December 8, 2018: Playing For The Planet — World Music Against Climate Change

On Saturday, December 8, the eighteenth “Playing For The Planet” benefit concert will showcase master musicians from three different musical traditions in a rare and joyful pan-cultural evening, with all proceeds going to benefit the environmental advocacy group 350MA.org.  The lineup includes Do Yeon Kim, the contemporary virtuoso of the Korean gayageum, Nepalese sarangi master Shyam Nepali, and New England’s great exponents of American folk tradition, Lorraine Lee & Bennett Hammond.  The music begins at 7:00 pm, at The Community Church Of Boston, 565 Boylston Street (Copley Square), Boston.  Admission is $20; $15 students & seniors.

Online ticket purchasing

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This concert is the eighteenth in an ongoing series of cross-cultural events produced by Boston-area musician and environmental activist Warren Senders, conceived as a way for creative musicians to contribute to the urgent struggle against global warming.   Their choice of beneficiary, 350MA.org, is focused on building global consensus on reduction of atmospheric CO2 levels — action which climatologists agree is necessary to avoid catastrophic outcomes.  Because the climate problem recognizes no national boundaries, the artists represent musical styles from three different parts of the globe, and share key musical values: listening, honesty, creativity, and respect. And, of course, they are all committed to raising awareness of the potentially devastating effects of global warming.  It’ll be an incredible evening of powerful music — from some of the finest musicians in New England and the world.

“…pleasant surprises and stimulation of the aesthetic synapses…
…an open-ended, floating, world music festival…”  
— Steve Elman, ArtsFuse —

“…Senders possesses a gift for assembling fascinating programs.” 
— Andrew Gilbert, The Boston Globe —

About The Artists

Lorraine Lee & Bennett Hammond

Lorraine Lee, renowned master of the Appalachian dulcimer, also plays banjo, mandolin and Celtic harp and is an expressive singer and songwriter. Bennett, a superb finger-style guitarist and recent convert to the five string banjo, names “the three Bs”, Bach, the blues and Buddy Holly, as major influences.

Together, The Hammonds are versatile musicians and engaging entertainers. Their warm stage presence is punctuated with wry humor, and their command of their instruments and musical genres is without flaw. The Boston Globe calls them “a dazzling, witty, eclectic, delightful duo.”

The Brookline-based duo’s repertoire ranges in style from classical through Celtic, blues and contemporary. They sing both traditional and original songs and can be heard on over thirty recordings as featured artists, or enhancing the work of performers including Archie Fisher, Lui Collins and Bob Franke. Christine Lavin and Heidi Mueller are among the artists who have covered Hammond originals.

Lorraine and Bennett’s most recent releases include Jingalo Gypsy, Rockafolky Banjo, and Lorraine’s Muddy River Suite.

On December 8, Lorraine and Bennett will be joined by special guest Dean Stevens.

“More than just good pickers, Lorraine and Bennett are singers with an ear for traditional and contemporary songs. They work seamlessly together, blending instruments and voices.”
— Golden Link Folk Society —

Do Yeon Kim

Do Yeon Kim plays the gayageum, a Korean silk-stringed zither. An early prodigy on the instrument, she has received numerous awards in her native Korea, and was selected by the Korean Department of Culture to be one of the few gayageum musicians to tour with a youth group to Japan.

She is the first gayageum player at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she received a Masters degree in Contemporary Improvisation, following her undergraduate degree in Korean music.  Do Yeon is committed to introducing the western world to the national instrument of her homeland and expanding the gayageum’s boundaries.

In addition to playing Korean traditional music, Do Yeon is an exceptional improvisor who has collaborated with musicians from many genres, including tango, jazz, and Western classical music. Her musical vision and ability to adopt styles and forms not associated with her instrument is truly extraordinary.

Shyam Nepali

Hailing from the centuries-old Gandharba musical tradition of Nepal, Shyam Nepali been bringing the sounds of the Sarangi to audiences around the world for three decades.  His superb musicianship has allowed the traditional sound of the Sarangi to travel in new directions, whether it’s blending the traditional folk music of Nepal with other styles or finding entirely new sounds through creative improvisation and collaboration. His virtuosity and musicianship allows him to fearlessly expand the Sarangi’s expressive capabilities with every note.

Shyam has recorded and performed with artists such as Patti Smith, Tenzin Chogyal, and Abigail Washburn.  An important teacher and mentor of the next generations of Sarangi players, he works with Project Sarangi in Nepal, and the Imagine Rainbow Project (Switzerland/Nepal), to foster the creative arts and keep the traditions alive.

The founder of the Himalayan Heritage Cultural Academy in Boston, MA, a platform for Nepali folk music and dance in the USA, Shyam has taught and mentored the newest generation of Sarangi players and folk musicians including members of the Nepali supergroups Kutumba, Sakchyam, Nayan, Manda, Lakchya, Shree Tara, and Lakhay. Awards and recognition of his significant contribution to Nepali folk music and the Sarangi around the world include the Mah Kwah Cha award from the government of Nepal, the Governor’s Citation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and an honorary consulship from the Italian government.

ABOUT 350.org and 350MA.org

Co-founded by environmentalist and author Bill McKibben, 350.org is the hub of a worldwide network of over two hundred environmental organizations, all with a common target: persuading the world’s countries to unite in an effort to reduce global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide to 350 parts per million or less. Climatologist Dr. James Hansen says, “If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 400 ppm to at most 350 ppm.” (Dr. Hansen headed the NASA Institute for Space Studies in New York City, and is best known for his testimony on climate change to congressional committees in the 1980s that helped raise broad awareness of the global warming issue.) Activists involved in the 350 movement include Rajendra Pachauri (Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), Vandana Shiva (world-renowned environmental leader and thinker), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a global activist on issues pertaining to democracy, freedom and human rights), Van Jones, Bianca Jagger, Barbara Kingsolver and many more.
350MA.org is the Massachusetts Chapter of this worldwide advocacy group, and the hub for the Better Future Project.

The Community Church of Boston is a free community united for the study and practice of universal religion, seeking to apply ethical ideals to individual life and the democratic and cooperative principle to all forms of social and economic life. We invite you to read on to discover more about us, join us one Sunday for a thought-provoking and joyful time, or contact the church to find out more about our community: info@communitychurchofboston.org

Online ticket purchasing

available through Eventbrite.