at the Madison Holiday Arts Festival 2016. Photo by Jeff Sovelove.
By Jeff Sovelove
The 11th annual Madison Holiday Arts Festival gave local folks an alternative to long Black Friday lines, with artists performing around town at such venues as Short Stories (in its new location), Drip Coffeehouse, Grace Church, and Shanghai Jazz.
Merynda Adams started the day by treating the crowd to Greensleeves and other beautiful selections on classical harp.
Later in the day, the local band Rosewood presented its brand of pop/folk music at Short Stories. Singer/songwriter Micheal Aquino showed off his versatility by opening with an audience participation number and closing with an original tune on the banjo ukulele.
Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove
Eclectic Consort lived up to its name, playing instruments ranging from modern flute and medieval flutes, to a Baroque tenor recorder, a great bass recorder, the Irish whistle, and the gemshorn. Originally made from the horns of mountain goats, today’s gemshorns often are made of cow horns or plastic.
The group also showed off the Scottish small pipes or cold pipes, so named because they’re worked with a bellows and the musician doesn’t blow into them.
Jerry Vezza and Alex Rienzi, now a student at Princeton University, closed out the evening’s performances at Shanghai Jazz with a program of traditional holiday tunes. Alex has been performing with Jerry since he was in middle school.
The Christmas Parade capped the evening, featuring members of Madison’s municipal organizations, a large porker, and a gentleman in a red suit. Ho, ho ho!
