Great Scott! The Pipes of Christmas are Coming!



This Saturday, December 19th, the Scots will be invade the Upper East Side of Manhattan (and they'll move over to New Jersey on Sunday, December 20th).  Specifically it's the Highland pipes and drums of Scotland along with brass, strings, and percussion native to Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.  This Celtic concert, the Pipes of Christmas, celebrates the holidays and the Christmas season like no other. 

I have been attending the Pipes of Christmas annually since 2010.  This concert of music and readings stirs my soul and reminds me not only of the wee dram of Scottish blood in my family line but also of my heritage as a Christian celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.   It's one of my favorite events of the entire year and I plan my December around it. 

The Pipes of Christmas is produced by Clan Curry Society to both celebrate the season and raise money for its international music scholarship program that includes annual gifts to students in the United States, Scotland and Canada.

Performing are the fiddle champions, Paul Woodiel and Calum Pasqua, "Riverdance" piper, Christopher Layer, guitarist Steve Gibb from "Jersey Boys", cellist Sarah Hewitt-Roth, Scottish Country Dance aficionado Susie Petrov, bassist Mark Verdino, the Solid Brass ensemble, organist William Peek, Scottish Gaelic Mod Champion harpist Jennifer Port and the Kevin Ray Blandford Memorial Pipe Band of Redlands, CA.

This year, the Pipes of Christmas also honors the late Academy Award winning composer James Horner.  Horner composed hundreds of film scores, including "Titanic," "A Beautiful Mind," "Field of Dreams," and notably "Braveheart" which tells the story of Scottish hero William Wallace to who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independece against King Edward 1 of England.  To pay tribute to James Horner's legacy of bringing Celtic music to a broader audience, three "Braveheart" case members - Mhairi Calvey, James Robison, and Andrew Weir - are reuniting to perform readings.  It's thrilling to hear their brogues as well as speak in native Scots. 

The concert will also feature the world premier of a new work composed by a music student of Edinburgh Napier University as part of the university's Christmas Composition Contest which is sponsored by Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith ("No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series).

The Pipes of Christmas opens on Saturday, December 19^th at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, located at 921 Madison Avenue (at 73^rd Street) with performances at 2PM and 7PM.  The concert moves across the Hudson River on Sunday, December 20^th to Central Presbyterian Church located at 70 Maple Street in Summit, NJ for 2PM and 7PM performances.

Concert highlights will also be televised via cable to 11 New Jersey towns on December 24-26, 2015 and streamed online.  Please visit www.pipesofchristmas.com and on facebook.com/ThePipesofChristmas.

To experience this miraculous and soul stirring Christmas concert live, visit SmartTix to purchase tickets.   Attend Saturday, December 19^th at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, located at 921 Madison Avenue (at 73^rd Street) with performances at 2PM and 7PM.  The concert moves across the Hudson River on Sunday, December 20^th to Central Presbyterian Church located at 70 Maple Street in Summit, NJ for 2PM (sold out!)  and 7PM performances.  A Blithe Yule!

 

 

The Pipes of Christmas are calling!

We are just weeks away from the annual Pipes of Christmas. It's the best holiday celebration in New York City, and this comes from a cynical soul who has all but given up on Christmas. It also stirs up my wee dram of Celtic blood and makes my soul soar!  I plan my entire December around the Pipes of Christmas concert.

In New York City, the concert is at Madison Avenue Presbyterian on December 14th at 2 and 7 pm. On Sunday the 15th, the concert is held at Summit, New Jersey.

Tickets are available via Smarttix online or by calling (212)868-4444.

The Pipes of Christmas is presented by Clan Currie and is in its 15th year. It's a joyous event that also raises funds to support music scholarships for educational institutions offering Celtic music programs, including the Royal Conservatorie of Scotland, the Gaelic College of Arts, and the National Piping Centre.

The traditional and spiritual concert features music and readings from the Celtic ancestry of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Features performers include James Robinson ("Braveheart"), New England fiddle champion Paul Woodiel, "Riverdance" uilleann piper and flutist Christopher Layer, Gaelic Mod champion harpist Jennifer Port of Golspie, Scotland, and the Pipe Major Kevin Ray Blandford Memorial Pipe Band from Redlands, CA.

The concert will also debut composer Steve Gibb's "Lullaby for a Prince," specially commissioned to mark the birth of HRH Prince George of Cambridge. Gibb, of Inveness, Scotland, debuted his beautiful composition "Balmoral Snow" in honor of HM Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee at last year's Pipes concert.