Now lay thine ear against this golden sand……..
and thou shalt hear the music of the sea
A Community Celebration Seaside,
Queen’s Landing, 1707 Lower Water St. Halifax, Nova Scotia Saturday June 9, 2012, 7pm to sunset.
2012 ECMA winning guitarist composer Scott Macmillan, presents a special gala, a Community Celebration Seaside, June 9, 7pm on Queen’s Landing in Halifax performing of his acclaimed compositions ‘Celtic Mass for the Sea’ & ‘Currents of Sable Island’.
Come one and all to this free outdoor multi-media evening of song, live art, photography and ocean sciences, in celebration and awareness of World Ocean s Day.
Local media personality Olga Milosevich will host this innovative gala concert featuring Scott Macmillan on guitar joined by the Halifax Camerata Singers, under the direction of Jeff Joudrey, the Blue Engine String Quartet, members of Symphony Nova Scotia, a Celtic Quintet, and Soprano Soloist, Laurel Browne.
Community Celebration Seaside will also be a visual feast with the inclusion of Damian Lidgard’s expressive photographic interpretations of Sable Island, during the performance of ‘Currents of Sable Island’. During the performance of the ‘Celtic Mass for the Sea’ you’ll get a ringside seat as visual composer, Nova Scotia Artist Holly Carr, will create live before you an enormous 20ft x 10ft seascape revealing on silk the mysteries of the oceans.
Building on his relationship with the International Oceans Institute Macmillan is delighted to have their scientists dramatize the two spoken parts during the ‘Celtic Mass for the Sea’ particularly as they celebrated their 40th anniversary.
This special seaside gala is possible through partnership with the Waterfront Development Corp. Ltd, Ecology Action Centre, Eastlink and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
Benedictus from the Celtic Mass for the Sea
“Macmillan’s Celtic Mass for the Sea CD is a runaway best seller in the classical market selling over 20,000 units”
In June of 1988, Scott Macmillan was commissioned through CBC radio producer Markandrew Cardiff and by the CBC Commission Office to create a “Celtic Mass for the Sea”. The instrumentation was to be similar to an earlier project Scott had worked on, “The OCTET”. This time there would be the addition of Irish bagpipes,Celtic Knot (Uileann pipes), celtic harp, a sixty voice choir, string orchestra and a text that would reflect a Celtic perspective of the sea and, at the same time, address our responsibility to our environment. The text was researched, edited and adapted for the Mass layout by Jennyfer Brickenden.
Since ancient times, mankind has sought prayer, meditation, incantations, sacrificial rites, blessings, omens, proverbs, etc. to define and gather strength for both praise and hope. In the “Celtic Mass for the Sea”, a text was compiled based on pre-Christian (pagan, wicca, druid), Christian and secular writings of Celtic origin, much of which dates back to before the 12th century. Up to the 12th century, Celtic Christianity was very pagan in its roots and in its application. Its foundation had been built around the superstitions and cultural heritage that had prevailed long before St. Patrick and St. Columba.
“Celtic Mass for the Sea puts Scott Macmillan up with the Bill Whelan’s and Shaun Davey’s of the world; a Celtic classical composer par excellence”
– John O’Regan; Broadcaster; Limerick; May 1997.
“One of the most significant events in Atlantic Canada in the last decade;”
– Dr. Walter Kemp, Head of Dalhousie University Music Dept., 1994
The music bases its themes on traditional Celtic rowing songs, sea-rapture songs, labour songs, funeral chants, pipe and fiddle tunes, as well as many original themes by Scott Macmillan.
During our research we were fortunate to locate highly respected Gaelic scholar Sister Margaret MacDonell, at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. She in turn directed us to two re
