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Editorial Manager John Mark Rafacz gives you an insider perspective on the performing arts.
Tickets for all Center for the Performing Arts presentations through April 2010 are on sale. Purchase tickets online; by phone at 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX; or in person at Eisenhower Auditorium (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but closed November 26 and 27), Penn State Tickets Downtown (weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but closed November 26 through 28), HUB-Robeson Center (weekdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but closed November 23 through 27), or the Bryce Jordan Center (weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but closed November 26). Go to Events for a complete list and description of presentations.
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Sweet Honey sings array of holiday music Dec. 2
The a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock®—famous for its stirring renditions of music rooted in various African American traditions—performs a program honoring the array of holiday celebrations that mark the end of the year in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 2, in Penn State’s Eisenhower Auditorium.
Purchase tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation, which are $37 for an adult, $22 for a University Park student, and $26 for a person 18 and younger.
Hear our interview with Ysaye Maria Barnwell, a longtime member of Sweet Honey In The Rock.
Read our feature article about the group and the program.
Go to the event page to learn more about Sweet Honey.
The female vocal group fashions its music from the sounds of the blues, spirituals, gospel, rap, reggae, African chants, hip-hop, and jazz. Sweet Honey’s collective voice, sometimes accompanied by hand percussion instruments, produces soulful harmonies and intricate rhythms.
“This ensemble is the gold standard … ,” writes a critic for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. “Their voices are all fabulous, and they unite to create a sound so pure, smooth, and homogenous that it does not seem humanly possible.”
Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1973, the ensemble gets its name from Psalm 81:16, which speaks of a promise to be fed by honey out of the rock. The metaphor aptly describes the ensemble’s repertoire steeped in the sacred music of the African American church, the clarion calls of the civil rights movement, and songs of the struggle for justice everywhere.
The Village at Penn State Life Care Retirement Community sponsors the presentation. Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring 2009–2010 Penn State Laureate Anthony Leach, associate professor of music and music education, is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity. Seating is available on a first-arrival basis.