This Glorious Earth – Orcas Island, WA

Seven-time Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Paul Winter will perform at Orcas Center on Saturday, June 8th at 7 pm. A journey through Paul Winter’s world of “living music,” the concert will feature Winter’s soprano sax and the virtuosic piano playing of Henrique Eisenmann.

Joining them will be the voices of Wolf, Whale, Wood Thrush, and other members of what Winter calls “the greater symphony of the Earth”, along with music celebrating the realms of oceans, mountains, forests, and the Grand Canyon. The program will include a series of new compositions, along with the music from Winter’s five decades of travel.

Paul Winter‘s musical odyssey has long embraced the cultures and creatures of the world. From the early days of his college jazz sextet, which toured 23 countries of Latin America for the State Department and performed the first-ever jazz concert at the White House for the Kennedys in 1962, to his later ensemble, the Paul Winter Consort, Paul Winter’s concert tours and recording expeditions have taken him to 52 countries and to wilderness areas on six continents, where he has traveled on rafts, dog sleds, mules, kayaks, tugboats, and Land Rovers. He has recorded over 50 albums, of which seven have been honored with Grammy Awards.

Pianist Henrique Eisenmann grew up in Brazil, with a deep grounding in the gamut of Brazilian musical genres, as well as in European classical music and jazz. He came to the States to do his doctorate at the New England Conservatory. He is now on the faculty there, and as well at Juilliard, where he is teaching improvisation to the piano students.

The concert, titled This Glorious Earth, will be interwoven with stories of Paul Winter’s adventures making music in the wilderness. This special duo performance will be a dynamic and intimate journey through a varied repertoire, all in celebration of the Earth.

Paul Winter says: “Our program, This Glorious Earth, will be a tapestry of music inspired by experiences making music in wilderness habitats, and by voices of creatures from what I regard as ‘the greater symphony of the Earth.’ For the past three years, Henrique and I have been collaborating in creating a body of new music, celebrating the creatures and cultures of the Earth. We will be working this summer to complete my long-growing Flyways project, a musical chronicle of the great bird migration up the Rift Valley from Africa through the Middle East to Eurasia.”

The late Susan Osborn and beloved islander, gained international prominence as the lead vocalist of the Paul Winter Consort in 1979 and is known for her work on groundbreaking recordings such as “Common Ground,” “Missa Gaia,” and “Concert For the Earth.” Osborn toured with the Consort until 1986 when she moved to Orcas Island with her husband, David Densmore.

Susan will be remembered during a pre-concert artist’s reception hosted by David Densmore. Paul Winter and David will share stories and make a celebratory toast in honor of Susan.  The reception will take place in the Madrona Room beginning at 6:00pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend.