Halalisa Singers present Concert for the Earth'

Boston-based world music vocal ensemble Halalisa Singers led by artistic director Mary Cunningham presents Concert for the Earth featuring the “Missa Gaia (Earth Mass)” on Saturday, October 14, 8 pm at First Parish of Arlington, 630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington and Sunday, October 15, 4 p.m. at Unitarian Church of Worcester, 90 Main St., Worcester. Special guests include composer, singer and guitarist Jim Scott, who joins the 30-voice choir as performer and soloist in his own works including “Missa Gaia” and “We Are the Earth,” and acclaimed saxophonist/vocalist Stan Strickland. The group is also joined by pianist Trevor Berens, percussionist Bertram Lehmann and bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa. The concert is rescheduled from last April. Tickets $25 at www.halalisa.org. For more information, email [email protected].

An uplifting program that celebrates the beauty of the earth, Concert for the Earth also calls for action to stem the destructive tide of climate change. Composed in the early 1980s, the riveting “Missa Gaia (Earth Mass)” weaves lyrical melodies with international gospel traditions, the calls of animals and the songs of whales as a joyful tribute to the planet, reminding us of the incomparable beauty, preciousness and precariousness of nature.

“We are thrilled to sing the ’Missa Gaia’ with Jim Scott and Stan Strickland, and connect with the community in song about the urgent climate crisis,” says Cunningham. “This gorgeous piece, written 40 years ago, is a love song to the beauty of our world and still calls to us to care and appreciate our place in the interconnected web of all life. The mix of Gregorian chant and church hymns, Latin American and African rhythms and jazz and gospel ballads with the song of wolf and whale mixed in is quite a musical experience!”

Celtic-tinged melodies and percussion convey both beauty and urgency as the chorus calls for truth and justice in Kim Andre Arnesen’s “Song for Justice,” a movement from the longer “Beatitudes for a Wounded World.” With passages both rhythmic and flowing, Gwyneth Walker’s gorgeous “Tree of Peace” reflects the strength, tenderness, and love needed to prevail in hardship. Moses Hogan, one of the great choral arrangers, is represented with his a cappella version of the traditional spiritual “Wade in the Water” with Stan Strickland as vocal soloist. The traditional West African chant melody “Yemaya,” meaning goddess of the ocean, is heard in an arrangement by Diana Saez. “The Tide Is Rising,” written by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman and her husband Yotam Schachter, has become a staple song in the climate movement, sung all over the world. “Do It Now: Sing for the Climate,” also widely sung as part of the international climate action movement, is set to the tune of “Bella Ciao” and calls us to wake up and build a better future, not tomorrow, not next year, but right now. Songs by Jim Scott led by the composer include “Harmony,” “Common Ground” and “We Are the Earth.”

“We’re excited to include works by contemporary composers who call us to action,” says Cunningham. “Our music can move us to accomplish what our hearts desire and the time is now!”

Halalisa Singers are a celebrated world music vocal ensemble of Greater Boston, dedicated to the performance of music across all cultures and nationalities. Halalisa is a Zulu word for celebration, and in that spirit, the Halalisa repertoire includes African, Latin, American Spiritual, Gospel, Jewish, Folk, and Jazz music. Founded by Nick Page in 1992 and under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham since 2004, the chorus offers vibrant, passionate performances throughout the Boston area, inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite us all. The ensemble has been featured at venues and events including the Museum of Fine Arts, Revels’ RiverSing, Winchester Multicultural Network, Lexington Symphony, Refugee Immigration Ministry’s Annual International Concert and Belmont International Film Festival.

Artistic Director Mary Cunningham is in her 18th year of leading the Halalisa Singers, creating and directing unique and dynamic world music-themed choral concerts. Following her vision to share their music across the Boston area and beyond, Halalisa continues to reach out to wider audiences to perform an ever-expanding repertoire. In 2019, she led the group in a concert tour of Ireland with performances in Dublin and Galway.Mary commissioned composers Nick Page and Brian Tate to write songs in celebration of the group’s 20th anniversary, which are now sung by choruses nationwide. She earned her Master’s in Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music after degree training at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and is well known in the Boston area as an active choral conductor, vocalist, and flute soloist. She is the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading, a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the Association of UU Music Ministries. A member of the New World Chorale and a frequent performer with the Christmas Revels, Mary is on the faculty of the Powers Music School in Belmont and has a private teaching studio in Medford.

