Celtic Music Archives

Award-winning Fiddler Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki in Littleton

The Littleton Area Senior Center will host award-winning fiddler Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki performing “Songs of Emigration” storytelling through traditional Irish music, relaying some of the adventures, misadventures and emotions experienced by Irish emigrants.

Jordan was first recognized as part of New Hampshire’s culture at the age of 12, the youngest member of the delegation representing the state at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington, DC. He has toured nationally with bands in various genres, performed across Ireland and released multiple recordings of celtic music that can be heard on radio stations around New England. He currently performs over 200 shows each years, mostly with his own band, the Jordan TW Trio.

The 1 p.m. program is presented through the NH Humanities Council, and will follow a traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner at noon. The show is free, and a donation is requested for the dinner: $5 for under 60, and $3 for seniors over 60.

Questions? Call Anne-Marie at (603) 444-6050.

Tillotson Center Presents: Filmed Live – Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show

Filmed live at the 3Arena Dublin, the exact spot where it all began, the 25th Anniversary Gala Performance will bring Riverdance to the big screen for the very first time! The new 25th Anniversary show catapults Riverdance into the 21st century and will completely immerse you in the extraordinary and elemental power of its music and dance.

Admission $10 adults, $5 students.

Irish Music at the Colebrook Country Club

Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Colebrook Country Club beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, as the region’s Celtic ensemble gathers in town to celebrate the music of the Emerald Isle.

Islay Mist Ceilidh come to Colebrook bringing in a host of Irish tunes — and then some — with a successive blast of jigs, reels, airs and some familiar tunes to sing along with. The will be hosting this lively St. Patrick’s Day gathering.

Islay Mist Ceilidh includes fiddlers, guitarists, bodhrans, flutes and penny whistle. It brings together musicians from all over northern New Hampshire who at first started out playing Celtic music together for fun. That fun has grown to include numerous gigs at various venues and events; the band plays several times a year at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Highland Center Inn in Crawford Notch, at the Lancaster Fair, and for the past three years has been among the headliners at the annual First Night North New Year’s Eve celebration in St. Johnsbury, Vt. The group recently played at the First Day celebration on New Year’s Day in Colebrook helping launch the town’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Come along and join the fun and don’t forget to wear your green — and join in the singing to some old Irish favorites, including “Danny Boy,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and more. Whether you’re of Irish heritage or just Irish for the day, you will have a great time — and that’s no blarney.

Admission is $15 at the door for adults and $5 for children 12 or younger. You can secure advance tickets online at www.gnwca.org.

Celtic Musicians Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas at Rialto Theatre

The musical partnership between consummate top Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and dynamic Californian cellist Natalie Haas returns to the North Country on Tuesday, April 9, when the duo performs in concert at the Rialto Theater in Lancaster.

“For music fans worldwide, Alasdair Fraser has set the gold standard of Scottish fiddling,” said Charlie Jordan, President of the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts. “His teaming up with cellist Natalie Haas has taken this genre of Celtic music to new, previously uncharted heights.”

The GNWCA, which first brought Fraser and Haas to northern New Hampshire in 2013, has been fortunate to have corralled this globe-trotting duo for one night in their busy schedule for their first show ever at the Rialto.

They continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.

Alasdair Fraser has a concert and recording career spanning over 30 years, with a long list of awards, accolades, radio and television credits, and feature performances on top movie soundtracks (”Last of the Mohicans” and “Titanic” among his credits). In 2011, he was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame.

Natalie Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, is one of the most sought after cellists in traditional music today. She has performed and recorded with a who’s who of the fiddle world including Mark O’Connor, Natalie MacMaster, Irish supergroups Solas and Altan, Liz Carroll, Dirk Powell, Brittany Haas, Darol Anger, Jeremy Kittel, Hanneke Cassel, Laura Cortese and many more. The GNWCA has brought Natalie to Colebrook on two recent occasions as one quarter of the super group Duo Duo.

