The 2023 Paul Winter Solstice Celebration : NPR

Saxophonist Paul Winter, leads his 2019 Winter Solstice concert at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Matthew Muise/Courtesy of Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration

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Matthew Muise/Courtesy of Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration

Saxophonist Paul Winter, leads his 2019 Winter Solstice concert at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Matthew Muise/Courtesy of Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration

In 1980, Paul Winter’s saxophone first echoed through New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine to mark the Winter Solstice. It was the beginning of an annual tradition, featuring musical guests from around the world, and NPR’s broadcast of those concerts became a seasonal tradition as well. This year, Paul Winter combed through the archives and selected his favorite moments from forty years of Winter Solstice celebrations.

Matthew Muise/Courtesy of Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration

Matthew Muise/Courtesy of Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration

SET LIST

• “Sun Singer” (Paul Winter, Paul Halley)
• “Tomorrow Is My Dancing Day” (traditional)
• “Luiza” (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
• “Sovereign Moon” (Sergio Mendes)
• “Hey Mara” (Bulgarian Folk Song)
• “Harvest Faire” (Paul Winter)
• “Fantasia in G” (Johann Sebastian Bach)
• “Sun Singer” (Paul Winter, Paul Halley)
• “Icarus” (Ralph Towner)
• “Love Is Not In Your Mind” (Arto Tunçboyacıyan)
• “Jingle Bells” (James Lord Pierpont)
• “Christmas Day Is Come” (traditional)
• “Silent Night” (traditional)
• Medley: “Minuit” (Keita Fodeba, with English words by Susan Osborn and John Guth) / “Auld Lang Syne” (traditional)