Award-winning recording artists Al Petteway, Amy White, and Robin Bullock lead the annual holiday concert A Swannanoa Solstice, Sunday, December 17 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. In this annual winter holiday celebration, now in its 15thyear, world-renowned musicians Petteway, White, and Bullock, Grammy Award winner David Holt, and other special guests share holiday songs old and new, religious and secular, joyful and poignant, in an intimate winter concert.
Presented in partnership with The Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College, A Swannanoa Solstice again offers two performances in order to meet audience demand for this popular winter gathering and concert. Bring family and friends, share a cup of wassail and cookies, enjoy live music in the lobby, and join in the warm merrymaking and quiet contemplation of this Asheville favorite.
This year’s special guests include:
- David Holt, four-time Grammy Award-winning musician, storyteller, historian, and television host
- E.J. Jones, Highland bagpiper, and The Piper Jones Band
- Phil Jamison, old-time musician and flatfoot dancer
- Ellie Grace, percussive dancer and multi-instrumentalist
- Host and emcee Doug Orr, president emeritus of Warren Wilson College and founder of The Swannanoa Gathering
A Swannanoa Solsticeshowcases a spectacular array of seasonal festivities, with well-mastered Celtic and Appalachian songs and music on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, piano, Celtic harp, Irish bouzouki, vocals and world percussion. Through music and storytelling and poetry, the melodies played by Petteway, a virtuosic acoustic guitarist, draw from a broad variety of cultural influences from Middle Eastern tonalities to Scottish jigs. White, on piano, mandolin, guitar, Celtic harp, and percussion, draws on her classical background to create compelling original compositions and arrangements of traditional favorites. Bullock, a multi-instrumentalist who plays the guitar, mandolin and bouzouki, is hailed as a master musician whose style skillfully embraces Celtic and classical music. Merchandise sales for many of the performing artists will be available in the lobby.
A Swannanoa Solstice’s December 17 performances at the Diana Wortham Theatre are presented in partnership with The Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College; and are made possible by Performance Sponsors Anna & Dan Garrett, Bill & Marilyn Hubbard, First Citizens Bank, and Mast General Store; and by Mainstage Special Attractions Series Sponsors Henry LaBrun, Corner Kitchen Catering, and PNC Bank; with additional support from Media Sponsors Blue Ridge Public Radio, WNCW 88.7FM, and WNC magazine.
Spirit of the Season: Help fight homelessness this holiday season by bringing supplies for people in transitional housing served through Homeward Bound of WNC. Drop off items from the wish list at this link at the collection points in the DWT lobby any time before, during or after the 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances of A Swannanoa Solstice on December 17. Examples of items include cleaning supplies such as paper towels, dish soap, trash bags, and all purpose cleaner; toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and shaving cream; furniture such as dressers, couch, love seat, side tables, and lamps; and household goods such as mixing bowls, dish towels, trash cans, cookware and other dishes, and silverware (see full list). Homeward Bound is a social impact nonprofit committed to ending homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County. The agency moves our homeless neighbors into housing as a first step, then offers the right level of support they need to stay there – permanently. Learn more
The Diana Wortham Theatre is located at 18 Biltmore Avenue. The intimate theatre seats just over 500 and boasts exceptional acoustics and sightlines, making it the premier performance space in Western North Carolina. The Mainstage Series 2017/2018 Season Sponsors are 67 Biltmore Downtown Eatery & Catering, the Asheville Citizen-Times, Blue Moon Water, Buncombe County TDA, Creative Energy, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the Renaissance Asheville Hotel.