Copland House Purchases 24-Acres for Multi-Disciplinary Creative Community

The $3-million Bluestone Farm in Brewster, New York, represents significant expansion for the arts organization

Copland House, the center for American music and the arts which is based at Aaron Copland's National Historic landmark home in the Lower Hudson Valley, has taken significant steps towards establishing a new multi-disciplinary community — through the purchase of a large complex in Brewster, New York.

Known as Bluestone Farm, the 24-acre, $3-million campus was for 50 years the site of Melrose School, and is conveniently located one hour north of New York City.

Copland House's first-phase plans for Bluestone Farm include composer-led collaborative residencies for creative teams working together on larger, cross-disciplinary projects; creative workshops and mentoring programs for emerging composers; a mainstage concert series featuring the Copland House ensemble and guest artists; and educational projects featuring Copland House's resident artists.

Once the organization has adapted Bluestone Farm for purpose, it will house a state-of-the-art venue for concerts, recording, and filming, as well as artist studios, living quarters for resident artists, exterior gardens and green spaces, and a permanent exhibition about Copland himself.

"In a profoundly-changed post-pandemic world, this ambitious venture strongly affirms our belief in the power of ideas, creativity, expressivity, and collaboration to bring people together," said Copland House's Artistic and Executive Director Michael Boriskin. "This giant step provides us with the capacity to deepen our relationships with the music industry, educational and business communities, and general public. It is also a breathtaking way for us to begin celebrating Copland House’s 25th anniversary — by envisioning our next quarter-century and beyond."

"With the purchase of Bluestone Farm, Copland House can meaningfully expand its efforts to honor and further build upon the lifelong legacy of the legendary Aaron Copland in championing American composers and their work," said Dr. Ezriel Kornel, President of Copland House’s Board of Trustees. "At Bluestone Farm, we will now be able to fulfill the needs of composer-led creative teams by providing safe spaces for artistic risk-taking and innovating, as they collaborate on multi-disciplinary projects."