Candle-lit solstice concerts invite audiences to slow down
The quiet beauty of winter will be celebrated through music when Cello Dreaming presents A Winter Solstice: Fantasies, Nocturnes & Lullabies for Cello & Piano at Eudlo and Witta in June.
The intimate concert tour will feature cellist Louise King and pianist Eugenie Tamplon performing a candle-lit program inspired by stillness, reflection, renewal and the gradual return of light after the Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice has long been associated with gathering, storytelling, warmth and community, marking the darkest and shortest day of the year before the light slowly returns.
Cello Dreaming’s program has been designed as a relaxed listening experience, inviting audiences to slow down, listen deeply and share a rare moment of calm in the heart of winter.
The program includes fantasies, nocturnes, lullabies, meditations and gentle musical landscapes, with works by Australian composers Nat Bartsch and Sally Greenaway, French impressionists Erik Satie, Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré, contemporary composers Ola Gjeilo, Gabriel Ólafs, Max Richter, Ludovico Einaudi and Arvo Pärt, and Russian romantic composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The performances will be presented in an intimate winter setting with battery candlelight, fairy lights, natural flora and rosemary for remembrance.
Patrons may choose seated listening or bring a yoga mat, blanket and cushion for a front relaxation area. They are also encouraged to bring a journal, sketchbook, knitting, poetry or another quiet creative practice to accompany the music.
Light refreshments, including homemade soup, mulled wine, chai, tea, coffee and cake, will be available for purchase before the performance and during interval.
Hospitality proceeds will support the presentation costs of the independent performance project, including artist fees, with any additional profit donated to the Long Listen Festival EOFY fundraising campaign.
Performances are at Eudlo Hall, Rosebed St, Eudlo, on Friday June 19 from 6pm-7.30pm, with doors open from 5.30pm, and at a Witta House Concert (address is on tickets) on Sunday June 21 from 5pm-6.30pm, with doors open from 4.30pm. Tickets via Humanitix.com (search “Winter Solstice”).