Sounds of the Season

An Evening of Celtic Music a Wilmot United Church.

This Saturday, Wilmot United Church plays host to a special concert of holiday music. Sounds of the Season, A Celtic Christmas will bring together many of the city’s top Celtic performers for an evening of music, dance and stories, all led by the award-winning members of Fredericton Celtic trio, Tangled Traditions.

“The idea for Sounds of the Season began to percolate about a year ago,” said Carolyn Holyoke, a founding member of the group and recent MNB award recipient. “I had been involved in two previous Christmas shows with some Fredericton musicians at Wilmot United Church. When last year’s show had to be cancelled, I began thinking about doing a Celtic Christmas show and I wanted the idea to reflect more than a standard concert. With a Celtic theme, there are so many possibilities.”

Earlier this year, Holyoke, together with fiddler Katherine Moller and guitarist Tom Richards, formed the Celtic group, Tangled Traditions. In addition to a common musical interest, Holyoke discovered they also shared the idea of creating a holiday concert.

“At that time, unbeknownst to me, Katherine [Moller] had been thinking of a Celtic Christmas show as well,” she said. “So the formation of our band coincided with this show idea.”

“The pairing of Christmas and Celtic music is a good fit,” said Holyoke. “So many of the ancient Celtic traditions have found their way into our Christmas customs. With this show we are able to make those connections with songs, instrumentals, dance and narration. It certainly is a time of celebration, whether it be the Winter Solstice of the ancient Celts, the birth of Christ, or the onset of winter. There is an excitement in the air, a feeling of change toward both darkness and light.”

Sounds of the Season will feature several performers including vocalist Susan Kennific, dancer Sarah Clarke-Rowinski and Saint John native Marilyn Inch on tin whistle. The young Oromocto group Sona will also join the cast of accomplished performers in sharing the joy and excitement of the holiday season in an evening of performances laced together through the narration of Ron Buck.

“There is no story per se, but narration that weaves together the musical selections – a little history, some traditions, memories, and yes, some stories,” said Holyoke. “The format is a little hard to describe but let’s just say it incorporates special guests, all quality performers who will entertain with lots of straight-up lively tunes as well as arrangements created specifically for the concept of this show. I can’t give away any more!”