The 90 voice Kulshan Chorus presents "Celtic II," a concert of ballads mixed with colorful, lively jigs and reels reflecting the rich heritage of the Celtic tradition.

 

Hello
This holiday season the Kulshan Chorus joins with a group of highly talented musicians in a concert of Irish, Scottish and English music reflecting the rich heritage of the Celtic tradition.
The first half of the program speaks to the drama and longing of the soul - ballads and airs of the distant long ago – from the lands of mist and leprechauns, bards and minstrels with visions and poetry that mirror the anguish the world knows today. This is well expressed in “Wandering Angus” by Irish poet W.B. Yeats, wherein a “little silver trout” mystically transforms into a maiden, who quietly fades away into the “brightening air,” leaving Angus forever in search of this beautiful apparition, yearning:

Though I am old with wandering through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone and kiss her lips and take her hand,
And walk through long green dappled grass, and pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun.

Some say that in ancient Ireland, poets of high esteem carried a wand of hazel or apple wood from which dangled little silver or gold bells - symbolic of the apples of the otherworld, of enchantment and healing - to affect a change of consciousness in all who heard the tinkling. This magical idea is reflected in the traditional tunes and melodies that have come to us from those times, from worlds we can only imagine, sweeping away our mind’s cobwebs to peek into bygone times and places. The songs of the Celtic musical tradition, old though they may be, continue to capture the hearts of listeners today.
But if the first half of this program should leave you pensive... custom decrees that the ballad be followed by an energetic jig or reel. The second half of our program bursts with music from the party, pub, and Wassailing tradition, wherein singers pass from house to house sharing the joy, the boisterous festivity of the holiday season, invited in to sing and “sitte by the hearthe and share in goode food, spirite and companie.”

As I cam’ by Crochallan, I cannily keekit ben
Rattlin’ roarin’ Willie was sitting at yon boord-en
Sitting at yon boord-en, and amang guid companie,
Rattlin’ roarin’ Willie, ye’re welcome hame to me —Robert Burns

So it is within this custom, with this spirit, that we welcome you to our Twenty-third Midwinter Concert. Come and join us for holiday warmth, music and cheer. Bring your family or friends. You won’t be disappointed, and do sing along where you may know the tune or words. Have a wonderful holiday season, and a fabulous New Year.
Roger Griffith—Musical Director, Kulshan Chorus

 

The Musicians:

Dale Russ began playing fiddle in 1973 and, although self-taught, had become included among the highest ranks of Irish fiddlers in the USA with his inclusion in the Smithsonian’s 1990 award winning “Traditional Recording of the Year”. His playing is known for its balance of power and elegance.
In 1977, Dale was a founding member of the Seattle Irish band “No Comhaile.” In 1980 he met Kevin Burke, whose music had already had a huge influence on Irish music in the Northwest. Kevin invited Dale and Irish piper, Tom Creegan to join Gerry O’Beirne and himself to perform for a month at McGurk’s, home of traditional Irish music in St Louis, Missouri. A few years later, Dale joined the premiere Seattle Irish band “The Suffering Gaels”, appearing at the Milwaukee Irish Festival in 1993 and '94. In 1996 he teamed up with Jack Gilder and Junji Shirota to record two CDs as the band “Jody’s Heaven” and visited Japan for the first time. He now returns at least once a year for recreation and to enjoy delectable Japanese cuisine.
Dale can currently be heard with Tom Creegan and Mike Saunders in the trio “Crumac.” He has numerous recordings to his credit and performs and teaches throughout the U.S. He has a teaching video offered by Mel Bay and has been featured in Fiddler Magazine.

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Tom Creegan, Irish (Uilleann) pipes, and whistles, first started playing pipes in his native Dublin, where he attended the Irish Piper's Club in Thomas Street. He played extensively in Europe and Canada before moving to Seattle. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost pipers in North America. Tom was proclaimed champion at the Irish Piper's Convention in Seattle in 1984. His concert appearances have included numerous dates with such luminaries as Kevin Burke, Gerry O'Beirne, Micheal O'Dhomnaill and Johnny Cunningham, among others. He teaches tin whistle and pipes in the Irish Piper's Club, and has served on the teaching staff of the Lark in the Morning summer school in California. Tom is in big demand for recording, and has appeared on many recordings by Northwest artists. In February 2009, Tom was invited to play at the inaugural Leo Rowsome Annual Commemoration at Na Píobairí Uilleann in Dublin. He is now in a band called Crumac, playing alongside renowned fiddler, Dale Russ.
Tom’s set of pipes, in the key of D, were made in Dublin by the great Leo Rowsome.

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Paul Englesberg, flutes, whistles & concertina, teaches in the School of Education of Capella University, and is also Director of the Asian American Curriculum and Research Project at Western Washington University. He studied the classical flute from childhood and began playing English concertina in 1977. In 1975 Paul began playing for folk and contra-dances with the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra in Massachusetts and he co-founded a contra-dance band, the Fiddleheads, in New Haven, CT in 1978. Former member of Rendezvous String Band in Oregon, Paul is a founding member of Up in the Air, a Bellingham band that plays for Scottish and English country and contra-dances. He lives in Ferndale, Washington

Keyboardist/Accordionist, Steve Rice grew up in Rochester New York and graduated from Berklee College of Music, Boston, where he was awarded the "Oscar Peterson Award". Steve moved to Seattle in 1986 and tours with numerous jazz and folkloric ensembles including 'Yahboy' (calypso/jazz), 'Rouge' (French Cabaret), and The Harry James Orchestra. Recently Steve's compositions appeared in films and television programs including ABC Family's "10 Things I Hate About You". He debuted onscreen this year in the SXSW indy film "A Different Path." Steve is currently learning Ukulele and Celtic Harp. A review at www.AllAboutJazz.com of this acclaimed CD states: “Accordionist Steve Rice exhibits a kind of improvisational risk-taking not usually associated with his instrument.” Steve lives and teaches music in Seattle. He recently returned from visiting his daughter, a WWU grad who lives in France.

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Geof Morgan spent twenty years as a professional songwriter and performer in Nashville and Bellingham from 1975 -1995. Since then, he has made music his avocation playing mostly Balkan and Celtic music, focusing on guitar, tambura, and trumpet. Geof is currently Executive Director for the Whatcom Family and Community Network that focuses on community organizing.

 

Todd Citron, bodhrán.
The Irish origin for the word "bodhrán" (pronounced bor-on) is not clear and has several possible meanings: "skin tray," soft, dull, or deaf. The last possibility is what many of his family wish they were when they are driven to the recesses of quieter places during Todd's practicing. The nonsense words he sings during the choruses of "Changing Your Demeanour" and "The Wren," similar to the scat singing of jazz, are born from the Gaelic singing tradition known as lilting, and by many other names such as "mouth music" and diddling.

 

Mark your calendar. You won't be disappointed

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Mark your calendars for.....

The GREAT BEATLES SING-ALONG
April 30, 2011
Featuring the Chorus with THE WALRUS
Location: Bellingham High School Auditorium
Time: 7:30 pm - festival seating