Holiday concert, open house, and sing!
Old Fezziwig knew how to keep Christmas well.
Charles Dickens
If you’ve been with us for a concert before, we’re trying something different to celebrate the holiday season. More folks, more music, more fun.
Concert: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.ish. This is an RSVP and (minimum) donation event like other concerts. We aim to fill every seat to support the artists and for the joy of sharing an afternoon of music with you. ($20/seat and you can show the artists more love if you’re so moved.)
If you like, stay afterward for the…
Open house and Holiday Sing: 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.ish. No required donation, just friends new and old. Stay after the concert, or just come for the open house and holiday sing. A friend and musician, Doug Wilson, will lead the singing for us. You don’t have to sing, but there will be lots of other voices to support you.
See more on the gathering and experiment in good, fun company below.
Concert: Micah John & Lillian Chase
We were introduced to Micah and Lillian at the Down Home Up Here festival at Club Passim. The event is worth discovering, not least because you’ll see musicians from many traditional genres, often playing with each other in a pick-up, jamming setting. You never know what or who you’ll hear. For example, this duo.
I love the way they play: sweet, tuneful harmonies; clean, clear playing; all of which adds up to a sound that reflects deep respect for the old time music they often play. But if that makes you think they’re geeky throwbacks, there’s this: Micah and her sister performed an acoustic version of a Taylor Swift song this summer at a music camp I attended.
At the heart of what charms me about this duo is that they are singers and instrumentalists first. They play a lot of gigs, but they don’t have a schtick, a guitar case full of gags, or a patter that keeps the audience at a distance. They’re right there, making beautiful music simply. And they were really excited when we asked the to be part of the holiday concert, open house, and sing. If their schedule allows, they will stay on through the evening. We hope you will, too.
Micah and Lillian website
Sunday, December 8, 2024
3:00 p.m. in Carlisle MA
Suggested (minimum) donation: $20.
All proceeds go to the artists.
Update: Thurs. 12/5. Sold Out
But you can still RSVP to be added to the concert wait list
If you RSVP to be added to the concert wait list, include your phone number so that we can text or call you should seats open up. Or just come for the open house. No limits there.
RSVP here for either/both events
After we have received your RSVP and about a week before the concert, we’ll email a note with a reminder, the street address, and some helpful hints for concert day.
The artists are expecting you, so please treat an RSVP as though it were a ticket. Let us know right away if it becomes impossible for you to attend. There are often folks on a waiting list full of hope in their hearts.
About the concert that day
When we email you a reminder about your RSVP a week before the event, we’ll also remind you of the information below.
Come a little early, get a good seat, meet some new friends. And usually, the artists stay for informal chat afterwards.
How should I make my suggested donation?
Cash is king! We recommend bringing folding money with you when you come. Think of your donation and any additional tip as a tax-free gift to the artists. If you can’t make it after all, particularly at the last moment, consider making a donation (for example, by Venmo) even in your absence.
Where is the concert, exactly?
Carlisle, MA. And about one week before the date, I’ll send you the street address and some parking advice.
Will there be merch?
We hope so! Tee shirts, CDs, stickers, bandanas, maybe. We encourage artists to bring their recordings and any other cool stuff they’ve produced for sale. Get ’em signed? I bet you can.
BYOB. Relax, hang, chat
Laurelyn bakes cookies. She used to bake them as her full time job, so these are not your mother’s Toll House cookies! No shade to your mom. And BYOB. Tip it responsibly.
About the open house and holiday sing..
We’ll clear a good deal of concert seating and set up some folding tables for food and drink. Arrive later, leave early! We look forward to seeing you.
After that, enjoy yourselves!
It may be a full house. We won’t know the extent or severity of flu and virus spread until then. Mask wearing is up to you.
BYOB and Food We’ll have enough bottles and cans on hand to get us started. Just like the concerts, we welcome liquid contributions. If you’re coming for the concert, too, and want to bring food, consider bringing finger food that doesn’t need to be heated. Feel free to email us if you have questions, but don’t sweat the details.
When the spirit moves – but before it gets too late – we will…
Sing Welcome to an old-fashioned holiday experience. Even if we sing Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, this is how music has been made for hundreds of years and longer. If you think you can’t sing, take the advice I got recently: “Strong and wrong!” Always better than timid.
Do you think you know a less-familiar holiday song well enough to teach it and lead us all? We’re game. Be prepared.
We’re really grateful to have an experienced musician leading the sing to help us stay in tune and tempo: Give Doug Wilson a hug when you meet him.
Questions? You can add them to the bottom of your RSVP when you click through to the form above. Or you can email us at music [at] forestofbliss [dot] com.
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