Howland Cultural Center’s Annual Holiday Show

Dec 20, 2017

Howland Holiday Concert_Goldee Green — Goldee Greene, in her third year performing at the Howland Cultural Center’s Annual Holiday Concert.

By Jennifer L. Warren

BEACON – We all could use a little joy in our lives.

This message was embedded throughout Sunday’s “Deck the Halls at Cafe Sizzle” performance, staged at Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center. The annual evening Holiday Show featured two segments: “Ringin in the Yuletide Season” and “Acoustic Holiday Cheer,” making for a total of ten lively, talented and uplifting musical scores.

“Its’ been a long year, and we need a nice holiday season with joy in our hearts,” said Goldee Greene, the Show’s lead organizer in her third year of involvement. “So many happy people came out here; it’s just like when Pete Seeger was alive, and the whole upstairs gallery was packed, so nice to see so many amazing acts done by people of different ages.”

Beacon’s 17 year old percussion sensation, Jethro Banks (right), performs Sunday evening at the Howland Cultural Center’s Annual Holiday Show. Jethro joined his father Ray Banks (left), who played piano (The J.B. Experience).

Those varied performances also spanned music genres. From the folk sounds of Hudson Valley’s Lydia Adams Davis (whose lyrics “Christmas time is caring, sharing and bringing love” resonated with many), to the jazz vibrations of the father-17 year old drummer son-duo, The J.B. Experience, to the R&B ensemble melodies of the Howland Wolves to the Christmas tune solos of youth from the C-Note Music School, this year’s entertainment showcased a sampling of a little bit of everything. Surprisingly, it’s the high caliber of music talent that is just a part of what draws such an impressive, standing-room-only, crowd each year.

“This Show brings people together, helping them forget about all the nonsense out there and giving them much needed hope,” pointed out Beacon’s Oluaki Akiwumi-Assani, drummer for the Howland Wolves. “We need to find reasons to celebrate.”

Those rationales could be spotted for over two hours throughout the Howland Cultural Center’s quarters Sunday night. Not only was there a non-stop venue of holiday music filling the setting, but audience participation could be seen, plenty of bonding interaction, smiles, eating and drinking and an overall electric, contagious vibe. It’s exactly what keeps musicians like Akiwumi-Assani coming back to lend his talents to the Center each December as well as throughout the year.

“I love performing here at Howland,” said Akiwumi-Assani. “It’s a great place, because the programs are fantastic, acoustics are phenomenal due the high ceiling, and it’s just an overall nice, cozy place to be and share time with others.”