SAXTONS RIVER — Main Street Arts presents the vocal group Windborne in concert on Sunday, Sept. 18. at 7 p.m. Internationally acclaimed, Windborne is known for the power and innovation of their arrangements, as well as their mastery of polyphonic music from a variety of cultures. Their musical knowledge spans many countries and styles, but they remain deeply rooted in American folk singing traditions.
Cited by BBC Traveling Folk as,“the most exciting vocal group in a generation [...] subverting expectations and redefining the genre,” Lynn Rowan, Will Rowan, Lauren Breunig (daughter of Fred Breunig of Nowell Sing We Clear), and Jeremy Carter-Gordon “share a vibrant energy onstage. Their connection to each other and to the music is clearly evident,” organizers say.
In a news release, performers share that they “educate as they entertain, telling stories about the music and explaining the characteristics of the traditions in which they sing.” They say there's another, crucial dimension to Windborne: they are adherents to folk music's longtime association with social activism, labor, civil rights, and other movements that champion the poor, the working class, and the disenfranchised.
Drawing on songs from 400 years of these movements, they were launched to new heights in 2017 when a clip of them singing a protest song from the 1840s outside Trump Tower in New York City went viral. They continue to center their work around songs of social struggle.