Thursday, August 27, 2020

2020 Winter Solstice Celebration On-Line

 

You're invited to
the 24th Annual

a black-and-white sun with a face

Winter Solstice Celebration

A Celebration of the Darkness and the Light
with Songs and Stories

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Saturday, 19th December, 2020
On-line
7-9 pm GMT

Europe: 7-9 pm UK; 8-10 pm Central European Time
North America: 2-4 pm Eastern Time; 11 am-1 pm Pacific Time
Everywhere: Click here to confirm time in your location

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A time of quiet reflection in the midst of the hectic festive season

Songs, stories, candle-lighting, silent meditation, singing, and more

All ages welcome

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Registration required

To register, please click here

Sign Up for 2020 Winter Solstice Singing

 

a black and white sun with a face

I am going to be hosting a Winter Solstice Celebration (A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual) on-line, on Saturday, 19th December.  

From September through December, I am hosting on-line song-learning sessions / rehearsals for those who would like to learn the songs ahead of time, to sing along during the Celebration.  

Everyone is welcome, regardless of experience singing or ability to read music. There are easier pieces and more challenging pieces -- a little something for everyone.

You do not need to attend these in order to come to the Celebration; likewise, you do not need to come to the Celebration if you come to these.  You are welcome at either and both!


Song-learning sessions will run from Sunday, 6th September through Sunday, 13th December, each week building on the week before.  

We'll cover the sing-along songs, of course, including harmonies, but also the "performance" songs as well. (If you'd like more information on the specific songs, please click here.) 

  • Song-learning sessions will run from 6-8 pm UK time, and are open to anyone, regardless of geographic location.  
  • If you miss a session or the time generally doesn't work for you, there will be rehearsal recordings available.   
  • You don't need a copy of the book or CD in order to participate, although they're helpful to have.

 

Schedule: 

  • Song-learning sessions/rehearsals Sundays, 6th September - 6th December (no session 29th November), 6-8 pm UK time
  • Complete read-through and sing-through, Sunday, 13th December, 6-8 pm UK time

  • Winter Solstice Celebration, Saturday, 19th December, 7-9 pm UK time 

 

the cover of A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual; black background with gold title and sun's rays, and an image of the CD as well

Copies of the book and CD

You do not need to own a copy of this in advance, but the book contains all the sheet music, and the CD contains full recordings of all 15 pieces, as well as teaching tracks for 8 (as well as the full Celebration), so it's very, very useful.

If you live in Europe and would like a copy for £14 + postage, you can get one from me.

If you live in the US and want a copy, the person to contact is my co-author Julie Forest Middleton; I can put you in touch.

 

How do I know without knowing more about the music itself?

The songs are a mix of rounds, well-known songs, spirituals, feminist spirituality chants and Pagan chants, and a couple of choral pieces.

There's detailed information about every song at tinyurl.com/wintersolsticesinging/for-singers.

I'm looking forward to singing with people from a wide range of places in the Northern Hemisphere!

 

Open to people of all genders

Both the choir and the Celebration are open to people of all genders. Transgender, non-binary, agender, and genderqueer people are explicitly welcome.

  • The music I have is written mostly in treble clef and is labeled for sopranos and altos, but I've worked with tenors and basses over the last several years, and these pieces adapt well for lower voices as well.
  • Anyone can sing any part on any song that works for their voice. You might sing a part labelled one way for one piece, and a part labelled a different way on another. You can also choose to sing all one voice part if that's what works for you. We have lots of flexibility.

 

If you have any other questions, please let me know. 


If you'd like to sign up for the song-learning sessions, please click here:
https://forms.gle/ds2yV9eLfkLFa2ot7