A Paul Winter Solstice Concert 2008
Paul Winter Consort Winter Solstice Concert 2008
The Forces of Nature Dance Theater Ensemble. Jeff Day hide caption
Paul Winter Consort Winter Solstice Concert 2008
Video
See highlights of previous concerts:
The Dmitry Pokrovsky Ensemble
The Forces of Nature Dance Theater Ensemble
Free Download
Hear and download a track from the Paul Winter Consort's latest album, Crestone:
'Witchi-Tai-To' from Paul Winter Consort, Crestone
Paul Winter. Jeff Day hide caption
For more than a quarter century, saxophonist Paul Winter has celebrated the longest night of the year with a concert. For the 19th straight year, NPR presents Paul Winter's annual Winter Solstice Celebration, held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in upper Manhattan.
Backed by the Paul Winter Consort, Winter's soaring soprano sax drives a spectacle of theater, dance and music. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts the broadcast, welcoming special guests such as Brazilian singer Renato Braz, double-reed master Paul McCandless and Native American singer and drummer John-Carlos Perea. The performance also features music from Paul Winter's 2008 release Crestone.
In 1962, the U.S. State Department sent Winter and his college jazz band on a tour of Latin America. That experience helped cement the saxophonist's deep fascination with music and culture from around the world.
A few years afterward, Winter launched the Paul Winter Consort, the core performing group for the annual Winter Solstice concerts. Each year, its members are joined by international musicians to celebrate the return of the sun at the world's largest Gothic cathedral. Regular listeners will remember guests such as the Dimitri Pokrovsky Ensemble from Russia, Zimbabwean artist Lucky Moyo, Armenian singer Arto Tuncboyacian, gospel diva Theresa Thomason and Irish piper Davy Spillane.