1. The Shortest Day / The Open Door - Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). These two tunes by Julie feature Yann Falquet on guitar, Mark Roberts on banjo, Katie McNally on fiddle, and Julie on accordion and can be found on her album Dark Sky, Bright Stars. www.julievallimont.com
2. A strange feather, by Hafiz. Read by Charis Boke (Springfield, VT).
3. Somewhere Along the Road - Bob Mills (Montague, MA). Bob says, “This was written by Les Barker of England, who is known more for punny poems of the sort to elicit groans. I met Les in the late 90s in Albuquerque and found he was a much deeper poet than that, and then heard this song from June Tabor... which is about as deep as it goes.”
4. Journey, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT), with D modal improvisation by Aaron Marcus (Montpelier, VT) on their tune “Meg and Jay.” https://aaronmarcus.bandcamp.com/releases
5. Testimony - Brendan Taaffe (Brattleboro, VT). This song, by Ali Burns, is an unreleased recording of a Bright Wings Chorus performance. www.brendantaaffe.com
6. An excerpt from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT).
7. After the Sky Weeps - Casey Murray and Molly Tucker (Boston, MA). Casey says, “This is a tune I wrote this spring after a rainstorm when I was feeling sad and thinking about how our planet could also be mourning as well. This tune is about the feeling of what might come after tears or sadness, such as release, hope, or emptiness. We originally arranged this tune for our housemates while we quarantined together, an ensemble of violin, viola, and three cellos.” https://caseymurraymusic.wixsite.com/home
The opening music is “The Pearl in Sorrow’s Hand” by Julie Vallimont, from her album Dark Sky, Bright Stars. Produced by Julie Vallimont. Mixed and mastered by Dana Billings. All content courtesy of the artists, all rights reserved. This series is supported in part by the Country Dance and Song Society, NEFFA, and Pinewoods Camp.