Composer, guitarist and singer Jim Scott conveys warmth and humor in his jazz and world music influenced songs. With prodigious guitar mastery and a clear voice, he touches hearts with messages of peace, justice and the earth. A former member of the Paul Winter Consort, Scott has toured the world, recorded several CDs of original music and published a growing line of choral works. A co-creator of the “Green Sanctuary” program for churches to become more sustainable, Jim also compiled the “Earth and Spirit Songbook,” an anthology of over 100 songs of earth and peace. He has been artist in residence or visiting faculty at schools such as Oberlin College and enjoys putting young people in touch with their innate creativity and the power of musical expression. Jim has also visited over 700 Unitarian Universalist churches, and several of his songs are featured in the UU Hymnbooks.

Singer, saxophonist, flutist and actor Stan Strickland has performed extensively throughout the US, Europe, Scandinavia, New Zealand and former Soviet Union. In addition to numerous radio and television appearances, Stan has performed in venues including Jordan and Symphony Halls in Boston, Carnegie Recital Hall and Town Hall in New York, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He also has performed with the Boston Pops Touring Ensemble and jazz greats Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Mann, Danilo Perez, Shirley Scott and Marlena Shaw. Acting experience includes the leading role in the Boston Art Group’s production of “Harlem Renaissance,” which toured across New England, and a play Stan conceived called “Coming Up For Air: An Autojazzography.” Stan’s honors include the Martin Luther King Music Achievement Award from the city of Boston.

Pianist, composer, and accompanist Trevor Berens plays in many different styles, specializing in avant-garde classical music, traditional classical music, and free improvisation. Trevor holds degrees in piano performance, composition and music therapy from Loyola Marymount University, California Institute of the Arts and Lesley University. As a collaborator, he enjoys working with solo vocalists and instrumentalists, chamber groups, choruses, and with dancers and actors. Trevor is the founder, pianist, and resident composer of the new music ensemble Sonic Liberation Players. Trevor is the Pianist at the UU Church of Reading and, with his wife Jessica, runs the Berens Voice and Piano Studio out of Pepperell, MA.

Percussionist Bertram Lehmann is a versatile, widely renowned performer who has appeared with artists including Paquito D’Rivera, Danilo Perez, Dave Liebman, Luciana Souza, and Dave Samuel’s Caribbean Jazz Project. He teaches at Berklee College of Music and Phillips Academy, and has conducted clinics and workshops at Harvard University, Princeton University, Wellesley College, Oberlin College, Moscow Conservatory, Keimyung University in South Korea, and elsewhere. He has played on more than 60 recordings with musicians including the Mehmet Sanlikol Big Band, Felipe Salles, Mango Blue, and Anat Cohen, Miguel Zenon, and Randy Brecker. His international performances have included appearances in Bermuda, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey, at venues including Lincoln Center, Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and The Kennedy Center.

Bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa was born in Oswego, New York and was raised in Marquette, Michigan. He received a Bachelor's of Music Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied both jazz and classical music with renowned bassist Richard Davis. From Wisconsin, Keala moved to New York City, where he performed with the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. After moving to the Boston area, Keala studied jazz bass and improvisation with legendary bassist Ron Carter as part of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at New England Conservatory. Meanwhile, he continued his classical bass studies with virtuoso bassist Donald Palma. While at the Monk Institute, Keala performed with Jimmy Heath, Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and James Moody. Since 2001, Keala has been an Affiliated Artist at MIT, teaching Jazz Combo Ensembles. He has performed throughout Italy, at the Havana Jazz Festival as well as freelancing around Boston, frequently performing at Sculler's Jazz Club, Ryles, Wally's Jazz Cafe and the Regattabar.

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