The Longest Night

Portara Ensemble, Ciona Rouse, Jeff Coffin, Epiphany Dance Partners

December 20, 2019 | 8 PM

December 21, 2019 | 2PM & 8PM

General Admission: $25

*Please note that all tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

About

Mark the Winter Solstice with Jason Shelton’s The Longest Night, a multidisciplinary, multi-community celebration blending original music and spoken word with traditional songs and carols, storytelling, and dance. The mighty Portara Ensemble once again joins forces with some of Nashville’s most influential artists including saxophonist Jeff Coffin, premier poet Ciona Rouse, and Lisa Spradley’s Epiphany Dance Partners, to explore the richness of the dark and celebrate as we call the light back together.

Featuring performances by:

Victor Wooten, bass
Roy “Futureman” Wooten, percussion
Josh Hunt, drums
Pat Coil, piano
Rama Kumaran, flute
Rabbi Rami Shapiro, storyteller
Ryoko Suzuki, vocals and harmonium
Marcela Pinilla, vocals

About the Artists

Jason Shelton, formerly a Franciscan brother, received a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2003, where he focused on music as a resource for building community across differences. In addition to his work with Portara, he served as Associate Minister for Music at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville from 1998-2017. Jason is an award-winning composer and arranger, and he recently conducted Step By Step: the Ruby Bridges Suite at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Weekdays you’ll find him working with local non-profit Hands On Nashville to meet community needs through volunteerism.

Portara Ensemble has quickly become a creative force in the music scene of Middle Tennessee. Their innovative programing and artist collaborations have crossed the boundaries of visual and performing arts, and brought exciting new music to their audiences. Led by Artistic Director Jason Shelton, Portara Ensemble’s thought-provoking thematic choral programs explore a wide variety of music from around the globe sung by professional, semi-professional, and amateur volunteer singers.

Rouse, who took part in the 2017 Nashville International Women’s Day event at OZ Arts, released Vantablack, a collection of poems, with Third Man Books and was a featured poet in the Frist presentation of Nick Cave: FEAT. Nashville presented at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in 2018.

Saxophonist/composer/educator/author Jeff Coffin is a 3x Grammy award-winning artist and toured as a member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones from 1997–2010. In 2008 he joined forces with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-nominated Dave Matthews Band after the injury, and eventual passing, of founding member LeRoi Moore. He officially joined DMB in 2009. Jeff currently teaches at Vanderbilt University when not on tour, presents music clinics around the country to all ages of students, has written 3 books, leads his own groups, engineers and produces, and is the founder of the record label Ear Up Records.

Epiphany Dance Partners has been creating and performing dance in Nashville since 1994. After years of experience as a dancer and emerging choreographer with the company, Lisa Spradley took over as Artistic Director in 2014. She won the Periscope People’s Choice Award for her vision as a dance artist and her mission for the company. Epiphany searches for opportunities to partner with other creative minds to increase the appreciation for dance as artistic expression, a unique form of communication, and a way to strengthen community. By seeking the extraordinary in expressive movement, they hope to inspire and educate performers and audiences alike.

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