Albatross — Judy Collins, arr. Eudaimonia | Eudaimonia, A Purposeful Period Band
Carrie Cheron, mezzo soprano
Sarah Cantor, recorder
Julia McKenzie, violin
Elisabeth Westner, viola
Claire Garabedian, baroque 'cello
"The lady comes to the gate dressed in lavender and leather, looking North to the sea, she finds the weather fine. She hears the steeple bells ringing through the orchard all the way from town. She watches seagulls fly, silver on the ocean stitching through the waves, the edges of the sky. Many people wander up the hills from all around you, making up your memories and thinking they have found you. They cover you with veils of wonder as if you were a bride, young men holding violets are curious to know if you have cried, and tell you why, ask you why. Any way you answer. Lace around the collars of the blouses of the ladies, flowers from a Spanish friend of the family, the embroid'ry of your life holds you in, and keeps you out but you survive. Imprisoned in your bones, behind the glass windows of your eyes. And in the night the iron wheels rolling through the rain, down the hills through the long grass to the sea, and in the dark the hard bells ringing with pain, come away alone."
Eudaimonia, a Purposeful Period Band (Vivian Montgomery and Julia McKenzie, directors) is a vibrant historical orchestra that uses its musical work to lift up the social and humanitarian work going on around us. Bringing together some of the Boston area’s most creative performers in the period performance field, Eudaimonia seeks to benefit those in profound need in our immediate environs. As an artistic collective, we build upon shared ideals, ignited spirits, and a desire for healthy collaboration. Eudaimonia-music.org
Each concert presented by this flexible ensemble is in partnership with, and in support of, an existing Boston-based social service or initiative. Our programs inventively evoke the message or cause of the service organization with which we’re partnering. Boundary Issues is a passionate and unruly St. Cecilia’s celebration featuring Eudaimonia’s versatile female component, pushing the boundaries with the same insistence required of those, like the METCO College Scholarship Fund, who wish to break down the racial and economic barriers that hinder so many in our midst.
The word eudaimonia refers to the richest, most expansive form of happiness, defined in ancient philosophy as a sense of well-being associated with a noble purpose or engagement in meaningful activities. Happiness, even that brought about by music, is more than pleasure: it comes out of living in accordance with one’s “daimon” (spirit) – or true Self.
...music of the past serving needs of the present
eudaimonia-music.org
