A Pageant of Midwinter CarolsHigh energy entertainment for the whole family
Each winter since the mid-1970s, John Roberts and Tony Barrand have assembled a fresh production of Nowell Sing We Clear to take on the road. The ?pageant of mid-winter carols? draws on unaccompanied song in strong harmony, New England dance tunes, morris dance, recitations, and even old mummers? plays. They take us back generations before the electric age and commercialized holidays, when families and friends in towns and villages across the British Isles, New England and Appalachia retold the Christmas story, shared age-old customs of the winter solstice and welcomed the New Year.
On Saturday afternoon, December 18 at 3 pm, the Folklore Society of Greater Washington brings Nowell Sing We Clear to the Church of the Ascension Parish Hall, 633 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. The high-energy and family-friendly entertainment features the noted vocal duo Roberts & Barrand, joined by popular New England dance musicians and callers Fred Breunig and Andy Davis.
Each year?s show includes a Kentucky Mummer?s play, recent carols, and several old songs ferreted out from various memory banks and resources, including a few that make Roberts wonder, ?How have people missed these?? Songsheets will be provided to encourage participation, and the audience should be advised to listen closely for current topical references that find their way into the show.
Four hearty voices, with the band of fiddle, button accordion, piano, drum and concertina, will combine to reverse the darkness of winter and start the trend toward longer, brighter days and the greening of spring to come.
General admission is $25; save $3 by buying your ticket online by December 17. For further information or to buy online (no service charge), click "sign-up" above, or call Marty at 703-354-6460.
