Screenin' & A Sangin'

In anticipation of the 49th Annual Georgia State Sacred Harp Singing Convention, Trinity Anglican Mission will host a screening of the acclaimed documentary film, "Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp" with the filmmakers, Atlanta natives Matt & Erica Hinton, in attendance. Friday, March 26 7:30pm. Following the film, there will be a question and answer session with the filmmakers, as well as a demonstration of Sacred Harp singing. Admission is open to all ages, with a suggested donation of $5.

“Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp” is the first feature documentary about Sacred Harp singing, a haunting form of a cappella, shape note hymn singing with deep roots in the American south. Shape note singing has survived over 200 years tucked away from notice in the rural deep south, where in old country churches, singers break open “The Sacred Harp,” a 160 year old shape note hymnal which has preserved these songs which are some of the oldest in America.

The film offers a glimpse into the lives of this 'Lost Tonal Tribe' whose history is a story of both rebellion and tradition. The filmmakers, Matt and Erica Hinton spent seven years documenting this yet largely unknown art form.

The documentary has aired on PBS and has been featured on NPR, in TIME magazine, Pitchfork.com, NY Times, among others. The recently released original soundtrack includes traditional Sacred Harp singing as recorded in rural Georgia and Alabama, as well as the first ever collection of popular music adaptations of Sacred Harp songs, featuring artists such as John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Murray Hammond (Old 97’s), Elvis Perkins, Richard Buckner, and Doc Watson, Woven Hand, Tenement Halls and others.

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Praise for "Awake, My Soul":

"When you see "Awake, My Soul", you will remember it."
--No Depression

“‘Awake, My Soul‘ features some of the most raucous group vocals that have been recorded.”
-Pitchfork.com

”‘Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp‘ is a fascinating history of a raw, overwhelming, unconventional form of Southern hymn singing.”
-The Oregonian

"These are no ordinary church choirs. The music is rebellious in its disregard for musical convention, punk in its inclusivity, and powerful in a way that only music performed with true passion can be...”
-KQED, San Francisco, CA

"In the Hinton's fine documentary: You get the feel of the people and the wonderful sound of the music, and thankfully without any condescension. As an introduction to Sacred Harp, it's as amazing as the music itself."
-Birmingham Weekly

On the Soundtrack:

"Revelatory and exultant, dense with harmonic ideas and often overwhelming even on CD" [score: 8.8]
-Pitchfork.com


“An outstanding primer for anyone dipping into the genre...” [****]

-SPIN


"The first time I heard Sacred Harp music, I was f***ing floored. This was like no staid church music I had ever encountered before! This was an alien/outsider sound, completely bucking traditional notions of dynamics and choral techniques for a rousing, rough-hewn cacophony that is as ecstatic and strong as it is tremendously sad...”

-Ink 19

“The songs turn the whole congregation into a choir, proclaiming their devotion in forthright, wide-open, vibrato-free chords with drones and inner counterpoint that hark back to Renaissance music...Brilliant...”

-Jon Pareles, NY Times

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For more information, visit www.awakemysoul.com

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHUfHNEZDPc



Contact:
Matt Hinton info@awakemysoul.com | 404.918.4914

Jeff Guy www.trinityanglicanmission.org | 404.803.4316

Location:
Trinity Anglican Mission
2270 Defoor Hills Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30318

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The 49th Annual Georgia State Sacred Harp Singing Convention will take place Saturday, March 27 & Sunday, the 28th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. both days, at Sweetwater Chapel 1000 Pleasant Hill Road Lawrenceville, Georgia 30044-3330
Traditional “dinner on the grounds” at noon-- please bring a covered dish to share. This is a free event. All are welcome, no experience necessary.
For more info concerning the singing:
http://www.atlantasacredharp.org/docs/2010GaStateSHConvFlyer.pdf



Contact: John Plunkett bildad12@hotmail.com | 678.763.7292

Call for Submissions: Trinity Arts to Publish Book

Trinity Arts is pleased to announce its first venture into publishing. This April, we’ll release a book comprised of works by Trinity artists, writers and friends of our community, to coincide with the 50 days of Easter on the Church calendar.

All submitted works should fit the chosen theme: Resurrection, New Life.

Submissions Deadline: March 1, 2010

Volunteer Needs

• Graphic/layout design
• Editorial/Proofreading
• Printing Coordination
• Administrative/Financial

Submission Guidelines
All submissions will be considered for publication, but not all will be chosen. Only previously unpublished works will be considered.

Visual Arts

• Up to 10 photographs or 10 hi-res images of paintings, sculptures, installations, textiles, woodcuts, etc. (300 dpi, embed color profile).
• Artist bio and statement about submitted works.
  

