This year’s special guest will be singer/songwriter and activist Noel Paul Stookey, best-known as a member of the famed folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Stookey was the producer of the Paul Winter Consort’s first two albums, in 1968 and 1969, and has been a key mentor and collaborator during these first 50 years of the band.

Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration has become New York’s favorite holiday alternative to The Nutcracker and Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular. A dazzling extravaganza of music, dance, and spectacle within the awesome space and acoustics of the world’s largest cathedral, the event is a contemporary take on ancient solstice rituals, when people felt a calling to come together on the longest night of the year to welcome the return of the sun and the birth of the new year.

The Winter Solstice Celebration has evolved over the years to inhabit the entirety of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The resounding acoustics have inspired the music of the event, and the vast dimensions of the Cathedral have given birth to unique theatrical elements. A 28-foot spiral “Solstice Tree,” adorned with a multitude of bells, gongs, and chimes symbolizing the diversity of the life family, becomes a part of the music; a huge Earth-globe travels through the Nave and rises over the center-stage; and a giant sun gong ascends, with its player, to the 100-foot vault of the Cathedral at the symbolic moment of the return of the sun.

This is the first time in seven years that the Saturday night concert will take place on the actual night of the winter solstice. Winter and his colleagues will be pulling out all the stops this December to celebrate this double anniversary of the Consort and the group’s solstice event.

When: Thur, 12/19/18 at 7:30 pm
Fri, 12/20/18 at 7:30 pm
Sat, 12/21/18 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

Where: Cathedral of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave at 112th St.

Price: $38-$148

To Purchase Tickets please call (866) 811-4111 or click here.

I was not compensated for this post. I received tickets.

Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is a freelance writer and has written for several blogs, including The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for nineteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids, ages 12, 10 and 7.

The post Upcoming Show: Winter Solstice Celebration at the Largest Cathedral in the World with a Very Special Guest! appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Photo by Cliff Sobel

A dazzling extravaganza of music, dance, and spectacle within the awesome space and acoustics of the world’s largest cathedral, the event is a contemporary take on ancient solstice rituals, when people felt a calling to come together on the longest night of the year to welcome the return of the sun and the birth of the new year. The Winter Solstice Celebration has evolved over the years to inhabit the entirety of the titanic space of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The resounding acoustics have inspired the music of the event, and the vast dimensions of the Cathedral have given birth to unique theatrical elements. A 28-foot spiral “Solstice Tree,” adorned with a multitude of bells, gongs, and chimes symbolizing the diversity of the life family, becomes a part of the music; a huge Earth-globe travels through the Nave and rises over the center-stage; and a giant sun-gong ascends, with its player, to the 100-foot vault of the Cathedral at the symbolic moment of the return of the sun. “Of all the places I’ve played in the world,” Paul Winter says, “only two could host an event on this scale: the Cathedral and the Grand Canyon.”

Photo by Rhonda Dorset

Click here to watch videos with highlights from the concert and rehearsal fun.

Photo by Bryn Forbes

When: Thur, 12/2/18 at 7:30 pm
Fri, 12/21/18 at 7:30 pm
Sat, 12/22/18 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

Where: Cathedral of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave at 112th St.

Price: $38-$148

To Purchase Tickets please call (866) 811-4111 or click here.

Photo by Cliff Sobel

Photo by Kay Friday

Header photo by Cliff Sobel

I was not compensated for this post. I received tickets.

Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is a freelance writer and has written for several blogs, including The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for eighteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 11, 9 and 6) and loves finding great products for her family.

The post Don’t Miss: Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration: A Music and Dance Extravaganza at the Largest Cathedral in the World! appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.