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Spirit, Fiddlers, And Girl Scout Cookies

March 11, 2016

Artwork by Steven Keen

Artwork by Steven Keen

It’s Dress Rehearsal Friday at Vienna Choral Society. For we sing ‘TIL THE SPIRIT MOVES: TRADITIONAL SONGS AND SPIRITUALS, 7:30 pm, tomorrow evening, Saturday, March 12, 2016 at Vienna Baptist Church (541 Marshall Road SW, Vienna, VA 22180).

Notes have been polished, the fiddler is set, tuxes have been picked up, volunteers have been lined up, and yes, post-concert reception munchies have been bought. (FYI – We have one Girl Scout and a Girl Scout parent in the choir. Thin Mints are a distinct possibility tomorrow night.)

Ticket pre-sales have been strong, but we still room. You can get tickets online tonight, Friday evening, March 11, 2016, until 11:30 pm. After that, you’ll have to get them at the door. The box office will open at 6:45 pm tomorrow evening.

Tickets are $25/adults, $20/seniors(65+) and students (15-18). Youth 14 and younger attend for free if accompanied by a paying ticket holder.

We have everything in place for an evening for great, soul stirring music. All that’s left is for you to be in the audience. Please do come!

See you tomorrow.

Tagged With: fiddlers, girl scout cookies, spirit, spirituals, thin mints, traditional music

The Squee Effect: When The Music Touches A Universal Chord

February 22, 2016

In which our executive director, Sohini Baliga, who used the words “blanket fort” in a previous post, now uses the word “squee!” 

“Squeee!” is the sound I made back in the summer when our artistic director Jennifer Rodgers said we’d do spirituals and traditional songs for our March concert. First a quick reminder about that. In Rodgers’ words:

Music is at the very heart of the world’s deepest traditional communities because it speaks directly to our spirits. Each tradition that we will explore in ‘Til The Spirit Moves has its own unique sound and message. They are centuries old in many cases, and are now steeped in meaning and in their communities. This is moving, powerful, evocative music.

(via SummerRain812/Flickr Creative Commons)

(via SummerRain812/Flickr Creative Commons)

Few would argue that music has the capacity to transcend barriers of culture and language. Audiences everywhere get melody, even if we have no idea what the words mean. And everyone gets rhythm. Even folks with two left feet get the beat.*

But there is something universal about the pieces that we hold dearest around the world. There is something human and transcendent about them. And sometimes, even without any context, the connection is instant. It certainly was for me. There is no other other reason why I fell in love with the Blues and Gospel as a teen in New Delhi.

I grew up in a highly musical family—to wit, my name. I grew up on a well-curated staple of Karnatic,  Hindustani, and Western classical music. And yes, beloved Bollywood. None of the aforementioned, however, gave me any context for the random Aretha Franklin and Percy Sledge tapes I found lying in a neighborhood store.

It made not one bit of difference. [Read more…]

Tagged With: aretha franklin, blanket fort, blues, bollywood, bring me water sylvie, etta james, ezekiel saw the wheel, gospel, hindustani, karnatic, kishori amonkar, leadbelly, percy sledge, shaker, simple gifts, spirituals, squee, two left feet

Thank You For Coming To Harmony and Light

December 19, 2015

spirit2016

 

Thank you all so very much for coming out to see us sing Harmony and Light tonight. It was a great evening with a fun, hot jazz band. And if you came, you got to see our artistic director bring the house down!

We hope the concert put you in a great frame of mind to enjoy the rest of the season, and help you find your holy place – wherever that may be.

We wish you a wonderful holiday and new year, and we’ll see you in March. Mark your calendars for “When the Spirit Says Sing: Traditional Songs and Spirituals,” 7:30 pm, Saturday, March 12, 2016. 

Tickets will go on sale in late January 2016.

 

Tagged With: harmony and light, spirit, spirituals, traditional songs, vienna choral society

About

Welcome to VCS! We are a teaching, non-audition choir where all voices and skill levels are welcome. We invite you to learn more about who we are, what we do, and if there's a place for you in our choir.

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PO Box 310, Vienna, VA 22183

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