Paul Winter Consort to Present ‘One Global Community’ Concert at First Church, West Hartford on Saturday April 21, 2018, at 7 p.m.

By Joy Taylor

What better way to honor and celebrate Earth Day than by hearing the Paul Winter Consort live at First Church on Saturday, April 21, 2018, at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $20-$40 with discounts for over 65 and under 12.

Paul Winter and the Paul Winter Consort will join forces with award winning vocalist, Theresa Thomason and the First Church Choir to present “One Global Community,” a concert, at First Church, West Hartford, 12 South Main St. The performance will celebrate the world’s diversity and its ecological treasures.

“We are thrilled to have Theresa back with us, and equally excited to have Paul Winter himself,” commented First Church Music Director Jim Boratko. “The people of West Hartford, and beyond, are in for a treat with a concert by these talented musicians right here in our community.”

Tickets for the event are available online here. Prices are $40 for preferred seating, $30 for standard seating, and $20 for balcony seating. A $5 discount is available for seniors over 65 and children under 12.

Paul Winter and his group, the Paul Winter Consort, have performed around the world, from New York’s Carnegie Hall to the Miho Museum in Japan. One of the earliest exponent’s of world music, the group has also pioneered a new genre of “earth music,” (described as “ecological jazz” by fans in Russia), interweaving classical, jazz and world music elements with voices from what Winter calls “the greatest symphony of the earth.”

The Consort has won four Grammy Awards, for Spanish Angel (1994), a live album recorded in Spain; for Silver Solstice (2005), which celebrates the annual Winter Solstice Celebrations in New York;  Crestone (2007); and Miho: Journey to the Mountain (2010).

Since 1980, Winter and the Consort have been artists-in-residence at the world’s largest cathedral, New York’s St. John the Divine, where they have presented over 100 special events, including the annual Winter and Summer Solstice Celebrations, Carnival for the Rainforest, and their ecological mass, Missa Gaia/Earth Mass, which is performed annually each October as part of the Feast of St. Francis. The Missa Gaia/Earth Mass will be the centerpiece of the concert.

Theresa Thomason is a world renowned Gospel singer. Theresa toured Europe for more than 10 years, performing in over 150 European cities. She remains a featured artist with the Paul Winter Consort at the annual Solstice, Missa Gaia and Earth Mass celebrations at St. John the Divine, in New York City. Many of these performances were televised on PBS and NBC. Thomason has also performed live at the United Nations for the Dalai Lama and others.

The First Church Choir is directed by Jim Boratko, organist and music director who just celebrated his 20^th year at First Church.

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