“St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” Showcases the Best Traditional and Contemporary Irish Music

High-spirited Celtic music comes to the Hylton Performing Arts Center as the traditional Irish band Danú presents “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.” Music is an essential part of the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, and this performance brings the tradition and passion of Irish music in an upbeat celebration of the Emerald Isle. Danú performs at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 18, 2016, at 8 p.m.

Nell Ní Chróinín joins Danú as the lead vocalist for her first U.S. tour with the band. An award-winning singer, Ní Chróinín joined the group in January. She is regarded as one of the top Irish language singers performing today and is a regular guest on TG4-Irish Television. Her multiple awards include TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year 2012 and the prestigious Oireactas ‘Corn Uí Riada’ award in 2014. For this U.S. tour Danú, also welcomes special guest piper Ivan Goff, best known for performing with the popular “Riverdance.”

This concert honors the rich musical tradition of Ireland with a mixed performance of high-energy contemporary Celtic beats blended with the well-known traditional Irish jigs. “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” takes audiences on a musical journey through Ireland. With pieces in both English and Irish, this performance transports audiences across time and oceans to experience the best in Irish music.

Beautiful Appalachian Sounds Come to Castleton! Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the great duo Wayne Herdersen and Helen White
Having played the guitar across Europe and Asia, for President Bill Clinton at the White House, and for Queen Elizabeth II during her 2007 visit to Richmond, Va., Henderson’s blue grass genre and distinct fingerpicking style have won him loyal fans around the world. Famous Henderson devotees, like Doc Watson,Eric Clapton, and Brad Paisley, line up for a chance to own one of his hand-crafted mandolins or guitars. White, a singer, fiddler, guitarist, and tunesmith, has toured with Henderson in the United States and Europe.

Quatuor Ébène

Haydn’s Quartet in C Major, Op. 20, No. 2

Debussy’s Quartet in G minor

Beethoven’s Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131

“A string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band,” wrote the New York Times after a 2009 performance by the Quatuor Ebène. The ensemble opened with Debussy and Haydn and then improvised on a film music theme—with exactly the same enthusiasm and passion.

What began in 1999 as a distraction in the university’s practice rooms for the four young French musicians has become a trademark of the Quatuor Ebène, and has generated lasting reverberations in the music scene. The four breathe new life into chamber music through their consistently direct, open-minded perspective on the works. Regardless of the genre, they approach the music with humility and respect. They change styles with gusto, and yet remain themselves: with all the passion that they experience for each piece, and which they bring to the stage and to their audiences directly and authentically.