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Halcyon Arts brings
​the world of music and spirituality ​
to ​New England by presenting
programs ​that enrich and transform. ​

Photo of Glastonbury Tor thanks to Kev Pearson Photography, kevpearson.com

kingfisher photo by llee_wu.jpg
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Why is our logo the kingfisher?

Watercolor
by Sarah Stribbling

Because the word "halcyon" is from a Greek myth about the Kingfisher.

According to Greek mythology, Alcyone, the daughter of the god of the winds, became so distraught when she learned that her husband had been killed in a shipwreck that she threw herself into the sea and was changed into a kingfisher. As a result, ancient Greeks called such birds alcyōn or halcyōn. The legend also says that such birds built floating nests on the sea, where they so charmed the wind god that he created a period of unusual calm that lasted until the birds' eggs hatched. This legend prompted people to use halcyon both as a noun naming a genus of kingfisher and as an adjective meaning either "of or relating to the kingfisher or its nesting period" or "calm."      --from Miriam Webster

Thus, the phrase "halcyon days" owes its origin to this beautiful myth of Alcyone, when, for two weeks around the winter solstice each year, Aeolus, Alcyone's father, calms the winds and the waves so that Alcyone, in the form of a kingfisher, can safely make her nest, lay her eggs, and care for them until they hatched and fledged. Hence, the term "halcyon days" comes to signify a period of great peace and calm. 

Background Image: photo by llee_wu

Global Music Institute  Programs

  • Kongero
    Kongero
    Friends Discount
    Sat, Dec 09
    All Saints' Episcopal Church
    Dec 09, 7:30 PM
    All Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
    Dec 09, 7:30 PM
    All Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
    Since its formation in 2005, Kongero has toured the world (Europe, North America, and Asia) and released five studio albums.
  • Swedish Folk'appella Singing Workshop
    Swedish Folk'appella Singing Workshop
    Friends Discount
    Sun, Dec 10
    All Saints' Episcopal Church
    Dec 10, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
    All Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
    Dec 10, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
    All Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
    Join Kongero from Sweden for this fun and educational singing workshop.
  • Joe Jencks, Celtic folk
    Joe Jencks, Celtic folk
    Friends Discount
    Sun, Jan 14
    All Saints' Episcopal Church
    Jan 14, 2024, 4:00 PM
    All Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
    Jan 14, 2024, 4:00 PM
    All Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
    “A man with a golden voice who has a great feeling for history, and the role that songs play in documenting that history. The Coming of the Years, by Joe Jencks is a gorgeous record.” ~ Luka Bloom

Halcyon Oratory Spirituality Programs

  • World Spiritual Texts
    World Spiritual Texts
    Friends Discount
    Sun, Jan 07
    8 twice-monthly sessions online via Zoom
    Jan 07, 2024, 7:00 PM
    8 twice-monthly sessions online via Zoom
    Jan 07, 2024, 7:00 PM
    8 twice-monthly sessions online via Zoom
    Exploring World Religions
  • Spiritual Journeys Winter Book Group
    Spiritual Journeys Winter Book Group
    Friends Discount
    Sun, Jan 14
    Four Twice-Monthly Sessions Online via Zoom
    Jan 14, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM
    Four Twice-Monthly Sessions Online via Zoom
    Jan 14, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM
    Four Twice-Monthly Sessions Online via Zoom
    A single story of wonder and transformation for winter reading and group discussion on the second and fourth Sundays beginning January 14.
  • Oratory Retreat: Halcyon Days
    Oratory Retreat: Halcyon Days
    Friends Discount
    Fri, Jun 14
    Mercy by the Sea
    Jun 14, 2024, 4:00 PM – Jun 16, 2024, 10:00 AM
    Mercy by the Sea, 167 Neck Rd, Madison, CT 06443, USA
    Jun 14, 2024, 4:00 PM – Jun 16, 2024, 10:00 AM
    Mercy by the Sea, 167 Neck Rd, Madison, CT 06443, USA
    Early summer days of peace and spiritual transformation.

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Halcyon Arts New England
is grateful to all our sponsors and partners, including:

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