Sunday, December 11, 2022

December 16-17-18, 2022 Revels North: A New England Midwinter Revels



Revels North presents A New England Midwinter Revels, a festive celebration of stories, songs, and dances highlighting New England, Revels, and Abenaki traditions. 

Four performances at the Lebanon Opera House on December 16th, 17th & 18th with our incredible cast and guest artists The Vox Hunters, Jeff Warner, and two amazing Abenaki artists, James Bruchac and Jesse Bowman Bruchac.

You are all invited to join us around the campfire for a special celebration of New England, Revels and Abenaki traditions. As one year ends, and another begins, you will be taken on a magical journey of stories, songs and dance that celebrate one of the most important things - community - as our fictional town celebrates their annual midwinter celebrations for the first time in two years.

Through the eyes of a new family in town you will be introduced to mysterious stories, exciting dances, loveable characters and glorious songs that regularly frequent this annual gathering. From the mystical Abbots Bromley Horn Dancers and delightful Lord of the Dance to the spellbinding Mummers Play and poignant poem, The Shortest Day, you will come away with that warm fuzzy festive feeling that only Midwinter Revels can bring. So join us for this very special celebration of new beginnings, old traditions and community which has been a family favorite of the Upper Valley since 1975.

SHOWTIMES

Friday 16th December: 7pm

Saturday 17th December: 2pm & 7pm

Sunday 18th December: 2pm


GUEST ARTISTS

Hailing from the great state of Rhode Island, The Vox Hunters, Armand Aromin and Benedict Gagliardim are seekers and singers of old songs, cultivators of local music, and chronic multi-instrumentalists. They are touted as strong tradition-bearers in their generation, and their genuine affinity for the music is evident in the emotion they draw from it. With a pair of oft-harmonizing voices tastefully garnished with fiddle, free-reeds, and tenor guitar, The Vox Hunters offer an all-natural connection to the living tradition of folk music.

The incredible musician, singer, storyteller and Country Dance & Song Society Lifetime Achievement Award winner Jeff Warner is among the nation’s foremost performer/interpreters of traditional music. His songs from the lumber camps, fishing villages and mountain tops of America connect 21st century audiences with the everyday lives–and artistry–of 19th century Americans. “Providing more than just rich entertainment, Jeff will leave you with a deeper appreciation of the land you live in” (CaffĂ© Lena, Saratoga, NY). His songs, rich in local history and a sense of place, bring us the latest news from the distant past.

James Bruchac is an award winning author, storyteller, cultural educator, and Director of The Ndakinna Education Center in Greenfield Center NY. A citizen of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation, for the last three decades, Mr. Bruchac, like other members of his well-known family, have been offering cultural and wilderness-based programs for people of all ages. Along with presenting at hundreds of schools, he has also performed at the Smithsonian Discover Theater, John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, as well as dozens of Folk and Storytelling festivals across the United States. Academically, Mr. Bruchac holds a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Skidmore College.

Jesse Bowman Bruchac is a Nulhegan Abenaki Citizen, language keeper, storyteller & musician. He has written several bilingual books in the language and teaches the Abenaki language at the Ndakinna Education Center, the University of Southern Maine, and is the director of the School of Abenaki at Middlebury College. As a musician he has worked in film & recorded several collections of traditional songs using drum, rattle and flute. He has opened for such notable acts as The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and at Woodstock ’94.

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