Writing

• Poetry: One to 5 poems, single or double-spaced.
• Creative Non-Fiction: One double-spaced personal essay reflecting upon the chosen theme.
• Fiction: One short story. Novel excerpts will not be considered.
  

*Submissions will be accepted upon the artist or writer’s agreement to the following:

• No monetary compensation. The artist/writer agrees to donate the use of his or her work in exchange for publication and complimentary copies of the finished book.
• All proceeds will go to further the growth and maintenance of the Trinity Arts ministry.
• The artist/writer allows Trinity the one-time rights to publish the submitted work(s), after which the copyright returns to the creator of the work(s).

The Importance of Community

For most of us as artists, we have the natural tendency to isolate ourselves. This isn't a surprise to many of us, we are aware of this pattern. In some respects isolation can be good, allowing space for contemplation, reflection, and creation, however, no matter how much we neglect it, there is just as big of a need to be in community with other artists.

I don't want to speak for anyone else, but if you are anything like me it can become all too easy to get distracted from our chosen mediums of art, in my case writing, with business that can so often plague us these days. If I were to remain in my artistic isolation, to let neglect pile up along side my writing, my chances of revisiting unfinished stories and dusting off abandoned poems gradually decrease. If I dwell only in the four walls I have built around myself and my writing, and not venture out into the beautiful and diverse world of the other artists around me, I grow discouraged, frustrated, and uninspired.

Once a month (reasonable for even the most isolated artist) a group of artists of various disciplines from Trinity gather at Inman Perk with the simple purpose of being in community with other artists. There is no agenda, no discussion questions, just opportunity to get to know fellow artists at Trinity, to talk about what we are working on and bounce ideas off other artists, and to encourage one another. Through these evenings accountability is forged, connections are made, collaborations begin, encouragement is received, inspiration is renewed.

Upcoming Months: Remember Field Trips?

Remember being a kid and the excitement of a field trip. You got to be away from school halls, books and paper. Instead, you got to engage something through first-hand observation or experience.

Well, over the next few months you will have the opportunity as an artist to embrace field trips again. The idea is simple; gather, go see some things, get to know one another as artists and talk about what we saw.

So, here is what is happening:

Sat. February 27th: Trip to Andalusia: Flannery O'Connor's home in Milledgeville, GA

Sat. March 13th: Danielson Show in Athens, GA

Sat. March 27th: Atlanta Architectural Tour with host architect, Thomas Hardy

Sat. April 10th: Easter Garden Tour with host landscape designer, Brendan Butler

Fri. May 14th: Art Gallery Hoppin' with host artist, Jeff Guy

(This is just a short list, more details will follow.)

For each of these, we will meet at the church on said day and carpool to our destinations. If you wish to join us, email me (Jeff Guy) and I'll add you to our numbers. Mark your calendars and I hope to see you there!

"Advent" & Other Poems by Scott Cairns

As Advent comes to a close, I still need reminders to be watchful, to repent and guard the mystery of Christ’s birth in my heart. If I don’t, I know what the outcome will be. The holy feast of the Lord’s nativity will be swallowed up by the traveling-eating-partying-shopping mania around me. It’s happened before. I found one such reminder this morning in a podcast by poet and professor Scott Cairns—“Flesh Becomes Word: The Incarnational Poetry of Scott Cairns.” A fitting title for the season, no?

Scott begins with his poem “Advent,” which is typed below. He continues with several others that are well worth hearing (even if not strictly Advent-themed selections), so I hope you'll stick around for the full episode.

Listen here.

Advent

Well, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas—everywhere, children eyeing the bright lights and colorful goods, traffic a good deal worse than usual and most adults in view looking a little puzzled, blinking their eyes against the assault of stammering bulbs and public displays of goodwill. We were all embarrassed, frankly, the haves and the have-nots—all of us aware something had gone far wrong with an entire season, something had eluded us. And, well, it was strenuous, trying to recall what it was that had charmed us so, back when we were much smaller and more oblivious than not concerning the weather, mass marketing, the insufficiently hidden faces behind those white beards and other jolly gear. And there was something else: a general diminishment whose symptoms included the Xs in Xmas, shortened tempers, and the aggressive abandon with which most celebrants seemed to push their shiny cars about. All of this seemed to accumulate like wet snow, or like the fog with which our habitual inversion tried to choke us, or to blank us out altogether, so that, of a given night, all that appeared over the mess we had made of the season was what might be described as a nearly obscured radiance, just visible through the gauze, either the moon disguised by a winter veil, or some lost star—isolated, distant, sadly dismissing of us, and of all our expertly managed scene.

-from the Compass of Affection: Poems New and Selected