“… emotional and musically moving. The Guy Mendilow Ensemble is very tight musically and the “surround sound” of the choir facing the audience during the audience round sing was terrific. Guy Mendilow’s experience as a master educator is clearly evident as he worked with the various community partners to achieve a thrilling performance that brought tears to the audience.” — Robin Baker, Celebrity Series of Boston

Find renewed inspiration and joy with this moving, non-conventional holiday performance.

Resonant real-world stories, choral arrangements and body percussion celebrate the winter holidays’ essence: the courage to expand abundance at the height of scarcity, to spark light just when it grows darkest. With narration and songs drawn from the artists’ African, European, North American heritage traditions, Heart of the Holidays: Tales of Light invites audiences into a reinvigorated, deeper connection to the time of year, cutting through the commercial cliché and worn favorites, right to the heart of the season.

–

Guy Mendilow Ensemble (GME) weaves moving stories through riveting scores, narration and theatrically projected sand animation. GME productions center on true tales of people’s choices and chances as they navigate thresholds, whether personal or historical. GME is especially intrigued by decisions of generosity and grace despite upheaval.

GME operates on the conviction that moving, multidisciplinary stories can be powerful agents for conversation: A coming together to listen to one another and share our stories in the service of exploring who we are and who we wish to be, building an understanding of how the other has come to see what they see, believe what they believe and know what they know. When equipped with well-crafted questions —fueled by genuine curiosity and inviting honesty, dignity and aliveness —conversation promotes a willingness to be vulnerable; to be surprised; to NOT have quick answers; to suspend assumptions; to probe ambiguity. Conversation is not necessarily about agreement, or common ground on specific issues, other than the meta-issue that we are humans worthy of being heard and understood.

GME is a recipient of multiple funding awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Boston Foundation, the New England Foundation for the Arts and Western Arts Alliance on the basis of artistry, cultural preservation and the strengthening of communities through the arts.