News items posted to this page are edited versons of Member Mailings.
We don't want to bore you with an excess of boring "backstage" details.
Four Winds News: 7 January 1999:
GIVEAWAY III: SOLSTICE NIGHT AT W.Y.R.D.
WYRD was a blast and a smash, "live radio" glitches and all! I am EXTREMELY pleased with the evening and VERY PROUD of the effort our Members put in.
On Friday, December 18th, the newly expanded Chorus went "on the air" at the fictional Pagan Radio Station W.Y.R.D. with 16 Members, including six trainees, and the additional talents of Misha Dutka and Joe Zuchwoski to present the most well received Giveaway Concert yet. We performed our on-stage radio show to our best house to date in the Post Graduate Center theatre space and the entire event was a spiritual, artistic and celebratory success.
I was particularly buzzed since my Mother well enough to be able to attend the event. This is the first time she has been able to see us perform since our first year. Pretty Cool.
The "live" radio show format provided considerable flexibility and the playlist seemed to hit the right notes of variety, tone and balance between informality and seriousness. The sets included songs of Yule, Solstice, Christmas and Hanukkah including Adeste Fideles, O Hanukkah, the haunting Winter Solstice Sunrise and closed the show with a Winter Solstice Journey Medley carrying the audience from Autumn through Solstice Morning.
The show also featured fine work by our "guest" performers. A compelling Winter Solstice Dance by Jezibell. We were all very happy to have Richard J. Treitner back on deck and in such good form after his assault. His very fine At Solstice Time gave us not only the light of dawn, but also the darkness of Winter.
Oh MY, The Wyrd Sisters! A very fetching 30s-inspired "witchy" set. I must mention that when we got started in 1994, Elspeth swore that she would NEVER do a solo, much less a spotlight. Times change... Nice work from her, Athena and Daya-Li. Very glad to have Thunder back on board to add a very fine drum voice to the mix playing both djimbe and doumbek. We don't call him our First Chair Drummer for nothing. The Sacred Drum Jam segment honored Kwanzaa with the traditional African song/chant Ajaja and added some serious drumming to The Little Drummer Boy.
I also very much enjoyed rumbling wit my brothas' of Bass & Two Baritones, performing O Holy Night, The BoarÕs Head Carol and Joe ZÕs peace-focused arrangement of Do You Hear What I Hear? and it looked like the crowd enjoyed it too. Very cool. And both B&2B and The Wyrd Sisters benifited from MishaÕs very fine work at the piano.
Our "trainees" should now consider themselves full-fledged Performing Members! Having performed in front of an audience including people who know you is no small thing. TheyÕve lots to learn, but did a GREAT job. Very fine work by everybody! Pilamaye! Thanks! A holiday gift for all involved.
A Gift Of The Magi
A vastly reduced team hit the stage the following Tuesday to open for The PGC Players' Gift Of The Magi. We were four. Jessica, Alexandria, Athena and myself. Whew! But the short set of three songs was well-received and well done. "Hero" kudos to Alexandria and Jessica for their LOYALTY and BRAVERY under pressure. Athena and I have had heat before... but I really wish more folk could have turned out for that one, it would have helped a bit with what's coming.
** URGENT ** URGENT ** URGENT **
A Four Winds Chapter Set To Close
At the December 17th Run-Through for Giveaway III, I was informed that the current Directorate of the Post Graduate Center was pursuing plans to rent the Theater space as a revenue source for the funding-starved facility. The Chorus has been asked to leave to make room for potential new paying tenants.
Needless to say, this is a serious challenge to the viability of the Chorus as a volunteer, not-for-profit entity. There are a lot of implications and issues associated with this situation. I have managed to negotiate us an extension to the end of January We are considering having some sort of "Thanksgiving" or Honoring Bardic Circle for the year and four months we had there. This would be the last Friday of January, the 29th.
We are unfortunately at a situational disadvantage of utter sufferance, so we don't have much legal right to challenge our ouster. The current Directorate of PGC seems particularly unimpressed with the barter arrangement we had with her predecessor. The specific Director in question apparently looks upon us as freeloaders who provide no "tangible benefit" (i.e. monetary) to the Center. We don't pay rent. We have no written contract. We are not part of the Center's or Project US's official program. And our original patron, Perry Kaplan, is no longer part of the Center's management. The Center has every right to ask us to leave in favor of ANY other approved use that the Center deems fit. As it stands, we are obligated to make way for any sanctioned activity of the Center or Project US.
We humbly request all of our fans and supporters to devote a little thought and energy to our situation. Please be on the lookout for and keep your ears to the floor for suitable spaces. We welcome all thoughts or suggestions. Even better, leads on potential economical spaces. It will require a respectable amount of legwork to situate ourselves in a new location.
WANTED: REHEARSAL SPACE
Seeking: a regular indoor rehearsal space. We rehearse approx 2hrs, 4-5 weekday evenings per month and occasional days on weekends. Space for 8-20 persons, we average 12 people most meetings. Location preferably in midtown-lower Manhattan, soundproof enough for many voices with moderate, occasionaly intense, drumming. Electricity outlet/s avalable (Not for amplified sound equipment!). Reasonably accessible to public transportation.
As a volunteer, not-for-profit musical cooperative, we have very little revenue beyond Member tithes and donations, so we require a very economical space. We would gratefully consider any sort of barter, teaching, performance or exchange agreements.
Respond with any leads via email to:
Choral Director Kurt Talking Stone at khgriffith@worldnet.att.net.We are also interested in spaces suitable for workshops, ritual and ceremony and for performances.
Looking ahead, Plans and Plots
So whatÕs out there in the future for Four Winds? No matter where we end up, even in Member's living rooms, we're gonna keep working. Take a look, hereÕs whatÕs on the horizon.
March 11, 1999
As of that date, the Four Winds Earth Chorus will be Five Years Old as a working entity. A heck of a birthday and what a long, strange (and wonderful) trip it's been. We've GOT to do something special to commemorate the event. In past yearÕs we've had Bardic Circles, Rituals casual and formal, and impromptu Birthday parties to note these milestones.Five years is kind of special. We've now lasted longer than most businesses, some nations, and many marriages. We will probably stage whatever celebration we come up with on Friday the 12th or Saturday the 13th.
April, 1999 - Giveaway IV
We're thinking about doing the Giveaway series more or less three times a year. That puts the next show sometime in April. Since All Fools Day is so near and dear to our hearts, we talked about shakin' our sillies out and starting to put together some ideas for Giveaway IV: Jesters, Fools and Coyote.This is really an excuse to find a public forum for all the less than serious stuff that's been accumulating at the back of our Ids and notebooks . Of course funny stuff is very serious and being a clown, sacred or otherwise, is just as hard work as being a shaman. Actually, a couple of my teachers have noted that there really isnÕt all that much difference anyway...
Saturday, April 17, 1999 - Pagan Way Grove
WeÕre also penciled in for a Teaching Circle for Enchantments' Pagan Way Grove in the early Spiring. Jez and Joe suggest that theyÕd like to get back to Bardic Basics with this go around as they plan to have us as their guests earlier in the Grove season than in previous years.June, 1999 - Full Moon Circle
In June, for the Full Moon, we have requested the honor of facilitating that month's Full Moon Ritual for New Moon New York. New Moon has announced it is changing its' shape for a year and a day come Samhain, but they will be maintaining the major rituals, Samhain, Yule, and Beltane and arranging to have the Full Moon Rituals continue.For us, June of 1999 will mark our Five Year Anniversary of our first public performance and ritual. Our first outing before the community was the New Moon New York Full Moon Ritual for July 1996. It is big good karma to give one up for an organization that has given us many opportunities to serve and sing.
Over the years weÕve done some of our best work for New Moon NY. Some high points include Bizarre Bazaar, Choral Yule and Samhain Rituals which received the accolade Ōmost magickalĶ. Not to mention performance events such as the Pre- New Years Coffeehouse and Manhattan Magick. All in all, it is an impressive body of work we can all be justly proud of.
July 1999 - African Unity Day
We were also invited back to support African Unity Day II. The organizers of the event plan to take the event "inland" to Bryant Park, where the general audience, including passerby, will be denser. All of the performers put in such great efforts richly deserve to be seen by more people. And with any luck, we might be able to get more of a promotional effort in place.And that's just what we're pretty sure about. Even though we had to turn down Zodiac Lounge for Witches' Ball, there are other possibilities they may have in mind for us.
Richard Courage has also suggested some very thoughtful possibilities about working with kids, based on the very positive response we received with just an impromptu appearance at Incube. So we'll certainly look into this, it suits the mission!
One Last Stone
And while we're ON about all that, let's not lose track of what this is all about. ItÕs about singing. ItÕs about this music that we feel so passionately about. This music, these songs, the act of singing itself is sacred. We strive to learn, to improve our skill and this craft. Whether or not we go on stage or into circle, just sing. That's the part that counts, what brings us closer to Spirit. So while weÕre busy feeding our egos, letÕs keep that in mind.
Feel free to talk to us if you have any questions, ideas, problems or just want to gab. Rehearsals, bookings, gigs, songs, circles, teachings; you know weÕre interested!
Got News, Questions or problems? Send E-Mail to us at: khgriffith@worldnet.att.net
Mitaquye Oyasin * Blessed Be * Ashe * Shalom * A Salaam * Amen
Kurt Griffith/Talking Stone,
Choral Director
