I love the Christmas season and eagerly anticipate the annual celebration of its rich traditions. This is especially so for the annual Winter Harp performance which comes early to my community. The costumes are a feast for the eyes but it is the contemplative music that leaves me wrapped snugly in the Christmas spirit.
Three beautiful harps, rare medieval instruments and percussion combine to perform an afternoon of festive carols and stories and a most hauntingly beautiful Christmas concert. The ensemble features Kim Robertson, one of the world’s top Celtic harpists and the ever popular narrator Patrick Ball.
Sechelt is the first of their concert series, and many Vancouverites have been known to take the short ferry ride to hear their performance in a more intimate setting. I’ve often been tempted to travel in the other direction to experience their concert in the majestic cathedral of St. Andrews-Wesley United Church in Vancouver
Watch the video below, a most beautiful rendition of O Come O Come Emmanuel. A singular voice accompanied by the mesmerizing sound of a 9th century replica Spanish Organistrum and a medieval Bass Psaltery.
Christmas for me is a time to celebrate all these wonderful traditions – the Winter Harp concert, our annual Christmas Tree Brunch with family and friends, a large beach-side bonfire to watch the Carol Ships cruising by at night… it is a magical time to experience and enjoy, and it has begun, once again.
