Old Town Center for the Arts ~ Cottonwood, AZ

The Old Town Center for the Arts ~ Cottonwood, AZ

Annual Winter Solstice Concert

Saturday, December 21, 2024, 7:00 PM

$25 General Admission - Advance BUY Tickets online
$28 Door
$30 Priority Seating in First 3 Rows BUY Tickets online

An evening of diverse musical styles, holiday classics, elevated movement art and a few surprises.

The 12th Annual Old Town Center for the Arts Winter Solstice Concert will feature some of the world’s favorite Christmas melodies, uplifting songs of the spirit, original songs, and special aerial dance performances by Taylor Marie.

This year’s Solstice Ensemble features harp guitarist William Eaton, flutist Claudia Tulip, violinist Allen Ames, percussionist Logan Turner and special guest Maryanne Kremer-Ames, playing classical guitar.

A special added holiday feature of the evening will be aerial performances by Taylor Marie on silks and Lyra (aerial hoop). Taylor’s dance company Hydrangea Sky Movement Arts recently performed its fourth aerial production, titled Anthology at OTCA in November. OTCA Co-director Elena Bullard commented, “Attendees will get to hear the Winter Solstice Ensemble and witness the wonderful visuals and movement art performed high above the audience on silks and lyra (hoop.)”

“We’re excited to have Maryanne Kremer-Ames join us for this year’s Winter Solstice Concert,” OTCA Co-Director William Eaton remarked. “Allen and Maryanne have performed together for years as the duo Lyra, and we’ll feature several of their holiday arrangements that are quite beautiful.”

About the Musicians

William Eaton is a four-time Grammy Nominee and Canyon Records recording artist, he is also acknowledged as one of the world’s great designers and builders of unique guitars and stringed instruments. He has composed for the William Eaton Ensemble, Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, Amadeus Trio, and many others. He is currently the director of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, a guitar making school he co-founded in Phoenix, Arizona.

Claudia Tulip performs on silver and ethnic flutes, and panpipes, with a “beautiful blend of imagination, deft technique and soulful expression.

Allen Ames is known for his recorded works with his own ensemble Lyra, William Eaton Ensemble, and Gypsy jazz groups around Arizona and the Phoenix area. He has played with orchestras and chamber ensembles including the Arizona Opera and Ballet Orchestras, the Phoenix String Quartet, and many others.

Taylor Marie is a musician, visual artist, and aerialist. Her first CD Standing on my Head features her compositions that explore the human spirit and emotion. She has studied aerial dance at Frequent Flyers in Boulder, Colorado and Momentum Aerial in Flagstaff, and has performed in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and France. She is the Director of Hydrangea Sky Movement Arts, a multidisciplinary movement arts and aerial dance company that she founded in 2021.

Logan Turner is a classically trained percussionist from the Crane School of Music. He has performed with the Empire Statesmen Drum & Bugle Corps from Rochester, NY as well as the Official Drum line for the Buffalo Bills. Logan specializes in world percussion, guitar, and bass guitar.

The Winter Solstice is a time of reflection, contemplation and storytelling. Music has always been an important part of the solstice tradition amongst all the world’s cultures and religions.

Come enjoy a special evening of holiday music, a pre-show vintage Christmas postcard slide show, and lovely holiday images projected during the concert, in the warm vintage elegance of Old Town Center for the Arts. Doors will open at 6:15 pm. Refreshments including: wine, beer, snacks and popcorn will be available for purchase.

Ticket Information

< back to Events