Songs of the Sea with Diane Taraz

Rousing chanteys, thrilling ballads, and maritime lore make for a joyous evening exploring life on the bounding main. In centuries past men and a surprising number of women went to sea to earn a living, seek adventure, and discover the world.

Chanteys, or work songs, tell us a great deal about how a huge sailing ship was run by muscle power alone. Sailors had to pool their strength and coordinate their efforts to raise tons of canvas and anchor, and endure long turns at the pumps. Our language is still full of nautical terms, and the pull of the sea remains strong. There will be much singing along!

This program will also feature a complimentary rum tasting.

$10 members, $15 nonmembers

Diane Taraz writes songs and breathes new life into traditional ones. Her elegant voice brings out the essence of whatever style she presents, be it folk, jazz, blues, standards, or classical pieces. She plays Taylor and Santa Cruz guitars, and keeps taking her lap dulcimer to unexpected places.

Diane sings with the Copley Singers and also with the Concord Women's Chorus. She directed the Lexington Historical Society's Colonial Singers from 2010 to 2024. Diane creates programs that use the music of an era to show the inner lives of people who lived long ago. Women, especially, left few records of their existence, but the songs they used to speed their work, lift their spirits, or ease an aching heart let us peek into their lives. Diane is on the Scholarly Advisory Board of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, based in New York City, and brings her programs to museums, universities, libraries, and historic houses. She is also on the board of the Massachusetts History Alliance.

Robert A. Perry, Executive Director of the Charles River Museum of Industry in Waltham, Mass., says, "Diane does an extraordinary job weaving together history and performing arts through storytelling and beautiful song. Her meticulous research, musicianship, engaging presence, sense of humor, period costumes, and professionalism allow her audience to lose themselves in a delightful experience that transports them to another time. New England historical sites and history buffs are incredibly fortunate to have Diane Taraz in our midst to bring our past to life!"