Report by Paddy McCarthy
I am starting my Saint Patrick’s Day music page with some brilliant Irish talent. The Celtic Angels Ireland, who are performing at St. George’s Theatre on March 30th, exemplify Irish fun, music, and traditional Craic — Ceol agus Traidisiún na h’Éireann a cheiliúradh. Sharing their cherished heritage through Irish song and dance, the Celtic Angels bring their talent to this season. The group consists of five amazing singers — Victoria Sexton, Louise Barry, Searlait Ni Caiside, Olivia Bradley and Michaela Groth — who beautifully blended their harmonies.The performance includes over 30 Irish traditional and contemporary tunes masterfully intertwined including “The Foggy Dew,” “Rocky Road to Dublin,” “The Fields of Athenry,” “Danny Boy” and “Whiskey in the Jar.” The singers are backed by the Trinity Ensemble’s musicians and are joined on stage by the Celtic Knights dancers. This gloriously evocative musical journey captivates audiences of all ages. It will be truly a magical night to celebrate the music of the Irish. The show is directed by Dubliner Louise Barry with musical arrangements by Peter Sheridan of Co. Caven and dance by Belfast-based choreographer Sarah Costello.
Centered in the historic St. George District of Staten Island, just steps from the iconic Staten Island Ferry, the Theatre is the most magnificent one there. Solomon Brill of the Isle Theatrical Company broke ground on a beautiful 2,800 seat venue in August, 1928, and the doors opened on December 4th, 1929. The theater has been under a full renovation to restore it to its original splendor.
For tickets and a $15 discount go to : https://stgeorgetheatre.com/celtic-angels-ireland/And enter promo code: Clover https://www.celticangels.com/
On March 17th, Victoria Johnston released a new single, “Tar Liom”/“Follow Me:” “You hear a call, it is calling you far from here, calling you like a bird, come follow me beyond the mountains, Follow me.” From Dublin, Ireland, this singer-songwriter released the song ahead of her debut album, “Where the Lights Glow” which will be out in May. Though an independent artist, her music has received television features and radio airplay across Ireland including on its prime national broadcaster RTÉ. She has been interviewed and featured in Irish magazines and newspapers including Irish Tatler, Irish World newspaper, Irish Daily Star, The Sunday World, and RSVP magazine.
On launching her solo career in 2020, Hot Press Magazine featured Johnston as a “New Artist” and “New Music” to watch for. The publication stated, “The tunes turn out to be as impeccable as her credentials. She is already being hailed as the next Enya.”
Being classically trained at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin from the age of nine with annual scholarships, Johnston then continued her music training at the TUD Conservatoire in Dublin. Victoria also holds a degree from Trinity College Dublin. Her single is sung in the Irish Language or ‘Gaeilge.’ As Johnston says, “Gaeilge is such an inherently musical language that it lends itself so well to being sung. It’s a powerful thing that Irish music resonates so well with people all over the world. It’s a true musical identity and I’ve endeavored to showcase a sense of Ireland’s musical heritage through this song. As an artist, I’m very much influenced by how almost ethereal Ireland’s scenery can be. The lyrics are very much influenced by nature and Ireland’s picturesque forests, valleys and mountains.”
“Tar Liom” was recorded and produced in Ireland by Grammy-nominated producer Denis Woods (previously of Windmill Lane Studios, Clannad, Moya Brennan, Enya), with Johnston’s lyrics and music. And the music video was filmed in the Wicklow Mountains. Johnston is also a founding member and songwriter of the Irish group Celtic Calling who had a #1 iTunes single in Ireland with their arrangement of the Celtic classic “The Parting Glass.” Their concert performances to date include sold-out shows in Ireland and London.
“Tar Liom” is available on all streaming services, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Video for the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nElUP28WfPU and you can follow Victoria on Facebook and Instagram.
The prestige cultural event of this season took place on St Patrick’s Day in New York — the evening concert presented by Ireland’s acclaimed youth orchestra, the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI), at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. Currently in the midst of an 18-concert tour of Ireland, the 140-player symphony orchestra — supplemented by traditional instruments and dancers — was joined in New York by the 100-voice Fairfield County Connecticut Children’s Choir, the Pipe Corps from Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, and dancers from New Jersey’s DeNogla Academy. Making their third Carnegie Hall appearance, CBOI presented their current concert, “Ancora” — the result of an ambitious workshop/rehearsal process that started on November 8th, 2022.
Led by the orchestra’s charismatic conductor Greg Beardsell, “Ancora” featured such guest artists as the award-winning vocalist and songwriter Lauren Murphy appearing as guest soloist; the all-Ireland champion Uilleann piper Conal Duffy, and world champion Highland Piper Grahame Harris. Also traveling with the orchestra are the Ulster Scots Dancers from the Michelle Johnston School of Dance in Belfast.
Founded in 1995 and based in Dundalk, County Louth, Sharon Treacy-Dunne is its executive director and the CBOI New York executive directors are Orla Maguire and Ciarán O. Grant.
The tour brought together young musicians, aged 14 to 24, from Ireland and Northern Ireland. Since the tour started on January 21st in Limerick, CBOI has been playing big arenas in these cities: University of Limerick Sports Arena, Limerick — seven shows; RDS Simmonscourt Arena Dublin — four shows; SSE Arena in Belfast — two shows; SETU Arena in Waterford — four shows. Carnegie Hall was the final concert of the tour.
This year’s tour commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement as well as the orchestra’s own 28th anniversary. The orchestra, led by Sharon Treacy-Dunne, indeed grew out of the Peace Agreement process.
A unique blend of symphonic Celtic music rooted in both the Irish and Ulster Scots traditions, the program weaves an astonishing multi-layered tapestry of music — including Uilleann pipes, harp, fiddle, bodhrán and Ulster Scots bagpipes supplementing a full symphony orchestra — which reflects the complex history and rich cultural heritage of the Island of Ireland in its entirety.