The seemingly unlikely pairing of fiddle and cello is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser. His search eventually led him to find a cellist who could help return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music, where it stood for hundreds of years before being relegated to the orchestra. The duo’s debut recording, “Fire & Grace,” won the coveted the Scots Trad Music Album of the Year award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy. Since its release, the two have gone on to record four more critically acclaimed albums that blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge string explorations. In additional to performing, they both have motivated generations of string players through their teaching at fiddle camps across the globe. In northern New England, they won over legions of new fans by their annual appearance as headliners at the N.H. Highland Games each September.

Tickets are $20 and available at the Rialto box office at 80 Main St. in Lancaster, at Fiddleheads, 110 Main St., Colebrook, online at www.gnwca.org or at the door on the night of the show.

For more information on this and other GNWCA shows, find the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts on Facebook, visit www.gnwca.org or you can call 246-8998.

Islay Mist Ceilidh at Colebrook Country Club

Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in grand style at the Colebrook Country Club beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, as the region’s largest Celtic ensemble gathers in town to celebrate the music of the Emerald Isle.

That’s the night that Islay Mist Ceilidh comes to Colebrook bringing in a host of Irish tunes–and then some–with a successive blast of jigs, reels, airs and some familiar tunes to sing along with. The Great North Woods Committee for the Arts will be hosting this lively St. Patrick’s Day gathering.

Islay Mist Ceilidh is a group of musicians from all over northern New Hampshire who first started out playing Celtic music for fun. That fun has grown to include numerous gigs at various venues and events; the band plays several times a year at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Highland Center Inn in Crawford Notch, at the Lancaster Fair, and for the past three years has been among the headliners at the annual First Night-North New Year’s Eve celebration in St. Johnsbury, Vt.

Islay Mist Ceilidh includes fiddlers, guitarists, bodhrans, flutes and penny whistle. The group recently recorded its first CD, which will be available for purchase at the show.

Come along and join the fun and don’t forget to wear your green–and join in the singing to some old Irish favorites, including “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “Danny Boy” and more. Whether you’re of Irish heritage or just Irish for the day, you will have a great time–and that’s no blarney.

Tickets for the St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the Colebrook Country Club on Rte. 26 in Colebrook are available online at www.gnwca.org, at Fiddleheads on 110 Main St. in Colebrook or at the door on the night of the show. General admission prices are: adults, $15, children under 12, $5.

For more information on this and other GNWCA shows, find the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts on Facebook, visit www.gnwca.org or you can call (603) 246-8998.

AMC Highland Center Presents: Live Music with Islay Mist Celidh

The Islay Mist Ceilidh are a group of musicians from Northern New Hampshire who love the music of Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton, and all things Celtic. They offer a lively performance not to be missed! (7:30-9:30 p.m.)

Prior to the musical performance, join the AMC for a St. Patrick’s Day traditional boiled dinner and Irish cuisine. (6-8 p.m.)

The musical performance is free; there is a charge for the dinner.

A Cape Breton Christmas at The Rialto Theatre

One of the most popular groups from Nova Scotia’s musical corner of Cape Breton will be bringing a spirited and enthusiastic celebration of the holiday season to the Rialto Theatre in downtown Lancaster on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.

“Here’s a show that will get you in the swing of Christmastime with all the bells and whistles of the Canadian Maritimes during the holidays,” said Charlie Jordan of the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts, presenter of the show. “We are very fortunate to have Coig to bring its show to the North Country as part of its busy holiday tour.”

Coig features its all-star line up of Rachel Davis on fiddle, viola and vocals, Chrissy Crowley on fiddle, Jason Roach on piano, and Darren McMullen on guitar, mandolin, mandola, banjo, bouzouki, whistles, flute, and vocals. All four members of the band are recognized as major stars of the Celtic music world. Fiddler Crowley has touches of world and contemporary music. Pianist Roach has a jazz degree, McMullen has worked everywhere from Irish to rock groups, and fiddler Davis is the most Cape Breton traditional, but with folk and roots infused flavors as well.

Ask anyone who has seen them, from New England stages to huge European festivals to their own beloved small halls of Cape Breton, and you’ll always hear about Coig’s energy. Trad fans love them and the crowds are growing all the time. “We really feed a lot on the energy we get from the crowd, everybody is hootin’ and hollerin’ and clappin’ and stompin’ and goin’ on,” says band member Darren McMullen. “We want our shows to be more where we’re all just having a party together.”

