Musicians from Around the Globe Gather to Celebrate Maritime Traditions
Mystic, Conn. (May 23, 2013) — Musicians from around the world will come to Mystic Seaport to celebrate the musical traditions of the Golden Age of Sail at the 34th annual Sea Music Festival, Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9.
The weekend’s festivities include concerts, a storytelling stage, instructional workshops, folk dancing, and a scholar’s symposium. The Festival is the premier sea music event in North America.
In addition to the Mystic Seaport Chantey Staff, scheduled performers include the Sicilian group AcquAria, Kapriol’! from The Netherlands, and Australia’s Danny Spooner. Sara Grey, recognized as one of the finest traditional performers ever, will appear with her son Kieron Means, and the group OCEAN Celtic from Washington DC, will entertain with their unique blend of Celtic and folk based on the research of two members who work at the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture.
A special appearance will be made on Thursday night by the Polish group Sasiedzi (“the Neighbors”), a quintet that carries on a sea chantey craze that first emerged in that country under Communism. Overall, more than 20 individuals and groups will perform at the Festival.
Returning this year is a storytelling stage co-sponsored by the Connecticut Storytelling Center and an evening sea music “contra dance,” a style of partnered folk dancing traditional to New England. The storytelling stage will feature gifted storytellers from throughout the region, who will entertain the audience with original stories and folktales from a wide range of sources. The Museum’s Wendell Building will host the stage on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The contra dance will be held Saturday evening from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mystic German Club’s Frohsinn Hall, located directly across the street from the Museum’s main entrance on Route 27. There is an $8 admission fee for the dance.
In addition, the annual Music of the Sea Symposium, hosted in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 7-8. The Symposium, which features presentations of themed papers by some of the country’s leading maritime music scholars, explores the interaction between sea, music and song. The Friday session will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at McAllister Hall Auditorium on the Coast Guard Academy campus and is free to the public. The Symposium continues Saturday from 9:30 a.m.to 12 p.m. at the Greenmanville Church on the grounds of Mystic Seaport. Museum admission is required. For further details and a list of Symposium presenters and topics, visit mysticseaport.org/smfsymposium.
All workshops and daytime concerts in the Festival are included in regular Mystic Seaport admission. Museum admission is good for two days upon ticket validation (visit must be made within one week of purchase date). Special tickets are required for evening concerts and can be purchased by calling 860.572.0711, or at the Museum’s main entrance. Weekend passes are also available. College students will be admitted into the Festival for the youth rate upon presentation of a current student ID.
For more information, including ticket packages, musicians’ bios, and a schedule of performances, visit mysticseaport.org/seamusicfestival.
This event is made possible by the Friends of the Sea Music Festival, who raise funds each year to generously support sea music at Mystic Seaport.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free.
