Celtic Harmonies International Festival
Nine days of celebrating the threads that connect us
By Ann Davidson
Between September 30 and October 8, Celtic Harmonies Festival will be featuring 57 world-class musicians from Ireland, Brittany, the USA, and five Canadian provinces including the Maritimes and Quebec. They will descend on Knowlton as well as Waterloo, Bromont, and Mansonville to play in small halls, mingle in cafés, and celebrate the deep connections that Quebec and Canada share with Celtic nations of Europe and in particular, Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany.
“We have always strived to celebrate these ties; it’s our mission, after all. We are doing this for our community in celebration of its early roots here in the Townships. This year’s program really brings this to light. The ties are so inextricable, it’s impossible to categorize most of the artists,” says April O’donoughue, festival director. “For example, we have two Vermonters who favour the repertoire of the countries of the ‘Auld Alliance,’ (music from Scotland and France. There are also two groups who are a mix of Bretons and Québécois who create music with Breton songs and Québécois instrumentation and foot tapping (podorythmie). And we have three duos (married couples, in fact) where each brings a different style to the table such as Cape Breton piano with Irish and Scottish fiddle, Québécois fiddle with Irish Uilleann pipes, Vermont fiddle with English ballads, to name just a few.”
O’donoughue says that the connections are not just geographical; they are threads that link past and present. In addition to traditional fiddling, bagpipes, and Gaelic laments, festival-goers can expect to hear Celtic fusions and modern compositions, demonstrating that this music is very much alive and evolving. Dave Gossage’s new trio “Bùmarang” blends styles such as traditional, jazz and classical, and sources such as Celtic, African, and Appalachian. She adds that the Canadian group “NUA” plays its own compositions that are deeply influenced
by traditional music but are new and exciting.
Daytime activities will include workshops in Knowlton — a chance for the public to meet the musicians up close, hear their stories, learn about their music and their instruments — even learn the basics of step-dancing, playing the bodhrán, or singing traditional songs. There will also be master classes for fiddlers, pianists and guitarists, and traditional Irish sessions in various pubs and restaurants in Knowlton, as well as two matinée concerts (in Mansonville and Bromont).
Tickets are available online at www.celticharmonies.ca or by telephone at 450-292-3456 ext. 227.