Nashville School of the Arts Mummer’s Play
illustration ©2016 Veronika Gadjosova
Part of a series of articles on
Preparing a School Winter Solstice Performance
Nashville School of the Arts Mummer’s Play
compiled by Walter Bitner from original sources
and from an original play by Walter Bitner & Jody Kruskal, 1995
Cast:
Fool
Father Christmas
Johnny Jack
Hobby Horse
Dragon
Mayor
Saint George
Doctor
Townspeople
* * *
Fool
Room, room, make room,
NSA friends and families all!
Pray, give us room to rhyme!
We come to show activity
In this glorious wintertime!
Activity of youth!
Activity of age!
Such activity as you’ve never seen on stage.
Fieldston Outdoors Mummer’s Play
illustration ©2016 Veronika Gadjosova
Part of a series of articles on
Preparing a School Winter Solstice Performance
Fieldston Outdoors Mummer’s Play
by Walter Bitner & Jody Kruskal, 1995
Cast:
Fool
Johnny Jack
Mayor
Dragon
Saint George
Hobby Horse
Doctor
Townspeople
* * *
Fool
(Sweeping the stage)
Room, room, make room, Fieldston campers all!
Pray, give us room to rhyme!
Our play we wish to share with you
In this glorious summertime!
So enter, Johnny Jack I say!
And tell us, what are we doing here today? (more…)
In Comes I
illustration ©2016 Veronika Gadjosova
The Student Mummer’s Play
Part of a series of articles on
Preparing a School Winter Solstice Performance
The climactic feature of my student winter solstice performance was a traditional English mummer’s play, featuring students in all of the roles. I first saw mummer’s plays at Christmas Revels productions in New York City in the early 1990s – in fact they are the only mummer’s plays I have seen (performed live) besides the ones I produced with my students. I don’t think that this tradition is very well known in the United States, and I enjoyed introducing it to my students and their families.
Off The Podium Published in Choral Director Magazine
I’m thrilled to share here that my column Off The Podium made its first appearance this week in the October 2016 issue of Choral Director magazine. Off The Podium will be a regular component of Choral Director going forward, featuring the kinds of articles about music education I have been posting here on my blog since March 2015.
And as if this weren’t sweet enough: to launch my column with a splash, I am also featured on the cover!
Accelerando on Nashville Public Television
Nashville Symphony music director Giancarlo Guerrero poses with Accelerando students, August 20, 2016 ~ from Arts Break, Nashville Public Television
Nashville Public Television (WNPT) featured the Nashville Symphony’s award-winning Accelerando program on the station’s weekly feature Arts Break this week. The three minute segment premiered Thursday night, October 6, and will run again on Sunday morning October 9 after Volunteer Gardener (around 9:55am).
Felix Wang and the Nashville Concerto Orchestra Perform Michael Rose’s Cello Concerto
Michael Rose and Felix Wang
On Wednesday, October 19 at 12 pm, the Nashville Concerto Orchestra will give the first and second performances of Michael Rose‘s concerto for cello and orchestra Sedentary Dances in its full orchestration. Felix Wang – who premiered the concerto in January 2013 in its initial version with Michael playing a reduction of the orchestration at the piano – will again perform the cello solo, and the orchestra will be conducted by Joseph Lee. The concert will take place in the sanctuary of West End United Methodist Church, Nashville.
Last week I spoke with Michael and Felix, and with Roger Wiesmeyer, who is the founder and inspirer for the Nashville Concerto Orchestra – and is so often found at the heart of classical music happenings in Music City.
Walter Bitner 