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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
available through Eventbrite.
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.
environment Indian music music vocalists: 350.org 350ma activism benefit concert
by Warren
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Playing For The Planet: World Music Against Climate Change — December 3, 2016
On Saturday, December 3, the fourteenth “Playing For The Planet” benefit concert will showcase master musicians from three different musical traditions, with all proceeds going to benefit the environmental advocacy group 350MA.org. The performers include Klezmer and Greek perspectives from Glenn Dickson & Sandy Theodorou, the enthralling Hindustani (North Indian) vocal music of Swati Panda, and the rich vocal blend of the NEC Gospel Ensemble. 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. For information, please call 781-396-0734, or visit the event website at www.warrensenders.com.
“…Senders possesses a gift
for assembling fascinating programs.”
— Andrew Gilbert, The Boston Globe —
Purchase tickets online from CCNOW:
Regular admission: $20
Student/Senior Admission: $15
PLEASE NOTE THAT CCNOW PURCHASES WILL NOT BE PROCESSED AFTER 4 PM ON THE DAY OF THE CONCERT. JUST COME ON DOWN TO THE SHOW!
If you prefer to use PayPal, please use the link below:
“Playing For The Planet: World Music Against Climate Change” is the fourteenth concert in an ongoing series of cross-cultural events produced by Boston-area musician and environmental activist Warren Senders. These concerts were 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 —
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Glenn Dickson & Sandy Theodorou
Glenn has garnered international attention for his work with Shirim Klezmer Orchestra and Naftule’s Dream, while Sandy is a major force for the revival of traditional music in the Boston area with her band, Revma, and her work with Rebetoparea and Oinos. Mainstays in the traditional klezmer and Greek music scenes in Boston and beyond, Glenn and Sandy will present a set of traditional klezmer and Greek tunes, two extremely expressive folk musics which feature the clarinet and accordion. From the mesmerizing laments of Epirus to the rollicking freylakhs of the Ukrainian Jews, the duo’s musicianship is astonishing, their versatility uncanny.
Sandy (Matoula) Theodorou is a vocalist, accordion, and laouto player who specializes in traditional Greek regional music and Greek urban rebetika. She has performed with master musicians including Beth Bahia Cohen, Manos Koutsaggelides, Malcolm Barsamian, and Grigoris Marinakis. She was nominated for Best Sound Designer by the New Hampshire Theatre Awards for her design and performance of music for the theatrical production “The Burial At Thebes”. She performed with the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon and served as chairperson of their Traditional Greek Music Department. She was born in Pireas, and musically inspired by her family roots in Epiros and Kefalonia.
http://matoulamusic.com
Glenn Dickson has produced 11 recordings with his two bands, the traditional klezmer band Shirim, and the ground breaking original jazz/rock/klezmer band Naftule’s Dream. Naftule’s Dream has played major international jazz festivals in Montreal, Berlin, New York and Chicago and has been closely associated with John Zorn’s Tzadik label. Shirim has collaborated with author/artist Maurice Sendak on “Pincus & the Pig,” performed with the Philadelphia Pops, and contributed music to a Woody Allen soundtrack (Deconstructing Harry). Glenn has also won a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant award for composition and has performed microtonal jazz (Joe Maneri Sextet), Greek music (Revma), folk-rock (Hypnotic Clambake) and free-jazz (David Haas Group). www.shirim.com, www.naftulesdream.com
Swati Panda
“Good music is that which touches your soul” says Swati Panda, the founder of the Raganjali School of Music. The propagation of Hindustani music in Massachusetts is her mission. A dedicated teacher, Swati Panda strives to inculcate the love for music in her students through clear instruction and intensive training. Raganjali School of Music is a modern day Gurukul, which currently offers Hindustani vocal music classes at Shrewsbury.
Swati Panda holds a Masters’ (Sangeet Alankar) degree in Hindustani (North Indian Classical) vocal music from Sangeet Mandir, Bhubaneswar, Orissa – an affiliate of the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Pune. Swati’s musical training began with Guru Shri Gopal Ch. Panda. A few years later, she found her musical guide and mentor, Late Dr. Mohan Charan Senapati. It was under his loving and patient guidance that she received her Sangeet Visharad (B.A.) & Sangeet Alankar (M.A.) degrees from the ABGMV, Pune, via Sangeet Mandir (founded in Bhubaneswar by Dr. Senapati, and an affiliate of the Sangeet Mahavidyalaya in Pune). Swati’s style represents a blend of Gwalior & Kirana gharaana gayaki, the result of her Guru’s extensive training under the well known Gwalior Gharana vocalist Pandit Keshav Bua Ingle and the Kirana Gharana legend Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.
Swati’s gayaki is characterized by methodical, yet mellifluous note progression followed by varied and complex taan patterns. Besides Khayals, Swati’s repertoire includes thumri, bhajans and other semi-classical compositions. Swati has been composing, writing and teaching music in the Massachusetts area since 1993.
She will be accompanied by Harshal Tole on tabla and Rajesh Saluja on harmonium.
The NEC Gospel Ensemble
The New England Conservatory’s Gospel Ensemble was formed in the Fall of 2013.
Under the direction of Nedelka F. Prescod, the Ensemble explores “modern” Gospel music from its beginnings in the late 1960s to its current sound and expression. From this expansive, evolving and growing canon of Black Sacred music, NEC’s Gospel Ensemble selects the music of key composers and choir leaders to study, workshop and present with authenticity and sincerity.
The vocalists in the ensemble have opportunities to learn and work with traditional and more current forms of vocal harmony, call and response/hymn lining and solo improvisation as utilized in modern African-American churches. The instrumentalists are offered opportunities to arrange as an independent entity, work with re-harmonizations, build their sensitivity and skill sets for accompanying vocalists, as well as learn the subtleties that establish the genre’s unique sound and feel. All music is taught/learned through oral tradition with a focus on the importance and role of music in African-American social and spiritual settings.
NEDELKA F. PRESCOD is a vocalist, arranger, songwriter, choral director, vocal coach, educator, social activist and mother. She has performed or shared the stage with such living legends as Kenny Garrett, Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Jason Moran, Jowee Omicil, Ben Eunson, and with the Omar Thomas Large Ensemble. Her artistry can be heard on recordings with Kenny Garrett, Danilo Perez, Pharoah Sanders, Brian Blade, Mulgrew Miller, Lionel Loueke, AntiPop Consortium, and on her independently released solo recording project, “Manifest” (2008). She has also performed background vocals for Alicia Keys, Jonathan Nelson, Jason Nelson and Dorothy Norwood.
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
Purchase tickets online from CCNOW:
Regular admission: $20
Student/Senior Admission: $15
If you prefer to use PayPal, please use the link below:
Order Tickets Online Via EventBrite.