Sidney Lanier’s seminal poem was “The Song of the Chattahoochee.” So, perhaps he would have enjoyed the gesture of being the namesake for Lake Lanier, which dams part of the Chattahoochee.
Lanier was born in Macon, Ga. in 1842. He did not make it to 40, but left a profound impact on American poetry. And first and even foremost, he was a musician, composing songs and playing flute.
Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church’s music director Steven Darsey has organized a concert to celebrate Lanier’s 175th birthday. The program will feature a variety of songs, including Lanier’s music compositions, Darsey’s adaptations of Lanier’s poems into song and Lanier’s own adaptations of Alfred Tennyson’s poems.
The event, called “The Music and Poetry of Sidney Lanier: The Land, the People, and Providence,” is this Sunday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at Glenn Memorial Church.
You can hear more about the event and Sidney Lanier in Lois Reitzes’ interview with Darsey above.
