Sing to the Stars

                                        

I went to a concert the other night that was very different.  It was called "Sing to the Stars, Ave Maris Stella: Hail Star of the Sea"  And this is how it was described:  "Come celebrate the divine feminine, the night sky, the earth, and the sea. Under the stars and by Long Island Sound, we will sing together and listen to Chora, a new women's choir, sing medieval, contemporary, and new music. You can look at the sky through telescopes or with your naked eyes.."  I was there with a telescope, but unfortunately it was a cloudy night.  But the concert was really interesting.  It began with a musician using bronze, bowl shaped bells, called "Standing Bells"  which originated in China. They can be struck with a soft mallet or may also be played by rotating a suede covered mallet around the outside rim to produce a sustained musical note.  These are called "Singing Bowls."  They make such beautiful and calming notes.

                   

Here is the choral group singing medieval works which was just lovely.

                                        

In another part of the evening there was music with a violin and guitar together.  I told you it was a different kind of concert!

                      

The small choral group played in a Congregational church, and the lights were quite dim.  Most of the illumination was from perhaps 50 candles in glasses placed on the altar.  My camera makes the scene look brighter, but in actuality it was very warm light and very dim and a wonderful to hear this music in what felt like mostly darkness.  A great evening and it was a shame that I couldn't show the stars to those attending.