Leadership & Volunteers
The Sounding Board has been a volunteer-run organization from the start. Our Board of Directors represent a range of backgrounds, but we all come together over a passion for music. Scroll down to learn more about who we are and why we care about the Sounding Board.
The Sounding Board regularly recruits new volunteers and board members (non-paid positions) to help with concert responsibilities and provide behind-the-scenes organizational support. If you or someone you know has the skills to support a music-oriented non-profit organization, we’d love to hear from. Reach out using the Contact tab.
Board President Lindsey Fyfe Perkel with The Nields and long-time Sounding Board volunteer Harry Greenberg
The Jolly Beggars with Artistic Director Michael Freeman
Long-time Sounding Board volunteers Jerry Jacques and Nancy Fightlin
Lindsey Fyfe Perkel with Taylor Ashton & Band, Andres Verzosa (Stanley Whitman House), Michael Freeman
Lindsey Fyfe Perkel with Amy Gallatin & The Hot Flashes, partnership with the Winding Trails Acoustic Music Festival
Board members Lindsey Fyfe Perkel, Bill Clark and Michael Freeman at the Winding Trails Acoustic Music Festival
Charlie Eirmann
Vice President & Secretary
“I started going to The Sounding Board in 1981. It's a very special place with wonderful music and friendly people. The audience listens and is encouraged to sing along. It's a wonderful way to spend an evening.”
Susan Forbes Hansen
“As a folk music radio host, I've loved the connection between live music and radio. I've been tangentially involved in the Sounding Board for a long time, as MC for many of the Connecticut Family Folk Festivals and as producer of the final one in 1999.”
Lindsey Fyfe
President & Executive Director
“Saturday concerts at The Sounding Board have been an important constant in my life since I was a child. The listening room environment, where you can soak in great music in the company of friends, is irreplaceable and inspiring.”
Lindsey is an artist, musician, and lifetime lover of traditional music. She is employed at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
Bill Clark, CPA
“I have been involved with Coffee Houses and Music Festivals in Central Connecticut for many years. I consider myself a music history buff, with a love for the history and the tradition of American music forms. I believe that the Sounding Board typifies what should be preserved and also what should evolve in such a way that future generations also cultivate a love for American music.”
Michael Freeman
Artistic Director
“The Sounding Board is a valuable member of the Folk Music scene in the northeast. It provides a quiet listening room for national touring legends as well as up and coming musicians to perform before an appreciative and knowledgeable audience.”
Michael is an attorney with a general practice located in Farmington, CT. He represents musicians, songwriters, producers, and others in creative industries. He is past Chair of the Sports & Entertainment Section of the Connecticut Bar Association.
Scott Franklin
“I grew up in the music industry. When I was in college, my father opened a chain of music stores in the Hartford, Connecticut area known as Al Franklins Musical World. I also formed and operated a coffee house in Bishops Corner, known as The Grounds, where West Hartford youth could hang out, play music and chill. I was drawn to The Sounding Board by my love of music and my business experience. I hope to reach out to the surrounding community to attract people of all ages to the organization.”
Norm Berg
“As a lover of live music, I've grown to greatly appreciate The Sounding Board since my first visits in the 1990s. The good location, acoustics, and attentive audience brings out the best in the musicians that perform a wide variety of folk styles.”
Bob Ohlheiser, Treasurer
“I developed my love for music as a child growing up in a musical family. Music from several genres has been a constant force throughout my life through both participation and appreciation. I remember The Sounding Board from back in the 1970's. I am thrilled to now be able contribute to its mission of promoting live music, community, and supporting the incredibly talented artists that we serve.”