A Public Gathering in Celebration of Autumn
Weeks Footbridge, Allston and Cambridge
September 22nd from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Come sing with us, as Revels celebrates the first day of fall in collaboration with Charles River Conservancy. Lend your voice to massed choirs gathered on both banks of the Charles at the Weeks Footbridge and watch as two powerful beacons form a bridge of light crossing the river.

The Underground Railway Theater has been commissioned to create a special river goddess puppet for this event. We will also be joined by the Pinewoods Morris Men, the Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band, the Mystic Chorale, three Swiss alp horn players and many other performing ensembles.

EVENT SCHEDULE

6:00 PRELUDE
Crowds gather on north and south banks of river. Festivities begin with Abbots Bromley Horn Dancers crossing bridge. Next, individual vocal and instrumental ensembles perform their own music on both sides.

6:40 SING-ALONG
Beginning at sunset, everyone is invited to sing familiar songs, like "Shall We Gather at the River?" and "The Water Is Wide," conducted by the very large puppet from the bridge.

7:00 RIVERMUSIC
As darkness falls and the bridge is gradually illuminated, the alp horns will signal the beginning of RiverMusic, a piece composed specifically for this occasion.

7:20 POSTLUDE
Samba bands and New Orleans bands on both shores break out into dance music and the puppet leads the dance. Music ends at 7:30.

Individual singers, as well as Boston area choruses, are invited to join us en masse. (We expect to assemble at least a thousand singers, 500 on each shore.) Scores for RiverMusic will be distributed ahead of time to participating choruses, but the piece is simple enough to learn on the spot. Pocket flashlights will be available to read the music as darkness falls.

A condensed score of RiverMusic is available in PDF format (download now). It will also be part of the program distributed on site on September 22

If your chorus or choir would like to participate, here's how.

photo: Bob O'Conner