For the holiday show Coig has added many beautiful Christmas standards to their playlist, giving each the special Cape Breton touch.

In addition to Christmas favorites, they’ll be performing material from their new release, “Rove,” which has recently been recognized with a 2018 East Coast Music Award, 2017 Canadian Folk Music Award, and Music Nova Scotia Award nomination.

Tickets are $15. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Rialto Theatre, 80 Main St., Lancaster and Fiddleheads, 110 Main St., Colebrook, or online at www.gnwca.org. For more information on this and other GNWCA show, call (603) 237-9302 or (603) 246-8998.

Celtic American Holiday Concert with Low Lily, John Whelan & Katie McNally

Don’t miss this wonderful Celtic American Holiday Concert featuring Low Lily, seven times All-Ireland button accordionist John Whelan, and Scottish and Cape Breton fiddler Katie NcNally!

The string and vocal trio Low Lily explores the roots and branches of American folk music with traditional influences and modern inspiration that weaves together a unique brand of acoustic music. Liz Simmons (vocals and guitar), Flynn Cohen (vocals, guitar, and mandolin), and Lissa Schneckenburger (vocals and fiddle) are masterful players with deep relationships to traditional music styles ranging from bluegrass to Irish, Scottish, New England, and Old Time Appalachian sounds. When you combine this with stellar composition skills and inventive arrangements you get music that is rooted yet contemporary.

Low Lily’s new full-length album, 10,000 Days Like These, brings its members’ histories together and also takes a step forward with originals, covers, and overall, fresh new music. Simmons produced the album, creating a running thread through the project of political, personal, and occasionally humorous and quirky subject matter. The trio’s previous self-entitled EP was released in 2015.

Celtic master John Whelan and his red, two-row button accordion have been inseparable since the first day he picked up the instrument at age 11 in Dunstable, England. He has won six All-Britain championships and seven All-Ireland titles.

Scottish and Cape Breton fiddler Katie McNally has performed and taught fiddle courses in the U. S., Canada, Spain, Scotland, England and France. She has played at the Newport Folk Festival, the Barns at Wolf Trap, The Freight and Salvage, and the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, as well as various folk venues throughout North America.

Celtic Music with Còig at Rilato Theatre

Nova Scotia’s powerhouse Còig has cemented its status as one of today’s most exciting new North American Celtic groups. With a combined total of over 30 group and solo awards and nominations, the four members of the band are already recognized as major stars of the Celtic world.

Còig’s like no other, thanks to the unique mix of four different talents. They all have traditional roots, but each brings something more. Fiddler Chrissy Crowley has touches of world and contemporary music. Pianist Jason Roach has a jazz degree, Darren McMullen (guitar, banjo, mandolin, etc.) has worked everywhere from Irish to rock groups, and fiddler Rachel Davis is the most Cape Breton trad, but with folk and roots infused flavors as well.
Ask anyone who has seen them, from New England theater stages to huge European festivals to their own beloved small halls of Cape Breton, and you’ll always hear about Còig’s energy. Trad fans love them of course, and the crowds are growing all the time. “We really feed a lot on the energy we get from the crowd, everybody is hootin’ and hollerin’ and clappin’ and stompin’ and goin’ on,” says multi-instrumentalist Darren McMullen. “We want our shows to be more where we’re all just having a party together.”

Còig’s music is a unique combination of influences that could only come from these four players. It’s traditional for sure, but it’s performed in a lot of non-traditional ways. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door and at GNWCA at www.gnwca.org. More info: www.gnwca.org or (603) 237-9302 or (603) 246-8998.

The Medallion Presents: The Sultans of String

Three-time JUNO Award nominees and Billboard charting band Sultans of String creates “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” according to Maverick Magazine.

Thrilling their audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban and South Asian rhythms, the group celebrates musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar, while bass and percussion lay down unstoppable grooves. Acoustic strings meet with electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound, while world rhythms excite audiences to their feet with the irresistible need to dance.