The iconic winter solstice musical performance of the Paul Winter Consort is on a tour of New England and the first stop is Powers Hall in Needham.
The Winter Solstice Celebration of saxophonist, composer and band leader Paul Winter and his ensemble will take place Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. The show is being hosted by Needham’s Great Hall Performance Foundation but is not part of the Great Hall Performance series.
Winter is based in Connecticut and for decades performed the solstice concert, which honors diversity, unity, healing and hope, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The Needham performance came about through a personal contact made by the sound engineer for the Great Hall series, said Cliff Hayden, a member of the Great Hall production team. “We thought Paul would like to perform here and the board approved it,” said Hayden.
The Paul Winter Consort was formed in 1967 and over the course of five decades has performed worldwide and won seven Grammy Awards. Winter’s music has evolved from jazz to include elements of folk, classical, world and new age music reflecting many traditions and cultures as well as the sounds of nature and wildlife.
The performance at Town Hall will feature vocalist Theresa Thomason, Eugene Friesen on cello, Bulgarian bassist Peter Slavov, Brazilian pianist Henrique Eisenmann, Bertram Lehmann, percussion, and Paul Winter on soprano sax.
“It’s an interesting kind of fusion of jazz and new age kind of music,” said Hayden. “I think it’s going to be very attractive to a Needham audience.”
More information and concert tickets are available here.
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