Wednesday, December 1, 2010
{The Blue Banner}
Page 11
Swannanoa Solstice celebrates holiday season
Anne Louise Bouchard
ALBOUCHA@UNCA.EDU
staff writer
A Swannanoa Solstice, a tradition in
its eighth year, is a form of calm for
everyone reeling from the shopping
madness of the holiday season.
“It reminds people that it is a season
to not get so caught up with the fran
tic pace and materialism, but with the
beauty of the season,” said Doug Orr,
founder of A Swannanoa Solstice.
Amy White, a musician for the
event, said the tradition gets people in
the mood for the season.
“It’s a time of meditation,” she said.
“They get to sit back and listen to mu
sic in a beautiful old theater. It allows
time to sit back and relax.”
Orr, who also serves as the emcee of
the event, and his wife had the idea of
starting a tradition for Asheville that
was similar to The Revels, a holiday
performance that caught on around the
country. Once the couple looked into
it, Orr said they realized it was very
expensive.
“We decided to do something similar
and better connected to local culture
and music,” he said.
Their version combined Celtic mu
sic of Scotland and Ireland with Appa
lachian storytelling.
“This area has a definite Scottish
bend to it,” said A1 Petteway, a gui
tarist for the event. “We know a lot of
people who have been here for seven
generations or more, so for us to be
here for eight years, that’s nothing.”
Petteway and White, his wife, moved
to Asheville from Tacoma Park, Md.,
because of The Swannanoa Gathering.
“The Swannanoa Gathering brought
us here. I’ve been coordinating guitar
for them for 16 years. Every year, we
fell in love with the surroundings.”
The Swannanoa Gathering is held
every summer. It is a series of work
shops that allows musicians to come
together to teach and learn. Petteway
said the gathering sought to keep mu
sic in the community and keep it mov
ing forward.
Orr asked some performers from the
workshops to perform in the solstice.
“The whole solstice is an off branch
of the gathering,” Petteway said.
“The term comes from the Dec. 22
return of the sun. It is an ancient festiv
ity that encompasses all the traditions
of the holiday season,” Orr said.
“It really is a celebration of the time
of year,” White said.
Petteway said they try not to cater
specifically to Christians.
“It’s interdenominational. That is
why we call it a solstice. All the differ
ent cultures have some sort of celebra
tion around the solstice,” the musician
said.
A Swannanoa Solstice opened in
2002 to a nearly sold-out evening per
formance.
“The next year, we had a waiting list,
so we opened a matinee performance,”
Orr said.
The first shows featured perfor
mances by Petteway and White along
with Robin Bullock.
Petteway said during the first show,
they played in front of the curtain in
Diana Wortham Theatre because “The
Nutcracker” was also being performed
that weekend, and they were not al
lowed to rearrange the set.
Eventually, they were allowed to
open the curtain and use the show’s
Christmas tree as part of their perfor
mance.
“Since we are no longer playing the
same weekend as ‘The Nutcracker,’
some volunteers and sponsors come
and decorate with fresh greenery. They
have done a great job, really wonder
ful. It’s evolved into a big show, fam
ily event,” White said.
White and Petteway said they both
have been surrounded by music since
they were young. “I started playing
music when I was 10,” Petteway said.
“I started back when The Beatles were
popular. I just wanted to be a Beatle.”
* White said both her parents were
professional classical musicians, but
she did not become a musician until
later in her life.
“When .we got together, I already
had a following. We already had a foot
in the door,” Petteway said.
The pair plays a mix of Celtic and
Appalachian-inspired music. “We mix
a lot of instruments and get a lot of
textures,” the Grammy winner said.
He and his wife also said most of their
music is instrumental with few vocals.
Petteway and White received a grant
from Warren Wilson College to photo
graph Asheville’s mountains. The pho
tos are included in a slide show during
A Swannanoa Solstice.
Petteway said his favorite parts of
the show are the more contemplative
moments.
“Amy and I do a short set in both
halves. We play really ancient tunes
photo courtesy of Irene Young
The husband and wife musical duo, Al Petteway and Amy White, will
be one of the performing artists at this year’s A Swannanoa Solstice.
Petteway is a Grammy-award winning artist. The event serves as a
nondenominational seasonal celebration.
that are almost spooky but beautiful to
listen to. They are neat arrangements
that go back to the 15th century. I en
joy playing that more. The big happy
dance numbers are great for the audi
ence,” he said.
White said her favorite moments
change from year to year.
“Sometimes it’s the dancing or pip
ing. It’s fun to play with Robin, who
we don’t see a lot,” she said.
“The idea is that it is a tapestry of
music, dance, storytelling, color and
images of these mountains. I enjoy the
whole picture of it,” Orr said. “We try
to include a message about peace and
that we are all connected in this world
and it is a fragmented time, but we
should reach across cultures and con
nect with each other.”
A Swannanoa Solstice takes place
on Dec. 19 at the Diana Wortham
Theatre at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.