Sound Theology by Colleen Butcher

This week’s solar eclipse is causing a stir in many states, as people flock to the best viewing locations. The anticipated mayhem has been widely communicated, often overshadowing the wonderful mystery of the event! The tangible effects that will occur because of the lining up of the sun and the moon on the same side of the earth, at the same time, are amazing. Did you know that: ·      

The gravitational pull causes the earth’s crust to bulge outward by about 40 millimeters, along the line of the center of the earth, moon, and sun ·      

Coastal areas will see tides up to one foot higher than during regular Spring Tides ·      

The temperature could drop by as much as 20-30 degrees F ·      

Looking at the horizon, it is possible to see a 360 degree sunset ·      

And, of course, you know that your eyes can be permanently damaged by the sun if you look directly at it during the eclipse! Get the instructions for making a boy-scout-approved light box HERE. read more…

This week, let’s take a trip “across the pond” and have a look-see at what’s happening at the BBC Proms!

The Proms is one of my favourite summer festivals for the simple reason that it includes everything: from events for kids, to the most contemporary of contemporary classical music, from outdoor, sit on a blanket in the park singalongs, to the quintessential historical practice of standing in the “stalls” at Royal Albert Hall. read more…

Just an hour and 10 minutes west of Tanglewood is a music festival of an entirely different artistic vision. Both festivals include incredible musicians, but the Bard Music Festival in Annandale-on-Hudson’s programming focus features just one composer each summer. The creative team develops two weeks of events that tell the story of one composer’s life: their creative milieu, collaborators and influences, along with the literature, visual art, theatre, philosophy, and politics of the time in which the music was written.   The Bard Music Festival was founded in 1990 to promote this new way of understanding and presenting the history of music to a contemporary audience. The 2017 festival is focusing on the composer Chopin. In sixteen programs, the artistic director and staff lead the audience on a journey through an amazing array of programs recreating and dialoguing about culture in 1800s Europe. The concerts include music of Polish composer such as Mendelssohn, Moscheles, Szymanowski, Liszt, and dozens of others from all over the world. This week’s playlist cannot come close to reflecting the breadth and creativity of the festival. However, I hope you enjoy this short list of selections, including some wonderful, less well-known works. read more…

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One of the best things about summer has to be music outdoors. Concerts spring up everywhere when the weather gets sunny. From impromptu guitar players in city parks to long-standing festivals featuring international artists, music and sunshine go together. Regardless of their stature, the best summer festivals all have one thing in common: everyone can participate in something. Whether you take in a free lunch-time event, or get tickets on the grass and bring a picnic, or queue for the Proms’ coveted day-of floor seats, festivals try hard to invite as wide an audience as possible. Festivals are mini celebrations, bringing people together in instant communities of focused participation. They are also crucibles for creativity, as artists from diverse genres and backgrounds come together to energize and spark something new. Shared experiences. Inspirational performances. Amplified delight. Over the next few weeks, Sound Theology will bring you music that will be (or has been) played at 2017 summer music festivals around the world. If have summer outdoor concerts in your neighborhood, go! read more…