2006 RiverSing and Western Avenue Bridge Lighting set for September 21st

The 3rd annual RiverSing celebrates the first day of Autumn with a free “sing” along the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge and Boston, and the unveiling of new, permanent lighting on the facades and arches of the Western Avenue Bridge and the Weeks Footbridge.

See also article about RiverSing 2006 at Townonline.com.

About RiverSing

Revels and the Charles River Conservancy present RiverSing 2006: Bridging the Charles with Voice and Light, our 3rd annual free outdoor “sing” celebrating the Autumnal Equinox and the beauty of the Charles River parklands and bridges.

From atop the Weeks Footbridge linking Allston and Cambridge and bathed in light, Revels music director George Emlen and giant puppets Osun and Poseidon (created by Underground Railway Theater and the Puppet Collaborative) will lead people gathered along both banks of the Charles in participatory singing, welcoming in the fall.

This year’s RiverSing will feature five well-known area choruses: Nick Page’s Mystic Chorale, Musica Sacra, the Halalisa Singers, Sharing a New Song, and children from the Boston City Singers. Plus, the extraordinary vocal ensemble Libana will bring its 25-year world music performing experience to bear on the evening with their thrilling antiphonal Balkan-style call-and-response singing.

Everyone is urged to bring a bell of any variety, large or small, to ring in the season! (We’ll have our own RiverBell plus a special reverberating “gong-drum” designed by Rhode Island musician and composer, Steven Jobe.)

Suitable for children and adults, RiverSing 2006 will last from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. RiverSing is free and open to all. The Weeks Footbridge is easily reachable by public transportation. Nearest T: Harvard Square on the Red Line. Walk down JFK to the river and turn left. Come sing with us!

Lyrics for the evening’s songs can be obtained in advance by emailing riversing06@yahoo.com. Details on RiverSing 2006: Bridging the Charles with Voice and Light can be found at www.revels.org or phone 617-972-8300. You can also purchase tickets to the RiverSing Reception here.

About the Bridge Lighting

Moving steadily forward in its plan to illuminate the bridges that span the Charles River between Watertown Square and the Charles River Dam, the Charles River Conservancy is pleased to announce the addition of permanent lighting on the Western Avenue Bridge and the Weeks Footbridge.

With the Weeks Footbridge, lighting designer John Powell of Light Time in Space, Inc. is expanding on a 2004 project in which he installed façade lighting on the bridge, which is used as the "main stage" for RiverSing. This year, that stage will be even brighter, thanks to John's addition of lights inside the arches of the bridge, which will be placed just above water level and bring the once-shadowy underside of the bridge into the light.

Downriver at the Western Avenue Bridge, John is installing both façade and arch lighting, creating a backdrop for RiverSing and creating a visual connection between Cambridge and North Allston. Along with the permanent lighting installed on the Anderson Bridge and unveiled during last year's RiverSing, the new bridge lightings will both beautify and draw attention to the architectural treasures that connect Boston and Cambridge.

Newly illuminated Western Avenue Bridge

About Revels

Founded in 1971 by noted musician and educator John Langstaff, Revels celebrates the seasons with large-scale theatrical stage shows using traditional music, dance, songs and rituals from cultures across the globe. Best known for the annual Christmas Revels at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, Revels also produces the free, open-air Summer Revels, along the waterfront at the Boston Children's Museum. Active throughout the year with pub sings and a Salon Series, Revels has produced 21 traditional music CDs, 4 songbooks for children and families, a chorale series, and educational materials, including a video series on making music with children. Revels’ touring ensemble, Circle of Song, offers special hour-long educational programs for all ages, and is available for bookings throughout New England. For details on all Revels productions, products or events, please visit us at www.revels.org.

About the Charles River Conservancy

The Charles River Conservancy (CRC) forges partnerships to make the 500 acres of public parklands along the urban shores of the lower Charles more active and attractive for all. Our Conservancy Volunteers program engages 2000 people per year in parkland renewal projects. Other CRC projects include improving 17 miles of riverfront pathways, facilitating public swimming in the river, and creating a world-class skateboard park next to the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge. For more information on the Charles River Conservancy, go to www.thecharles.org.

Thank you for supporting RiverSing 2006.

Financial Support for RiverSing includes:
The LEF Foundation. Harvard University – Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs and Allston Development Group, The Alchemy Foundation, Anchor Capital, The Architectural Heritage Foundation, Citizens Bank, Hunt Alternatives Fund, Massachusetts Cultural Council, NorthPoint Cambridge Land Company – as well as Joel and Lisa Alvord, Louise & Rodrigo Botero, Dinah Buechner-Vischer, Daniel Calano & Kate Thompson, Liz Coxe & David Forney, Christane Delessert & John Shields, Michael & Susan Epstein, Virginia & William Foote, Priscilla & Richard Hunt, Consuelo & John Isaacson, Christine Kondolean & Frederic Wittmann, Ernesta & Mark Kraczkiewicz, Steven & Tish Mead, Ellen and John Moot, Frances Pratt, and Ann & Mead Wyman.

In kind donations include:
Ambit Press
Charles River Boat Co.
Crimson Catering
EF Education
Justin Knight Photography
Longy School of Music
Lumen Eclipse
Marlo Fogelman Marketing & Communications
Petit Robert Bistro for desserts
Weld Boat House
Wholefoods Market for 1,500 apples

Restaurants that donated gift certificates include:
Bouchee, Eastern Standard, the Federalist, Henrietta’s Table at the Charles Hotel, Petit Robert Bistro, Upstairs at the Square and Concord’s Colonial Inn.

Additional donors include:
Dominic d'Ambrosio, Chris Bush, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Cambridge Conservation Commission, Cambridge Historical Commission, Boston Landmark Commission, Rick Corsi, Friends of Riverbend Park, Henrietta Davis, Patrick Flynn, Peter Golden, Karl Haglund, Jeffrey Harries, Patrice Kirsch, Rory Keohane, Lyda Kuth, Dave Lenhart, Ellen Lipsey, Cara Metz, Massachusetts Historical Commission, Julia O' Brien, Liz O'Leary, Jackie O'Neill, Wendy Pearl, Mary Power Richard Rossi, Charles Sullivan, Mike Testa, Marho Vogelman, Kathy Winter, and Jennifer Wright.

We are also grateful for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's support in the permitting process and for the ongoing Weeks bridge and Larz Anderson Bridge lighting maintenance.