Bodhi Tree Concerts to Present ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 at The Veterans Museum

In a unique collaboration with SACRA/PROFANA and San Diego Opera, Bodhi Tree Concerts presents the second annual performances of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, a stage depiction by Peter Rothstein with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach.

This powerful and fabled story of World War I is told through a capella songs and letters, and in keeping with Bodhi Tree Concerts' mission, 100 percent of the profits from this concert will be donated to The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park.

During the early months of WWI on the battlefields in Belgium, thousands of men put down their guns and left the protection of trenches to meet their enemies in "no man's land." They exchanged gifts of tobacco, rum, and chocolates, even photographs of loved ones. They sang songs, played a game of soccer, and buried each other's dead. Upon orders from above, they eventually returned to their trenches and reinstigated a brutal war that would last four more years.

This relatively unknown story was no doubt covered up by the propaganda machine of War News. Word of soldiers fraternizing across enemy lines put too human a face on the Germans and could readily undermine public support for the war. The heroes of this story are the lowest of the ranks-young, hungry, cold, and yet still optimistic-those who acted with great courage to put down their guns, overcoming a fear that placed a gun in their hands in the first place. The retelling of this story reminds us of the atrocities of war, our common humanity, and, for a few brief moments, the hope of a peaceful future.

The music ranges from trench songs to patriotic and sentimental tunes, as well as Christmas music from the participating countries. The text is taken from a wide range of sources including letters, journals, official war documents, poetry, gravestone inscriptions-even an old radio broadcast.

Composed for a capella male voices, All Is Calm will feature an all-local cast featuring Alvin Almazan, Timmy Simpson, Jack French, Michael Sokol, Christopher Stephens, and Walter DuMelle, with chorus provided by the men of SACRA/PROFANA under the direction of acclaimed local music director Juan Acosta and stage director Jacob Bruce.

All Is Calm will be produced through a unique collaboration of several local arts organizations: Bodhi Tree Concerts, SACRA/PROFANA, The Veteran's Museum at Balboa Park, and San Diego Opera. Working in partnership to bring this important story to San Diego audiences, All Is Calm is destined to become another holiday tradition.

The venue is intimate and unique and tickets are already selling quickly. Tickets are $30 (students & military $15) and may be purchased online at bodhitreeconcerts.org. Parking is free and plentiful.

One hundred percent of the profits from this concert will be donated to The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park. The museum was formed in March 1989 to create, maintain, and operate an institution to honor and perpetuate the memories of all men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces and Wartime Merchant Marine.

The site chosen for the location of The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park was the former San Diego Naval Hospital Chapel at Inspiration Point in Balboa Park, part of a complex of architecturally significant buildings with rich historical connections to the San Diego region's naval heritage.

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IF YOU GO:

Bodhi Tree Concerts presents

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914

Friday, November 17, 2017 - 7:00pm

Saturday, November 18, 2017 - 2:00pm & 7:00pm

Sunday, November 19, 2017 - 5:00pm

The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park

2115 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101

Free parking

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Bodhi Tree Concerts performs random acts of kindness by presenting music events, donating 100 percent of its profits to charitable causes. The group hires exclusively local artists, to inspire community engagement, philanthropy, and enlightenment through music. This concert marks the opening concert of Bodhi Tree Concerts' sixth season. The organization has already presented more than 20 concerts and donated thousands of dollars to 20 charitable organizations including Mama's Kitchen, Voices for Children, Erase Poverty, and Foundation for Women. Bodhi Tree Concerts won a coveted San Diego Bravo Award in 2013, a Best of Fringe Award in 2014, a Best of 2014 and 2015 from SanDiegoStory.com, a Critics Choice Award in 2015 for their San Diego premiere of Tears of the Knife, and most recently Best of Fest and Best Performance by an Actor in an Opera/Musical for their 2017 San Diego premiere of 8 Songs for a Mad King.

Photo provided by Bodhi Tree Concerts