New Year’s: The Inner Life of Music

In this workshop we will learn how composers use music as alchemy to turn personal hardships into life-giving measures. Through experiential individual explorations and group sharing, listening, and learning, we will search the musical paths of our own spiritual lives, and the boundless possibilities music offers for enlightenment and upliftment.

We’ll listen to some old-time favorites and introduce you to some new lesser-known but extraordinary composers. We’ll behold Peruvian composer Gabriela Lena Frank building an academy for young composers as a response to her encroaching deafness. We’ll witness Franz Schubert’s triumphant spirit emerge out of the travails of his final string quartet. We’ll deep-dive into the wild sonic imagination of Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw even as we grapple with Mozart’s secret code for celebrating each day.

Want to participate in this program, but can’t attend the full retreat? Join Karl for single-day workshops instead on December 29th and December 30th.

This retreat culminates in an alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration, with hors d’oeuvres and a home-cooked dinner, lively concert in the Barn, desserts, and midnight candlelight Meeting for Worship. This event is already included with your registration to this retreat!

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Leader

As both a conductor and educator, Karl Middleman‘s presentations have been hailed for the easy way they mix scholarship with showmanship. Karl has lectured for the Philadelphia Orchestra over 50 times and has received many awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. He teaches at Temple University and is a frequent workshop leader at Pendle Hill.

Financial aid may be available. If you are seeking funds to participate in this program, click to review and complete our Financial Assistance Application and a Pendle Hill staff member will follow-up with you shortly (please do NOT register online). Thank you for your interest.

Travel directions to Pendle Hill. Please make sure to review our health and safety expectations at https://pendlehill.org/stay/covid-19-information/.