Due to the surging numbers of Omicron and out of an abundance of caution for our artists and audiences, we have postponed Maija Sofia's concert until a later date. In the meantime, we encourage you to listen to her music to get to know this amazing artist and her work. You can find her music here:
Solas Nua is delighted to present Imbolc, a new work written and performed by Irish folk singer-songwriter from County Galway, Maija Sofia. Commissioned by Solas Nua especially for St. Brigid’s Day (Imbolc), for this unique event, Maija Sofia will perform this new piece live for the first time in the intimate, modernist setting of St. Thomas’s Parish, an Episcopal church in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, February 1 • 8 PM ET
$25, Ticketed, in person
St. Thomas’ Parish, 1517 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
While working on this commission, Maija Sofia considered St. Brigid as a mystic, pagan feminist icon; a figure through which old Irish traditions, wisdoms and practices persisted in spite of the patriarchy of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Taking the ‘Cailleach’ (divine hag or witch) as a starting point, Maija looks at how St Brigid symbolizes a kind of secret resistant undercurrent of feminine, mystic and ecological forms of knowledge.
The new piece will be performed alongside Maija’s other songs that deal with themes of feminist historical narratives and alternate forms of knowledge as well as older folk songs that contain similar themes of nature and witchcraft.
Solas Nua looks forward to welcoming Maija Sofia to a Washington DC stage for the first time, to premiere this ambitious new commission on February 1st, the ancient festival of Imbolc, to celebrate rebirth, renewal, the coming of Spring and the symbol of feminine energy. Supported by Culture Ireland.
Maija Sofia is a songwriter and artist from rural Galway. Her debut album ‘Bath Time’ was released in November 2019 through Trapped Animal Records. By turns arresting, intimate and strange, her songs are built around striking electric guitar, intricate lyrics, harp, analogue synth and more experimental instrumentation. The album was critically lauded as the arrival of a poignant, original new talent, receiving full-mark reviews and a nomination for the RTÉ Choice Award Irish Album of the Year. It was described in the Sunday Times as “quietly breathtaking [...] the arrival of a unique new voice.”
Maija Sofia photo by Jilly McGrath
SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Due to the concerns of COVID and DC protocols, we have put these safety measures in place:
- All artists and patrons are required to show proof of vaccination to attend.
- A copy or picture of your vaccine card can be shown upon arrival.
- Masks are required for the indoor setting.
