Summer Solstice

Here's a celebration of the day from the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture:

And the schedule if you want to jump around (my favorite is the Stonehenge segment around 50:50):

10:00 am | WELCOME MESSAGE
Diana Xochitl Munn
Director of Public Programs, Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

10:05 am | SUN SALUTATIONS

Settle in with a gentle breathing exercise and then move through a short-guided sequence of sun salutations. Suitable for all levels.

Andrea Heller, Program Coordinator
David S. Rosenthal Center for Wellness and Health Promotion, Harvard University
 

10:15 am | SOLSTICES FROM THE STONE AGE TO THE ROCKET AGE

Solstices have been important cultural events long before written records were kept. In modern times we use atomic clocks and mobile phones to tell the time of day, but solstices are still important in marking the passages of time. We will look at why solstices occur and why they are still relevant even in the space age.

Henry "Trae" Winter III, Astrophysicist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 

Short presentation followed by a live Q&A

 

11:00 am | SOL Y CANTO: LATIN MUSIC FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!
Sol y Canto’s songs feature toe-tapping plena, son, calypso, reggae, and more from their Parents' Choice Award-Winning CD, Twice as Many Friends/El Doble de Amigos !  With their irresistibly singable and danceable high-energy sound, Sol y Canto (sun and song) immerses audiences of all ages in the joys of a bilingual celebration.
“Sublime ambassadors of Pan-Latin music.”  Boston Globe 

11:30 am | VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO STONEHENGE, ENGLAND

Take a virtual field trip to Stonehenge, the famed English prehistoric monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site! Learn from English Heritage experts about the links between summer solstice and Stonehenge and why the site was important to the prehistoric peoples who built it.

Susan Greaney, Senior Properties Historian, English Heritage; Heather Sebire, Senior Property Curator, Stonehenge, English Heritage; Jane Pickering, William and Muriel Seabury Howells Director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology 

Short presentation followed by a live Q&A 
Presented in collaboration with English Heritage  

 

12:15 pm | KUUMUNITY COLLABORATIONS MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Music and art have the power to change hearts, communities, and ultimately the world. In this choral presentation, Kuumunity Collaborations—a Cambridge-based nonprofit that builds stronger communities through artistic development—presents inspiring musical selections that speak to our present and motivate us all towards a better future.

Kuumunity will be represented by: Eden Girma, Harvard AB '18 ; Tsion Aberra, Harvard AB '11; Paris Woods, Harvard AB '06, EdM '08; Teddy Hickman-Maynard, Harvard AB '00; Willie Jones, UMass Boston BA '16; Under the direction of Sheldon K. X. Reid, Harvard AB '97, EdM '98 

 

12:30 pm | FABIO PIROZZOLO & SHELLEY OTIS MUSICAL PERFORMANCE 
Italian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Fabio Pirozzolo and harpist Shelley Otis will join forces to deliver a performance that will showcase both Celtic and Southern Italian traditions. Be ready to enjoy the sound of serenades, jigs, reels, tarantellas, and more for this special solstice event.
 

1:00 pm | SUMMER ON THE HALF SHELL: OYSTERS FROM SEED TO SLURP

Come explore the world of oysters, a summertime specialty. Learn about oysters and take a virtual tour of a local oyster farm. Bring your own cocktail sauce! 

 

Skylah Reis, Harvard College Undergraduate, Concentration: Integrative Biology 

Short presentation followed by a live Q&A 

1:45 pm | CLOSING