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Event
A Branch of May: The Halalisa Singers in Concert (Newton)
The 30 voices of the Boston area's premier world music chorus celebrate the season with a program of spring-inspired international music. A Branch of May: Songs, Chants and Dances from Around the World will be presented on Friday, April 30, 8 p.m. at First Parish Church, 7 Harrington Rd. in Lexington and on Sunday, May 2, 3 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Newton, 1326 Washington St., West Newton.
Mary Cunningham Neumann directs the ensemble in the program honoring traditions surrounding spring, earthiness, and May Day, the midpoint between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.
To usher in the beginning of the summer season, the group will perform the classic, folksy May Day Carol from England, a chant from the Ituri Rain Forest in the Congo, Swedish ringdans Domaredansen, the 16th-century French homage to the spring Ce Beau Printemps, South African choral competition piece Thina, and the English Renaissance round In May, That Lusty Season.
The ensemble raises the rafters in Mystic Chorale director Nick Page's rousing arrangement of the Ladino Hamisha Asar, charms and entrances with the beauty and lyricism of the Cuban Yemaya Asesu, and offers delightful and upbeat comic relief with the traditional Irish song The Rakes of Mallow.
Desh, Ethan Sperry's arrangement of an Indian raga, has the ensemble practicing rhythmic, overtone singing to sound like an Indian instrumental ensemble. The joyous Balia Di Sehu from the island of Bonaire is a dance celebrating the April and May corn harvest. Completing the program will be Samoan folk song Minoi, Minoi, Wana Baraka from Kenya, and a Japanese round about the beloved firefly, Hotaru Koi. Audience members will be invited to join in on The Padstow May Song and Hal-An-Tow, traditional English folk songs from the Revels spring songbook.
The Halalisa Singers are the greater Boston area's premier world music chorus. A diverse group of 30 men and women, The Halalisa Singers are inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham Neumann, this Lexington-based vocal ensemble is now in its seventeenth year offering performances in the Boston area.
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LocationFirst Unitarian Society of Newton
1326 Washington St.
Newton, MA
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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