On the evening of Thursday, Dec. 21, over 150 people took part in the Vigorous Tenderness outdoor winter solstice celebration at the Shaw Cherry Hill Farm on Route 25.

Vigorous Tenderness is a local arts organization that hosts four arts and music events each year, coinciding with the solstices in December and June, as well as the spring and fall equinoxes.

This was the first time that one of their events had been held in Gorham.

Beginning in the spring of 2020, the four annual outdoor events took on more significance, as they became important ways for artists and musicians to connect with audiences during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Those attendees who were willing to follow the lines of luminaria and brave the cold, windy conditions along the pathways through fields and woods could visit one of seven concert locations, which were situated along some of the trails in the Cherry Hill preserve.

Just as in previous years, for this year’s event there was a continuing emphasis on experimental music, which includes fusions between classical music and various other genres such as world music and ambient sounds, in a chamber music format. In addition, Vigorous Tenderness continued highlighting lesser-heard voices, including a performance by a traditional Wabanaki flutist and a Wabanaki fiddle player, and performances of pieces by Palestinian composer Muyassar Kurdi. There was also a more traditional performance by a vocal quartet, singing pieces by Italian renaissance composer Arcangelo Corelli.

Find Vigorous Tenderness on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/vigorous.tenderness/