As a tradition, it’s nothing less than fascinating, with the celebration of the winter solstice dating back to prehistoric times. Back before the invention of written languages, there were people honouring the longest day of the year in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, while millions of miles away from each other, ancient monuments from Stonehenge in England to the Cahokia Woodhenge in what’s now Illinois have been position to align with the winter solstice's sunrise and sunset.

In Vancouver, one of the most enduring traditions is Music on Main’s Music for the Winter Solstice at Heritage Hall, taking place this year on December 13 and 14. 

If you’ve been to past concerts then you know what to expect, which is to say the unexpected, programs bridging the classical and contemporary music scenes, the timbre of the evening somehow both celebratory and reflective, the songs often personal yet universal in their themes of love and loss.

This year’s ninth instalment of Music for the Winter Solstice features pianists Robyn Jacob and Rachel Iwaasa, tenor Asitha Tennekoon, and cellist Jonathan Lo. Highlights start with favourites “Winter Carol” from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, “Solstice Carol” by Winnipeg folk iconoclasts the Wyrd Sisters, and “A Short Song for the Longest Night of the Year” by Vancouver-via-Mexico artist Alfredo Santa Ana. New works to the program will include the piano-centred “Gravity and After Gravity” from New York City composer David Lang. 

Already at the point where, even though you love the holiday season, you need to step back for a break to reset? You know where to be. And don’t forget to think about how you’re part of a tradition that’s been going on for centuries, almost all of them less complicated and hectic than this one. 

Music for the Winter Solstice 

Where: Heritage Hall

When: December 13 and 14

Tickets: musiconmain.ca