“True resiliency is not about surviving; it’s about thriving,” said Majora Carter during Messiah College’s annual Humanities Symposium Feb. 26-28. Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and keynote speaker for the symposium, spoke about the idea of resiliency and community development, and their positive implications on society. A South Bronx native, Carter has a passion for creating social cohesion and economic diversity in underdeveloped communities.  Her dreams have created amazing realities for many people in the South Bronx and beyond. (more…)

In March, the Eastern Wind Symphony fulfilled a long time goal: performing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Todd Nichols, recent alum of the graduate conducting program at Messiah, led the symphony from behind the conductor’s stand.

“It was quite remarkable,” says Nichols, in reflection of the evening.

The symphony commissioned a new work to be written for the ensemble by Messiah College professor Bruce Yurko. The piece Yurko produced, “Red Tal Skirmish (for Wind Ensemble”), honors Tuskegee Airmen, a celebrated group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. The symphony honored two Tuskegee Airmen among the 2,000 in attendance at the concert. (more…)

Learn of the tale of Mary Poplin, seamstress to the Queen

Mary Poplin © Serendipity Studios

Here espy Mary Poplin, the winsome seamstress of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Well known to Her Majesty, the Queen, and to the nobility in Greenwich Palace for her fine thread and needle work, Seamstress Poplin is a giddy lass.
She travels about the realm on weekends, entertaining the little ones as part of the Merry Music Makers, instructing the local gentry in the fine art of Peasant Dance, and the lady can be found cheering the valiant knights participating in the Ultimate Joust.

Seamstress Poplin is called upon to deliver messages between members of the court, and her giddiness often causes a mix-up of words; she has so far had the good fortune to remain clear of the stocks as a result of these merry mishaps!

Merry Music Makers Photograph by Tabitha L. Borges

But now know that Seamstress Poplin is, forsooth, called by another name.
During the working days of the week, she is Sara Palmer ’10, honors student at Messiah College, and a senior theatre major with acting and technical theatre and design emphases. Ms. Palmer explains how leading this double life has provided a number of opportunities for her to develop both her acting and design skills.

How did you become involved with the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire?

I became involved with the Faire when I attended with friends during high school and my first two years here. When I found out about the internships that they offered, I thought that would be a good opportunity to go along with what I was learning at Messiah. My internship led to being on cast that first year and being encouraged to audition for this season [for the role of Mary Poplin]. I started off last summer as an intern in the costume shop. I was also on the acting cast for the first half of the season.

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