Winter Solstice Concert

Come celebrate the Winter Solstice at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts, with Stanley and Kip Greenthal playing Celtic and Balkan tunes, seasonal and original songs and poetry. This year, Stanley and Kip will be joined by Christos Govetas and a possible guest appearance from Pablo Paz.

Over the years, Stanley and Kip have brought new instrumental compositions and unusual arrangements of seasonal and original songs not heard at other holiday concerts. The trio will perform music from regions of Greece and the Balkans, as well as songs and instrumental music from Brittany and Scotland. Some of their music is original, with songs about love and the pivotal challenges of our times. Their performance also includes poetry with instrumental accompaniment.

Stanley Greenthal is an internationally acclaimed songwriter and instrumentalist, who stretches musical borders from Scotland, Ireland and Brittany to Greece and the Balkans. He sings and plays guitar, bouzouki, laouto and lavta (Greek and Turkish lutes). With five recordings to his credit, Sing Out! magazine described his latest, First Song, as a fascinating voyage to the highlands of Scotland, the Breton lands and the islands of the Mediterranean.

Kip Greenthal sings harmony vocals, plays a variety of percussion instruments, and plays the ancient bowed psaltry. Kip also adds poetry set to musical accompaniment. Kip's first novel, Shoal Water, published by Homebound Publications in October, 2021, won the Landmark Prize for Fiction and a 2022 Silver Nautilus Award.

Multi-instrumentalist Christos Govetas brings his authentic voice and earthy clarinet style from his homeland in Eastern Macedonia. After moving to this country in his teens, Christos discovered his love of traditional music and went on to learn regional music from all over Greece, and beyond. In addition to the clarinet, Christos plays the zourna, bouzouki and outi (oud), bringing his 40 years of performing experience to the mix. Christos has toured extensively in the US, Canada, Europe and Greece. In addition to leading his family band, Dromeno, Christos also has played with Stanley and Kip in their band, SeaMuse.

Christos is the 1999 recipient of the prestigious Northwest Folklife Fellowship Award honoring his cultural contribution to the Greek-American and Folk dance communities. Christos and his wife Ruth Hunter are also the recipients of the Ethnic Heritage Council's Gordon Ekvall Tracie award of 2017. Christos is featured on Bill Frisell’s Grammy-nominated recording, The Intercontinentals.