About Us
Church Street Studios in South Barre, MA is an active community arts center founded in 2025. The beautiful structure of the stone church was constructed in the early 1900’s as a center of worship for the workers at the Barre Wool Combing Co. built by Francis Willey Esq. The church, once the center of the community, is now being renovated as the heart of an arts and cultural center for the local residents and others. It offers a performance stage and recording space for audio and video as well as an exhibition gallery space. To bring the arts to this area of Massachusetts, workshops in audio and video will be offered as well as using the facilities to record local performers who may hope to promote their art to a wider audience. The creative arts bring people together to express their spirit and build community resilience.
About the Founders
Louis Oppenheimer
​​Since 2009, Louis has built a distinguished career in professional audio, blending a prolific freelance portfolio with a high-level technical leadership role at Brown University. On the professional stage, he has lent his expertise to a diverse array of legendary artists and ensembles, including Branford Marsalis, Paula Cole, G. Love and Special Sauce, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as acclaimed folk and tribute acts like The Suitcase Junket and Lotus Land. Within the academic and technical sphere at Brown, he is recognized as a "Tier 3" expert who consistently delivers "top-notch service" for high-profile performances on campus. A dedicated mentor, he has successfully "taken others under his wing" , creating structured training workflows for lighting, recording, and event orchestration. Now, Louis is merging these two worlds—technical excellence and professional artistry—to transform the historic Christ Church into a premier community art center and recording studio.
Sally Kingsbury
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Sally Kingsbury is a media production specialist and educator whose career has evolved alongside the digital revolution. From her early years in the newsroom at WJAR-TV to managing media services at Brown University, Sally has always focused on the intersection of technology and storytelling. A longtime Professor of Video and Audio Production, she spent over 30 years at the New England Institute of Technology, where she mentored the next generation of filmmakers. Today, she combines her deep technical mastery while bringing a signature 'hands-on' philosophy to every documentary and non-profit project she touches.
About the Church
Originally consecrated in 1910, this historic shingle and fieldstone landmark was built through the craftsmanship of local builders, L.B. Low of Boston, Roy Fessenden of Barre and the financial support of the South Barre Wool Combing Company. For over a century, the building served as a "mission" in every sense—not just as a place of worship, but as a global and local lifeline that provided everything from international disaster relief to a vital local food bank.
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Today, we are honoring that legacy of service by transforming the space into a vibrant community art center and recording studio.
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While the building’s religious chapter has closed, its mission of "good works" continues through a new creative lens.
Preserving the stunning 1909 architecture while repurposing the space for music, art, and modern media just as the church once supported the town through its food bank and outreach, this center now serves as a hub for local artists, musicians, and creators. By housing a recording studio and art spaces, we are ensuring this historic landmark remains productive.
The "good works" of this building are not ending; they are simply taking a new, creative form.
