eInside Events

Apollo’s Fire Presents Its Billboard Bestseller at Kent State

Apollo’s Fire will perform its Sacred Mystery: A Celtic
Christmas Vespers on Dec. 3 from 7:30 p.m. at
Cartwright Hall on the Kent Campus.

Apollo’s Fire will perform its Sacred Mystery: A Celtic Christmas Vespers on Dec. 3 from 7:30 p.m. at Cartwright Hall located at 650 Hilltop Drive on the Kent Campus. A pre-concert talk will be given one hour prior to the concert, led by a musician.

Tickets range from $20-$68, with special rates for students, seniors (65+) and young adults (under 30). Tickets are available through Apollo’s Fire by phone at 216-320-0012 or 800-314-2535 or online at www.apollosfire.org.

Created in 2011 by Jeannette Sorrell and Montréal-based lutenist Sylvain Bergeron, performances of this Billboard-Hit program have sold out the past three seasons. In December 2012, the program was chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of the “Top 20 Live Events in North America.” Also that year, the program was released internationally on CD under British label AVIE and debuted at #11 on the Billboard Classical Charts.

The program is a celebration of Celtic artistic traditions – interweaving excerpts from the 13th century Vespers of St. Kentigern (patron saint of Glasgow, Scotland) with ancient pagan carols, renaissance choral music, traditional Celtic fiddle tunes and joyous dances – creating a rich tapestry that evokes Christmas both inside Glasgow Cathedral and outside its walls. The evening of haunting Gregorian chant, lively carols and driving folk dances is launched with a dramatic procession in Gaelic.

Featured soloist is Canadian soprano Meredith Hall, who has long been immersed in Scottish/Gaelic repertoire. She is joined on stage by legendary Scottish baroque guitarist/dancer Steve Player. Baritone Jesse Blumberg serves as cantor for the St. Kentigern Vespers selections. Members of Sylain Bergeron’s Montréal-based ensemble Ensemble La Nef also join Apollo’s Fire as guests in this international collaboration. The instrumental ensemble includes bagpipes, harp, wooden flutes, archlute, baroque guitar, hammered dulcimer, strings and percussion. The program also features the acclaimed 16-voice baroque choir, Apollo’s Singers, “one of the finest choirs of its kind in the country” (according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer).

Sorrell originally conceived the idea for this program in 2009, following a visit to Montréal where she met Bergeron and heard his ensemble perform live.

“Meredith and Sylvain had already done a beautiful Scottish Christmas CD with the Gaelic title Oikan ains Bethlehem,” Sorrell says. “I took that CD home after hearing their lovely concert in Montréal. The opening track seemed to be calling to me, wanting to be a procession in a cathedral. And from there, my imagination took over and a program blending a Scottish medieval Vespers service with pagan/folk elements came into my head immediately. So I called up Sylvain and Meredith and convinced them to plan this with me.”

Sorrell says the biggest challenge in bringing her idea to reality was the lack of surviving sacred renaissance and baroque music from Ireland and Scotland.

“Because of the Reformation, what we would call artistic church music was banned in the Scottish and Irish churches during the 17th century,” she says. “And it appears that many sacred works that had been composed in the generation before the Reformation were destroyed. So, I went back further, to the 13th century Vespers of St. Kentigern, which is one of the few surviving major sacred works of Scotland prior to the 18th century. St. Kentigern was the patron saint of Glasgow, and this Vespers was sung at Glasgow Cathedral.”

For more information about the performance, visit http://apollosfire.org/concerts/sacrum-mysterium1415/.

Donations, Volunteers Needed for 2014 Peace Basket Project

Members of the Kent State University community come
together yearly to prepare gift baskets for local residents
served by the King Kennedy Center.

The Peace Basket Project gears up for its 18th year. The Professional Women of Kent State University started the Peace Basket Project in 1997 when a group of members created baskets of “little things” to share with the residents served by the King Kennedy Center. Although the Professional Women of Kent State University is no longer active, this annual event continues with the support of members of the Kent State community. Last year, more than 120 baskets were filled and shared with the community.

This year, the event will occur on Dec. 6 beginning at 9 a.m. at the King Kennedy Center. There are many ways for the Kent State community to be involved. As a Santa Shopper, you can donate items that will be used to fill the baskets, such as toiletries, personal grooming products, small toys, books and other children’s items, kitchen items, school supplies, hats, socks and cologne. Shoe boxes can make a great “basket” and also are welcome. As an elf, you can join others on Dec. 5 to help sort and set up for the basket filling event, and on Dec. 6, help fill and decorate the baskets. As an Absentee Angel, you can donate funds to help with the purchase of shrink wrap, gift bags, ribbons and bows. As a Holiday Knitter, you can donate your hand knitted or crocheted scarves and hats.

Donations can be dropped off beginning Nov. 24 through noon on Dec. 5 at Kent Student Center, Room 250 (VP-Enrollment Management and Student Affairs office). If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Barb Boltz at 330-672-1306 or bboltz@kent.edu.

Kent State University Chorale Presents Carols and Confections

Guests can enjoy refreshments following Kent State
University School of Music's Carols and Confections. The
event will take place Dec. 6.

Kent State University Hugh A. Glauser School of Music presents Carols and Confections under the baton of Scott MacPherson, Kent State associate professor of music, on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. at the University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall. Cartwright Hall is located at 650 Hilltop Drive on the Kent Campus. Guests can enjoy refreshments following the performance.

The Kent State Chorale will put audience members in the holiday spirit with songs of the season. The group rehearses four days a week to master five centuries of choral literature. As the flagship choral ensemble of the university, the Kent State Chorale performs on campus and throughout the region and state, touring each spring semester.

Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (60+) and $5 for students with a valid ID or for children under 18 years old. Tickets are available for purchase at the door, cash or check only.

Kent State University Planetarium Presents “The Skies of Winter”

The Kent State University Planetarium’s traditional holiday presentation “The Skies of Winter: Holidays in the Planetarium” has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 4, Friday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. each night in Room 108 at Smith Hall on the Kent Campus.

The program continues this year with an exploration of the skies of winter and their connection to religious and cultural observances throughout the world. Join the planetarium to explore what you can see in the lovely clear skies of winter and how the people of the world structure their lives around the heavens.

This hourlong program is free and open to all, but is not recommended for children under age 6.

Although there is no admission charge, reservations are necessary as seating capacity is limited. Reservations can be made by calling 330-672-2246 to indicate your interest. Individuals in need of special accommodations for the event are encouraged to call at least one week in advance of the show.