal of preserving the farm and their collection of Americana and antiques in a living museum setting.
- Biography/Description of Work
Henderson began his artistic career studying and playing classical music in the 1930s. Beginning in 1940, he entered the world of radio, becoming musical director for NBC Radio after service in World War II. He formed his own orchestra at about that time,1946, and virtually for the rest of his life recorded and performed classical, pop and jazz music. From 1951 to 1966, he was also on television as the band leader for the Tonight Show. In 1963, he won a Grammy Award for an album of selections from “Porgy and Bess,” with the RCA Orchestra and soloist Leontyne Price.
- Sources view
- https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/04000413_text https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/03/arts/music/skitch-henderson-87-tonight-show-bandleader-dies.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skitch_Henderson#cite_note-4
- Associated Resource(s)