Paul Winter's 37th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration

Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice celebrates the spirit of the holidays within the extraordinary acoustics of New York’s greatest Cathedral. This multi-media event features musicians, vocalists and the 25 dancers and drummers of the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. A dazzling extravaganza of music and dance, these performances offer a contemporary take on ancient solstice rituals, when people gathered together on the longest night of the year to welcome the return of the sun and the birth of the new year. The event has become New York’s favorite holiday alternative to the Nutcracker and Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular.

ICARUS and Sir George Martin

This year's Solstice Celebration will be a tribute to the late Sir George Martin, renowned producer of the Beatles' recordings, who also produced the Paul Winter Consort's landmark album ICARUS. Martin had great influence on the group, and the ICARUS album provided the Consort with the accolade of a lifetime: In his autobiography, ALL YOU NEED IS EARS, Martin refers to ICARUS as “the finest record I have ever made.”

Gary Brooker, the Voice of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker, founder, vocalist, composer, and pianist of the iconic band Procol Harum, will be a featured special guest in these concerts. Paul Winter has loved Gary's bluesy voice (most famous for “A Whiter Shade of Pale”), since Procol Harum and the Consort played together at the Fillmore East in 1971. The two bands felt a musical kinship from their common grounding in classical music, and commitment to dynamic rhythm in their respective genres. This December, in honor of their mutual friendship with the late Sir George, Paul and Gary will be presenting a program that includes classics from Procol Harum and from the ICARUS album, along with new music created for the Solstice Celebration.