"Hope is Born - Emmanuel" was presented Sunday morning, 12/21, at the First Congregational Church of St. Johns, with help of talented musicians from St. Johns High School and alumni and friends. The 7' movie gives a series of clips from the final run through before the worship began.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
holiday cheer - choir party at home
Scheduled full choral concert at care facility cancelled upon arrival due to flu quarantine. So we proceeded to the after-concert party a little ahead of schedule. Well the conviviality flowed freely but eventually the songs bubbled to the top and the group formed a circle around parlor and dining room spaces to reel off a few from memory.
Silent Night, Holy Night
Yonder Come Day - the African American Spiritual
Silent Night, Holy Night
Yonder Come Day - the African American Spiritual
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Pageant 2014 - the movie
This year's telling of the coming of Jesus the Christ to Earth was presented on Sunday, December 14.
It consisted of 6 scenes with intermittent carols that fit the steps of the story from "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" to the condensed arc of what was to be the life of Jesus, as told in "We Three Kings of Orient Are..."
It consisted of 6 scenes with intermittent carols that fit the steps of the story from "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" to the condensed arc of what was to be the life of Jesus, as told in "We Three Kings of Orient Are..."
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Holiday Music Spectacular #10
The Holiday Musical Spectacular at the Wilson Center celebrates its 10th anniversary with a concert featuring low brass quartet, Basses Loaded, the Mint City Singers, and the St. Johns Community Band.
It is gratifying to see amateur music alive and well in 2014 when there are so many things competing for people's attention, time and energy. A lot of the past 20 years has been the Walkman Effect and its consequences; that is, personalizing the experience of recorded entertainment. One consequence is private channels of living: you have your choices and I have mine. We dwell in splendid isolation in our self-selected worlds of music, movies and news channels, rather than to do something together as we occupy the same time and space and give our attention together to the source.
The portable and cheap book started with the Penny Dreadfuls more than 100 years ago and then became mainstream during the 1940s with paperbacks in pocket size. But the private worlds of silent reading always was a small part of social experience during the rest of one's day. Radio, TV, movie and theater-going were much more shared experiences and included conversation afterward. Now the portable electronics and offspring of the products and services created and consumed via Internet have created totalizing environments so that a person can be a spectator on life rather than the main character in the story of one's own life.
That is why amateur singing, bands and orchestras, and theater productions are so precious. They require sustained practice and cooperation to bring the final performance together. And while audiences are an important source of energy for those on stage, the most valuable part of the undertaking is in the doing, rather than the watching. The level of excellence is less important than the fact of taking on the work itself. And so it truly is gratifying to see community choirs like the small ensemble of the Mint City Singers and the growing St. Johns Community Band presenting their music for the public during the holiday season.
It is gratifying to see amateur music alive and well in 2014 when there are so many things competing for people's attention, time and energy. A lot of the past 20 years has been the Walkman Effect and its consequences; that is, personalizing the experience of recorded entertainment. One consequence is private channels of living: you have your choices and I have mine. We dwell in splendid isolation in our self-selected worlds of music, movies and news channels, rather than to do something together as we occupy the same time and space and give our attention together to the source.
The portable and cheap book started with the Penny Dreadfuls more than 100 years ago and then became mainstream during the 1940s with paperbacks in pocket size. But the private worlds of silent reading always was a small part of social experience during the rest of one's day. Radio, TV, movie and theater-going were much more shared experiences and included conversation afterward. Now the portable electronics and offspring of the products and services created and consumed via Internet have created totalizing environments so that a person can be a spectator on life rather than the main character in the story of one's own life.
That is why amateur singing, bands and orchestras, and theater productions are so precious. They require sustained practice and cooperation to bring the final performance together. And while audiences are an important source of energy for those on stage, the most valuable part of the undertaking is in the doing, rather than the watching. The level of excellence is less important than the fact of taking on the work itself. And so it truly is gratifying to see community choirs like the small ensemble of the Mint City Singers and the growing St. Johns Community Band presenting their music for the public during the holiday season.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)