April 20, 2023 By Nina Wellford
On Sunday, April 30 at 4:30 pm in the Old Ship Meeting House, we invite you to sit in on a rich, spontaneous collaboration between two renowned artists, dubbed PoemJazz. In a unique musical conversation between poetry and jazz, U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky finds the music in his poems, and Grammy Award-winning pianist Laurence Hobgood improvises his jazz response.
Robert Pinsky, three-time United States Poet Laureate, has been dedicated to identifying and invigorating poetry’s place in the world. He founded the Favorite Poem Project, in which thousands of Americans of varying backgrounds and ages share their favorite poems, and his popular Massive Online Open Course, “The Art of Poetry,” has been available to the public since 2014. He also just published a memoir about his path to becoming a poet, called Jersey Breaks. Elegant and tough, vividly imaginative, Pinsky’s poems have earned praise for their wild musical energy and range. He and Laurence Hobgood, a Grammy-Award winning jazz pianist, composer, arranger and producer, created PoemJazz to reveal the intricate connections between poetry and jazz.
We are thrilled that they will return to Old Ship Meeting House to share their huge talent for improvisation with us. Anyone who heard them in 2018 will attest to the exhilarating experience! Following the concert, meet Mr. Pinsky and Mr. Hobgood and enjoy wine and appetizers at a reception in Ames Chapel, nearby in Hingham Cemetery.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.oldshipfriends.org for the concert only, or for both the concert and the reception (limited). Concert only: $30 adults, $10 students. Concert plus Reception: $50 adults, $20 students. Tickets as available will also be sold at the door.
PoemJazz is presented by The Friends of Old Ship Meeting House, to raise funds for ongoing preservation of the Meeting House. Built in 1681, Old Ship Meeting House is the only Puritan meeting house still standing from the 1600s, and is an iconic presence in Hingham Square. Its acoustics are perfect for events like this. Thank you for your support.