The Chieftains Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Their Annual Brew of Irish Music at the Kimmel Center March 15
March 7, 2008
Photo: Barry McCall
"Ireland’s most influential folk ensemble" —New York Times
The Chieftains evoke the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day with a celebration of Celtic music at the Kimmel Center on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 3pm. The six-time Grammy® award winners have entertained audiences with their distinctive blend of music, humor and step dancing for more than four decades, and continue to inspire interest in Celtic music worldwide in collaborations with legendary performers such as Van Morrison, Sting and The Rolling Stones. Joining the quartet on stage, renowned Scottish vocalist Alyth McCormack, keyboardist Brian McAlpine, guitarist Jonny Hardie and special guests will perform "Red is the Rose," "O’Sullivan’s March" and other classics with authentic Irish instruments including the bodhrán, uillean pipes, fiddle, tin whistle and flute.
"The uniquely gifted [ensemble]…successfully wedded the best of the folk and classical traditions. Beneath their virtuosic musicianship and symbiotic interplay were instantly hummable tunes that spoke directly to the heart and soul."—Los Angeles Times
This concert is the twenty-first concert in the World & Pop Series scheduled for the Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season. The next concert in the series will be Asha Bhosle, Bollywood Legend on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 7:30pm.
Tickets for The Chieftains are $39, $49, $59, $69 and $79 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
"The Chieftains are virtuosos and historians…moving through jigs loaded with optimism and delight along with more stately, melancholic pieces. [They] mixed a clear melodic beauty with dance rhythms that had members of the audience stomping their feet in time to the music."—New York Times
Ambassadors of Celtic music and Irish traditions, The Chieftains have produced 40 albums throughout their prodigious career. The group of Dublin musicians came together in 1962 under the leadership of founder and frontman Paddy Moloney, and quickly captured a wide audience with their range of musical talent. In 1988, the group joined forces with fellow countryman Van Morrison on Irish Heartbeat, which began a historic series of collaborations including recordings with James Galway, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Tom Jones, Sinead O’Connor, Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, Ry Cooder and others. Their music has appeared on soundtracks in notable films such as "Treasure Island," "Tristan and Isolde," "The Grey Fox," and "Far and Away." Their spirited performances have solidified historic events such as: the first Western group to perform on the Great Wall of China; their collaboration with Roger Waters' "The Wall" performance in Berlin in 1990; and a memorial service in New York for the victims of September 11, 2001. This year, The Chieftains can also be heard on the soundtrack for the family film "The Water Horse: Legends of the Deep" by composer James Newton Howard.
Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season is sponsored by Citi. Support for the Mellon Jazz Series comes from The Bank of New York Mellon. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARC Wheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System and American Express. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Mellon Jazz, Mellon Jazz Up Close and World & Pop.
The Kimmel Center also receives support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The William Penn Foundation, The Wachovia Foundation, Verizon Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Philadelphia Music Project and Dance Advance, Initiatives of The Pew Charitable Trust administered by The University of the Arts. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents, and additional media sponsors include WDAS, WRTI, WJJZ, Afro-Pop, WXPN and WXPN's Kids Corner 20th Anniversary.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from Wachovia Foundation.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Saturday, March 15, 2008 | 3pm
Verizon Hall
World & Pop
The Chieftains
Kevin Conneff, bodhrán
Seán Keane, fiddle
Matt Molloy, flute
Paddy Moloney, uillean pipes and tin whistle
With special guests
Alyth McCormack, vocals
Carmel Conway, vocals
Also featuring
Triona Marshall, harp
Jon Pilatzke, fiddle and step dancing
Maureen Fahy, fiddle
Nathan Pilatzke, step dancing
Cara Butler, traditional Irish dancing and step dancing
Brian McAlpine, keyboard, vocals and box
Jonny Hardie, guitar, fiddle and vocals
Saturday, March 15, 2008 | Post-show
Cadence Restaurant
An Irish Buffet with The Chieftains
SOLD OUT!
Come meet The Chieftains and enjoy a beer tasting and a great Irish menu in Cadence Restaurant immediately following The Chieftains performance in Verizon Hall.
FREE AT THE KIMMEL:
Saturday, March 15, 2008 | 11am
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
PNC Grow Up Great: Move & Groove: Irish Fun and Dance!
Ring in St. Patty's day with a morning of all Irish favorites. Lads and lassies will learn how to perform jigs, steps and the beautiful Irish ribbon dance.
Saturday, March 15, 2008 | 1:30pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
John Brennan and Friends!
Just as The Chieftains are a St. Patty’s Day tradition at the Kimmel Center, so is John Brennan! Our favorite Irish fiddler and singer returns to the Plaza stage with friends in tow for a fun afternoon filled with your favorite reels and jigs.
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