It wouldn’t be Christmas without the annual Winter Harp performance at The ACT Arts Centre in Maple Ridge.
This year the show will be opening with a winter salutation written by Stz’uminus elder and artist Daniel R. Elliott of Nanaimo, which will be followed by a new rendition of the Huron Carol.
Winter Harp is made up of musicians: Lauri Lyster; Jeff Pelletier; Lani Krantz; Hayley Farnenholtz; Sabrielle McCurdy-Foreman; Bruce Henczel; and Adam Henderson.
The performance is Renaissance and Celtic inspired and features an ensemble of classical harps, flutes, drums, tambourines, and a collection of rare and beautiful medieval instruments like the bass psaltery, the organistrum, the hurdy-gurdy, the nyckelharpa, the concertina, and the melodica.
Dressed in period costumes and with poetic narration, Winter Harp promises to take its audience on a journey deep into the heart of Christmas and into the heart of winter.
Music and song will combine with festive stories in a medieval setting to encapsulate the Christmas feeling.
The tour this season is dedicated to the memory of the group’s co-founder Alan Woodland who passed away last summer at the age of 94.
Winter Harp is being presented by Arts On Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows and takes place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, and again on Sunday, Dec. 21, at The ACT Arts Centre, 11944 Haney Place, Maple Ridge.
Tickets range from $40 to $55 plus fees, and the show will run around 120 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission.
To purchase tickets go to: https://arts-on.org/live/winter-harp.