This concert is dedicated to the life and memory of Dr. Santiago Girelli, Artistic Director of the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival, who sadly passed away due to complications from Covid-19 in May of 2021. Santiago made it possible for us to share the stage with musical groups from around the world at the festival, and we remain in his debt. Not only was he a cherished collaborator, but he was a friend, an inspiring musician, a brilliant conductor, and a loving father and husband. We share this music in his honor, and send our love to his family and colleagues at Goa University.
Program notes:
The dramatic shifts from day to night and the resulting play of light between the sun, moon, Earth, and numberless stars in the sky captured the imagination of U.S. poets from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With language, they beautifully wove an appreciation for the natural cycles in nature and humankind's profound endeavor to understand and live within them. "The Divine in Nature" presents a taste of this evocative poetry set to original music by Nightingale composers. The concert program, featured in the 2021 edition of the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival, takes listeners on a journey through Earth's daily revolutionary cycle - from the break of dawn to the dark of midnight - and explores the human perspective of this dance of celestial bodies.
The order of songs on the program reflects a logical flow through astronomical time: Day ("Day" - Paul Laurence Dunbar) turns to afternoon ("a certain slant of light" - Emily Dickinson) which becomes evening ("A Hymn to the Evening - Phillis Wheatley) which fades to night ("Night" - Paul Laurence Dunbar). The set ends with Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold can Stay,” emphasizing the ever changing dynamics of cosmic forces in our world which reflect the impermanent, precious nature of our human lives.
The program was first conceived in the Fall of 2020 following the premiere of Nightingale’s first virtual concert, “Stardust: Songs of the Cosmos.” The late Dr. Girelli was impressed with the concert and invited Nightingale to participate in the 2021 edition of the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival, an annual gathering in Old Goa, India, featuring ensembles from diverse spiritual backgrounds and musical traditions around the world. The theme of the festival is summarized in one word: coexistence. Learn more about Ketevan: https://www.ketevansacredmusicfestival.com/
Featuring performances by Nightingale members, audio by Ben Perry, and video by Wesley Verge.
Program notes:
The dramatic shifts from day to night and the resulting play of light between the sun, moon, Earth, and numberless stars in the sky captured the imagination of U.S. poets from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With language, they beautifully wove an appreciation for the natural cycles in nature and humankind's profound endeavor to understand and live within them. "The Divine in Nature" presents a taste of this evocative poetry set to original music by Nightingale composers. The concert program, featured in the 2021 edition of the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival, takes listeners on a journey through Earth's daily revolutionary cycle - from the break of dawn to the dark of midnight - and explores the human perspective of this dance of celestial bodies.
The order of songs on the program reflects a logical flow through astronomical time: Day ("Day" - Paul Laurence Dunbar) turns to afternoon ("a certain slant of light" - Emily Dickinson) which becomes evening ("A Hymn to the Evening - Phillis Wheatley) which fades to night ("Night" - Paul Laurence Dunbar). The set ends with Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold can Stay,” emphasizing the ever changing dynamics of cosmic forces in our world which reflect the impermanent, precious nature of our human lives.
The program was first conceived in the Fall of 2020 following the premiere of Nightingale’s first virtual concert, “Stardust: Songs of the Cosmos.” The late Dr. Girelli was impressed with the concert and invited Nightingale to participate in the 2021 edition of the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival, an annual gathering in Old Goa, India, featuring ensembles from diverse spiritual backgrounds and musical traditions around the world. The theme of the festival is summarized in one word: coexistence. Learn more about Ketevan: https://www.ketevansacredmusicfestival.com/
Featuring performances by Nightingale members, audio by Ben Perry, and video by Wesley Verge.
