“Dickens’ tale is obviously familiar, yet it feels reborn in this engrossing Skylark treatment,
and one comes away from the experience deeply moved.” -Ron Schepper, Textura
and one comes away from the experience deeply moved.” -Ron Schepper, Textura
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In Skylark’s signature Christmas storytelling concert, Skylark again partners with master storyteller Sarah Walker to share our spellbinding musical interpretation of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens Working from the original text abridged by Artistic Director Matthew Guard, Composer Benedict Sheehan (our recent collaborator for Once Upon A Time) has created a ground-breaking concert-length story score that weaves familiar Christmas carols into the fabric of the Dickens story. Bringing timeless carols of the season together with the beloved characters of Charles Dickens promises to create an unforgettable new version of a Christmas classic.
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Photo courtesy of Peter Walker
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Sarah Walker, StorytellerGRAMMY®-nominated storyteller Sarah Walker is the daughter of two traditional Appalachian storytellers, who instilled in her a love of hearing and telling great tales. She has performed extensively in her home state of West Virginia and throughout New England. She performs regularly with Skylark and is the narrator on the group’s highly-acclaimed album Once Upon a Time. Sarah holds degrees in Medieval Studies and Art History from Vassar College and received her Master of Library Science from the Pratt Institute. Other collaborations include Three Notch’d Road Baroque Ensemble, Alkemie, and Chapter House.
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Benedict Sheehan, ComposerGRAMMY®-nominated conductor and composer Benedict Sheehan has been called “a remarkable musician” (Choral Journal). He is Artistic Director of the Saint Tikhon Choir and the newly-founded Artefact Ensemble, as well as Director of Music at St. Tikhon’s Monastery and Seminary in Pennsylvania. His Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (2020), on which he conducts the Saint Tikhon Choir, has garnered critical acclaim as “simply beyond praise for excellence” (Fanfare), “radiant...superb...a masterstroke” (MusicWeb International), and “a new standard for excellence in the American choral landscape” (The Living Church Magazine). His innovative choral “story score” was featured on Skylark’s 2021 GRAMMY®-nominated album Once Upon A Time, and has been hailed as “evocative” (Gramophone), “quite extraordinary” (Limelight), and “otherworldly” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). Benedict’s new Vespers was recorded in 2021 by the Saint Tikhon Choir under the composer’s direction, and was also released in November of 2021. Sheehan’s music is published by Oxford University Press, Artefact Publications, and others. Benedict lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Talia and their seven daughters.
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Photo courtesy of Miriam Sheehan
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This concert is part of our five-concert 2022-23 subscription season - season subscribers receive discounted tickets to all concerts. For more information, and to become a season subscriber, click on one of the links below:
