Internationally acclaimed artist Teresita Fernández joins us in the Sanctuary for a conversation with Grace Farms Founding Creative Director Chelsea Thatcher to discuss her studio practice, research, materials, and site-specific work, Double Glass River (2015), which has become an integral part of Grace Farms.

Created in relationship with the River building and nature in 2015 during the period of the building’s construction, Double Glass River, resembles an undulating galaxy of 10,000 mirrored glass cubes and expands horizontally across the curved wall at the end of the Commons. Depending on where the viewer stands, the shining reflection constantly alters, and engages the viewer in many places along the grounds. The work urges the audience to reflect upon themselves and their relationship to a changing landscape.

Fernández and Thatcher’s conversation will be preceded by a short solo viola recital by award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak to open the season’s music program, with a focus on the contemplative and active dynamics of peace.

Throughout the day, children ages 4-11 are invited to attend Open Arts Studio to imagine, think, play, and create through an activity inspired by Fernández.

Click to learn more about Double Glass River.

Renowned violinist Nemanja Radulović brings his electrifying virtuosity and chamber ensemble Double Sens to Grace Farms as part of its debut U.S. tour.

Radulović, a star Serbian violinist whose recording career spans 20 years, champions the power of music to bring people together. His standout performances are lauded for their unique energy and candor, depth of expression, and adventurous programming. In recognition of his contributions to the arts, he was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic.

Through its innovative programming and passionate performances, Double Sens redefines the classical concert experience, inviting listeners into a vibrant and shared musical journey.

GRAMMY®-nominated choir Broadway Inspirational Voices returns to Grace Farms to deliver another unforgettable concert of beloved Broadway, gospel, and Christmas melodies performed by 30 vocalists, with the dynamic pink hues of December sun setting through the fully glass-enclosed performance hall. This 60-minute program is created to maximize the natural acoustics of the Sanctuary, with iconic Broadway Inspirational Voices arrangements, new arrangements, and the weaving of Broadway songs.

Through these scintillating and moving arrangements, Broadway Inspirational Voices creates a safe, welcoming and radiant space for joy, community, and being with one another through the seasons of life.

In a rare and remarkable collaboration, GRAMMY®-nominated sarodist Alam Khan — son of the legendary Ali Akbar Khan — joins forces with one of South Africa’s most innovative guitarists, Derek Gripper. Together, Alam and Derek explore the heights of spontaneous creation, re-imagining great African songs and Indian melodies in a virtuosic meeting of plucked strings within Grace Farms’ light-filled and fully glass-enclosed performance hall within the River building.

Alam and Derek focus on their respective immersions in deep classical traditions: Alam brings a long apprenticeship under his father, mastering the infinite art of raga improvisation within the Indian classical tradition, Derek, originally trained in European classical and early string music, has spent years translating the complex language of the West African kora to the guitar.

Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Aoife O’Donovan brings her singular voice to an intimate evening that moves freely between solitude and conversation — between the quiet power of a single voice and the warmth of strings intertwined.

Born from an Irish-American musical sensibility that stretches from the hills of Appalachia to the Celtic songs of her summers in Ireland, O’Donovan has earned her place as one of the most captivating storytellers in American folk music. Drawing from her celebrated catalog — including her acclaimed albums Age of Apathy, In the Magic Hour, and All My Friends — she performs a set of songs that are tender, searching, and quietly enchanting.

Joining her are two of contemporary classical music’s most imaginative voices: cellist Eric Jacobsen and violinist Colin Jacobsen, brothers whose careers have been defined by a restless curiosity that carries them far beyond genre. The Jacobsens bring with them a rare combination of classical rigor and an adventurer’s ear — qualities that make them natural companions for O’Donovan’s own genre-defying art.

Concert pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe (half of the the groundbreaking Anderson & Roe Piano Duo, whose music videos have been viewed by millions on YouTube) and GRAMMY®-winning Canadian cellist and Grace Farms Artist-in-Residence Arlen Hlusko present a piano and cello duo spring recital in the Grace Farms Sanctuary immersed in budding landscape and transpiring as the sun sets.

Arlen and Elizabeth explore the landscape of music across genres and borders in the 1940s, and specifically how many of those sounds influenced Francis Poulenc’s spritely, eclectic, gorgeous Sonate pour violoncelle et piano, which serves as the centerpiece of this program.

