Holding the Ground -- A Halloween Massivemuse at Claymont

Following on the transformational success of our first two Massivemuses at Claymont -- a glorious 340-acre historical estate 70 minutes outside DC and Baltimore -- the potential of this incredible place as a gathering point for the Groupmuse community and beyond has crystalized: Renewal through earth-care, music, and ritual. And we're ready with our next offering.

As for the music -- virtuoso pianist iconoclast Miki Sawada is coming through for a stop on her "Gather Hear West Virginia" tour, where she pairs classical warhorses by Ravel, Scriabin, and Beethoven with a new work entitled "A Kind of Mirror" that combines classical music with participatory theater, reflecting her desires to make classical music more immersive, personal, and democratic. The music for solo piano and electronics, newly written by West Virginia-native composer Brendon Randall-Myers, combined with standard classical pieces, will act as the pillars of the performance while audience members are invited to the stage to follow a theatrical prompt that inspire spontaneous poetic storytelling.

As for the Earth-Care, we'll be spending the day Saturday planting out a food forest alongside the riverbank on the property. Folks will get the chance to learn about riverbank ecology and edible landscaping as we get our hands dirty planting perennial food for future generations.

As for the ritual, with Halloween and the Day of the Dead upon us, we'll be honoring our ancestors with an altar to those who came before us. So bring a photo of a family member, dear one departed, or ancestor to add to the display. And to top it off, this concert will be costume-friendly, so bring a costume if you please!

We'll finish the night with a Contact Dance jam and, of course, campfire good times.

Tickets to the performance and after-hang are $20, but we're gathering a group of 100 volunteers for the day of tree planting, so if you want to join that party, you'll be able to come to the whole weekend for free, no ticket needed! Just reply to [email protected] if you're interested.

Folks are welcome to stay over Friday and Saturday nights -- and October is famously West Virginia's finest month for tourism, so we hope you make a weekend out of it!

What's the music?

Miki Sawada Piano

Attendees

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Susan Z.

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Daniel W.