Holly Near Live with emma’s revolution
Holly Near, legendary activist, singer, and recording artist, will perform in concert at the Nantucket Unitarian Church, 11 Orange Street on Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. Appearing with Near will be emma’s revolution, an award-winning, grassroots activist duo of musicians Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow.
The performance is a fundraiser for the South Church Preservation Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring, and maintaining the historic South Church structure, which celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2009. Tickets are $25, with students (high school and younger) admitted free and can be purchased in advance at Bookworks on Broad St. and Mitchell’s Book Corner on Main St. Reserved seating concert tickets, which include a meet-the-artists reception at 6 p.m. at the church, are $50. Tickets are also available at the door.
According to Craig Spery, these performers were chosen by members of the board who saw Near perform.
“We found out she was on tour in Massachusetts that weekend and had an open date and began discussion with her for an appearance on Nantucket. Holly is immensely talented and her message of peace and social action is as relevant today as it was in the 60s when she sang with such legends as Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and others. The group performing with her, emma's revolution, represents a new generation of peace activists and are a perfect complement to Holly's performance style. Their song Peace, Salaam, Shalom has become a unifying anthem for peace marches and vigils around the world. We think both Holly and emma's revolution will bring a tremendous show to the island for Nantucketers of all ages.”
An immense vocal talent, Holly Near's career as a singer has been profoundly defined by an unwillingness to separate her passion for music from her passion for human dignity. She is a skilled performer and an outspoken ambassador for peace who brings to the stage an integration of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality.
Near sang publicly from the time she was eight years old, and her professional career began in her early twenties when she worked as an actress in film and television. She also appeared in Hair on Broadway. Eventually she returned to music as her major focus, especially that music which articulated the social conditions of the world community.
Near participated in the “Free The Army Tour,” singing to soldiers who were resisting war and racism from within the military. She started writing and singing political songs and was outspoken on such issues as gay and lesbian rights, a woman's right to choose, stopping domestic violence, and opposing nuclear war.
The duo of emma's revolution brings their uprising of truth, hope and a dash of healthy irreverence to concerts and peace, justice & environmental events across the United States. Pat Humphrey and her partner, Sandy Opatow were in the process of moving to the Washington DC area from New York City when the events of September 11th, 2001, occurred.
Since then, they have been performing at concerts, teach-ins and rallies, including leading 10,000 people in New York City singing their song Peace, Salaam, Shalom less than a month after September 11th and again at a peace vigil in New York on the first anniversary. The duo's songs, including CodePINK written for the CodePINK Women's Vigil for Peace, have been featured on Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. If I Give Your Name, written by emma’ revolution, was recognized as the Grand Prize Winner in the Folk Category of the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
The South Church Preservation Fund was organized in the 1980s for the purpose of generating funds for the preservation, restoration and maintenance of the historic South Church building. This Nantucket landmark is known for its golden dome and clock tower, its beautiful Carl Wendte trompe l’oeil painting, and its 1831 Goodrich organ.
“As we neared our 200th anniversary we decided that we needed to launch an aggressive campaign to raise funds to enable us to work toward our preservation goals,” Spery explained. Needed work includes replacement of structural elements of the tower, repair of plaster surfaces, and restoration of the trompe l’oeil paintings.
