Vermont Humanities

Melodic Wanderlust: Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite

Goodrich Memorial Library 202 Main St, Newport, VT, United States

Originally titled “Impressions Of The Far East,” this Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn suite was inspired by the Ellington Orchestra’s State Department-sponsored tour of the Far and Middle East in the fall of 1963. Reuben Jackson explores this extended work, which is imaginative and swinging, radical yet accessible.

Dancing in the Street: Carols and Songs of the Holiday Season

Goodrich Memorial Library 202 Main St, Newport, VT, United States

Sometime in November each year, holiday music -- mostly Christmas carols, but others as well -- begins to saturate the soundscape of North America. Every song has a story; what's the story of this music? Why does it have such a cultural hold? Is it a kind of folk tradition? How is it related to dance and drama? This presentation will include singing and will offer lore about the origins of these songs, their practice, and the resonance they have in our lives.