This marks Arlen’s final recital as Grace Farms Artist-in-Residence, and we toast to two remarkable seasons of curation, collaboration, performance and on-stage excellence.

Click to learn more about Arlen’s time as Grace Farms Artist-in-Residence.

Danielle Allen, professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy at Harvard University, draws an arc from the American founding to the present to explore how the original vision of the Declaration of Independence can serve us still, even as we also recognize and remedy its imperfections.

Danielle Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is also director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Democratic Knowledge Project, a research lab focused on civic education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy, she is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, tech ethicist, and distinguished author. She is a contributing columnist at The Atlantic Magazine, winner of the 2025 Barry Prize, and was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress’ Kluge Prize, which recognizes scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prize. She received the Prize “for her internationally recognized scholarship in political theory and her commitment to improving democratic practice and civics education.”

Experience a Grace Farms Lecture by  artist, scholar and advocate Dr. Hannah Rose Thomas with a performance by a chamber ensemble of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Thomas has established a portrait painting practice, harnessing art as a tool for advocacy. Her work has received critical acclaim, exhibitions in prestigious places including Buckingham Palace, the UK Houses of Parliament and the Saatchi Gallery. Through her portfolio of portrait paintings, she seeks to elevate the voices of the marginalized and prescribe dignity to the persecuted and forcibly displaced. To do so, Thomas incorporates early Renaissance and iconography painting techniques into her work.

Central to Thomas’s practice is an understanding of portraiture as an act of gifting – an offering of attention, dignity, and presence that honors the irreducible humanity of each individual.  Her work also reflects a deep ethic of hospitality, creating space for encounter, listening, and relational exchange between artist, subject, and viewer.

A chamber ensemble of the London Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a program responding both to Thomas’s work and to Grace Farms.

Dr. Sian Leah Beilock is the 19th President of Dartmouth. Since 2023, she has positioned Dartmouth as a global leader on the most critical issues facing higher education. Under her leadership, Dartmouth has dramatically expanded affordability for middle-income families and championed the importance of civil dialogue. A distinguished cognitive scientist, President Beilock is one of the world’s foremost experts on performance under pressure. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the National Academy of Medicine. She also serves as an External Director on the Bridgewater Associates Board of Directors.

She has worked with Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and public-sector leaders to build high-performing teams and create environments that attract, retain, and get the best out of their talent. President Beilock has authored 120 peer-reviewed papers, and two critically acclaimed books—Choke and How the Body Knows Its Mind. Her 2017 TED talk on performing under pressure has been viewed nearly 3 million times. Previously, President Beilock served as President of Barnard College at Columbia University and Executive Vice Provost at the University of Chicago, where she was also the Stella M. Rowley Professor of Psychology.

Photo of Ilulissat Icefjord Centre by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter. Image Credit: Adam Mork

This ‘Archtober’, four founders—Francine Houben (Mecanoo), Dorte Mandrup (Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter), Sharon Prince (Grace Farms, Grace Farms Tea & Coffee), and Julia Gamolina (Madame Architect) share dynamic perspectives to inspire greater connection with our irreplaceable planet and people through architecture. Moderated by Julia Gamolina, Editor-in-Chief at Madame Architect, the panel will explore visual examples of materiality, sustainability, and the diverse beauty of our global landscape, set at peak fall foliage at Grace Farms.

Join in a weekend festival of winter experiences at Grace Farms for a refreshed connection to the season, headlined by musician Darren Kiely with a concert on Saturday and Sunday.

Hailing from County Cork, Ireland, Darren Kiely’s fresh, folk-infused sound originates from his inherited love of traditional Irish music, intertwined with influences such as The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, and Noah Kahan.

Choose your own indoor and outdoor winter journey throughout the weekend, including guided nature walks, snowshoeing (weather permitting), indoor winter games, documentary films on nature and architecture in our 42-seat Lecture Hall, and mocktail classes.

“Five years ago, we asked a simple but urgent question: what if the buildings we design and inhabit were built with the full dignity of every person who harvests, mines, and processes the materials that make them possible? Today, that question is a global movement. This is our moment. The construction industry is now positioned to become a global leader in supply chain transparency and human rights.”
– Sharon Prince

Register for the 2027 Design for Freedom Summit to reserve your spot amongst leaders from architecture, construction, technology, manufacturing, academia, and government – all committed to advancing the global push toward a more ethical built environment