Arts Planner: Song of the flood, Carolina Ballet

“Water Be Still”

In remembrance of the six-month anniversary of the historic flooding in Columbia, local jazz musician Mark Rapp released a song he composed about the disaster.

Called “Water Be Still,” the song serves as a reminder that the flood’s effects are still being felt by many.

“A lot of people have kind of moved on, but then a lot of people are still dealing with the aftermath and trying to get their lives back together,” Rapp said.

On Oct. 3, the night before the flooding, Rapp was at a gig in Five Points. He had heard news about an “epic” rainfall, but thought it was an exaggeration, he said. “At 3 a.m. I step outside and it’s a deluge of water, fire trucks blaring and oh my God.”

While driving home, he went through a huge puddle that submerged his car.

“Fortunately, I made it home. But it shook me up,” Rapp said.

As the reports of death and destruction followed over the next several days, Rapp channeled his thoughts into music.

The result, “Water Be Still,” expresses those initial feelings of helplessness, but also of people coming together in a crisis. Rapp plays trumpet on the track with Amos Hoffman on guitar, Glynis Martin on bass and Edwin Hamilton on drums and vocals.

“The lyrics talk about how we’re stronger together than we are separate,” Rapp said. “The more we can come together, the more we can do.”

Listen to “Water Be Still”:

OTHER ARTS EVENTS AROUND TOWN

Artista Vista

Artista Vista turns 25 this year. The annual event is Thursday through Sunday and includes a gallery crawl, installation art, a new sculpture dedication on Gervais Street and a lantern parade. One Columbia volunteers offer free walking tours of installation art at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Visit www.ArtistaVista.com for event maps and schedules, as galleries are finalizing their Artista Vista shows.

Richland Library spring book sale

The Richland Library Friends' Spring Book Sale is a chance to peruse more than 30,000 gently used books, CDs and DVDs at Richland Library Operations Center, 130 Lancewood Road.

The book sale is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 23. Prices for paperbacks will start at $1 and $2 for hardbacks. A half-priced inventory reduction sale is slated for 2-4 p.m. April 24.

“The Martyrdom of Polycarp”

The University of South Carolina’s premier choir, the USC Concert Choir directed by Larry Wyatt, presents “The Martyrdom of Polycarp,” an oratorio for mixed chorus, soloists and chamber orchestra.

7:30 p.m. April 22 at First Presbyterian Church, 1324 Marion St. Free. www.sc.edu/music

Ann Brodie’s Carolina Ballet presents “Poetry of Ballet”

7:30 p.m. April 23 at The Township, 1703 Taylor St. $20.50 general, $10.50 students and military. thetownship.org

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 7:10 AM with the headline "Arts Planner: Song of the flood, Carolina Ballet."