MANCHESTER \u2013 The Arkell Pavilion at the Southern Vermont Arts Center was filled to the brim Sunday night as international performer, recording artist and Manchester resident, Maxine Linehan, headlined and served as master of ceremonies for the fifth annual Red Fox Community School benefit concert.<\/span><\/p>\n Billed as \u201cMaxine & Friends,\u201d the event was designed to appeal to every taste and struck a family-friendly, festive note even before the first chord was played with oversized lawn games and food trucks on the pavilion grounds. Former Burr and Burton student and Miss New York Teen USA, Ginger Ragaishis, was even on hand adding a shot of red-carpet glamour to the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe primary focus of the benefit concert is to raise funds for tuition assistance, ensuring that a Red Fox education remains accessible to as many families as possible,\u201d said Linehan before the performance. \u201cSupporting accessibility is a central priority. At the same time, the event plays an important role in raising the school\u2019s profile and helping shift lingering misconceptions that progressive, experiential education is somehow \u201calternative\u201d or fringe. In reality, Red Fox represents a forward-thinking model of elementary education rooted in the same child-centered, experiential approaches embraced by many of the world\u2019s leading educational systems,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n The Red Fox Community School, whose mission is to \u201c<\/span>educate students through a progressive approach to be independent thinkers, creative problem solvers, and engaged, respectful community members,\u201d enrolls 23 K-5 children across three multi-age classes ensuring a small student:teacher ratio.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s part of what makes the school unique,\u201d said Linehan adding that, \u201cthe focus is not on becoming bigger for the sake of growth, but on ensuring more families have access to this distinctive educational model.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Linehan, the school\u2019s co-founder and board chair, led the fundraising charge from the stage with all the humor and ease of a seasoned performer by guiding the audience through the process of texting their donations, turning what might have otherwise been a characterless bit of business into a lighthearted appeal.<\/span><\/p>\n The music kicked off with the maiden performance of Turnstyle, a band of talented Long Trail students featuring Linehan\u2019s daughter, Rebecca Koss, Ben Antin, Jacob Weinberg and Teddy Marthage. \u201cI\u2019ve had the joy of watching each of them perform individually at school over the years and became an immediate fan when they formed the band,\u201d Linehan said. The group played their way through a selection of next-level pop songs including renditions of Billy Joel tunes, \u201cVienna\u201d and \u201cNew York State of Mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Following Turnstyle, Linehan & Friends took the stage led by Linehan\u2019s head Friend and Music Director, husband Andrew Koss, and a quartet of other musicians including Long Trail music teacher Geoffrey Gee and local musicians Jeremy Walker, Josh Wallevik, and Steve Weinberg who backed the lineup of diverse performers.<\/span><\/p>\n Rocker and former Columbia artist, Kris Montgomery Pedereson, turned up the volume with his gritty song \u201cAfraid To Be Born,\u201d a track from his recently recorded album produced by Koss. Pederesen was also joined by Linehan for a duet.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis show is so much fun because of the incredible mix of music and styles we get to bring together\u2013from pop and rock to Broadway and beyond. There\u2019s something joyful and unexpected about watching all of those genres collide in one evening, especially when it\u2019s performed alongside friends and young artists from our own community,\u201d Linehan said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The evening included a dynamic several minutes of dance by Kimerer LaMothe who interpreted piano music played by her husband, Gee. LaMothe\u2019s athletic and intense performance added a different flavor to the concert otherwise filled exclusively with song.<\/span><\/p>\n Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis show is about crowd-pleasers, songs people love to hear, songs that surprise them, and songs that are simply a blast to perform together,” Linehan said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From a pure version of \u201cHopelessly Devoted\u201d sung by Long Trail student Michael McLeod a.k.a. \u201cMickey;\u201d to \u201cPiano Man\u201d sung by Linehan\u2019s son, Gabriel, and accompanied by daughter Rebecca on harmonica; to Red Fox students singing Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s \u201cAny Dream Will Do\u201d from the musical \u201cJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat;\u201d to selections from the Bangles and Irish heavyweights The Cranberries and U2, the musical mash-up entertained and even educated.<\/span><\/p>\n One highlight of the evening was Linehan\u2019s powerful rendition of U2\u2019s \u201cWhere The Streets Have No Name.\u201d Linehan, who was born and lived in the north of Ireland\u2013distinct from Northern Ireland\u2013explained, during the song\u2019s iconic guitar intro, \u201cin Northern Ireland, your street name announces your religion, politics and socio-economic status,\u201d and that Bono\u2019s desire to \u201ctear down the walls that hold me inside\u201d is a call for national peace and harmony over sectarian division, historically the cause of so much violence and unrest in that part of the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Today, Linehan\u2019s raising her family with Koss in the Northshire and is living out her dream of America. Part of that dream includes giving back through music and education.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis concert is a celebration of community,\u201d she said. \u201cIt brings together professional artists, teachers, students, parents, and young performers all sharing the stage for something bigger than themselves. That spirit really reflects what Red Fox is about\u2013creativity, collaboration, individuality, and connection. In a time when so much feels divided, it\u2019s incredibly meaningful to gather people together through music in support of a school that values children for exactly who they are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n