Passim Announces the 16th Annual Boston Celtic Music Festival

The 16th annual Boston Celtic Music Festival, known as BCMFest, returns to Harvard Square January 17-20, 2019. Presented by Passim, a Cambridge-based non-profit that supports a vibrant music community through Club Passim, the Passim School of Music, artist grants and outreach initiatives, the 2019 festival will showcase Greater Boston's deep tradition of music, song and dance from Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton and other Celtic communities. Tickets for all BCMFest performances are now on sale at https://www.passim.org/bcmfest/

Renowned fiddlers Liz Carroll and Kevin Henderson will headline the 2019 festival Nightcap finale. One of the most influential Irish fiddle players of her generation, Grammy-nominated Carroll has five solo albums and eight others in collaboration, including two with guitarist John Doyle. A past recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award, she also is known as a composer of tunes in the Irish tradition. A native of Scotland's Shetland Islands, Henderson was a founding member of the acclaimed group Fiddler's Bid and, more recently, the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc.

Carroll and Henderson will be joined by outstanding local performers showcasing a diversity of Celtic music, from traditional to contemporary. Among the acts confirmed to appear in 2019 are Laurel Martin with Mark Roberts and Jim Prendergast; Katie McNally and Yann Falquet; Joey Abarta; The Bywater Band; Scottish Fish; Rakish; Pumpkin Bread; Kieran Jordan; Ship in the Clouds; Yann Falquet and Friends; Adam Agee and Jon Sousa; Fade Blue; Boys on the Hilltop; Michael O'Leary with Bob and Jen Strom; Elizabeth and Ben Anderson; Wooden Nickels; Cape Breton Showcase; Yaniv Yacoby and Eric Boodman; Colleen White and Sean Smith; Molly Pinto Madigan; Celtic Roots; Leland Martin; Hornpipalooza; and Live at The Druid.

BCMFest organizers say the idea to invite Carroll and Henderson builds on some innovations and changes of the past few years, designed to broaden and strengthen BCMFest's community-oriented focus.

"In addition to supporting this incredibly rich music community and showcasing local music, we wanted to inspire our community," BCMFest co-founder Laura Cortese. "For the first time ever, we have invited two musicians to headline BCMFest Nightcap. These musicians, though not from Boston, have a strong connection to the community and have contributed to our scene in a lasting way. We expect this vibrant exchange of music and ideas to make a real significant impression."

All BCMFest 2019 performances will take place in Harvard Square, at Club Passim, located at 47 Palmer Street, The Sinclair, located at 52 Church, and The Atrium, located at 50 Church Street. Highlights of the festival include:

• The First Round concert on Thursday, January 17, offering an introduction to Celtic music in Boston through a mix of long-time and recently-arrived local performers.
• The Roots and Branches Concert on Friday, January 18, presenting a taste of the dynamic sounds and different styles to be heard in Boston's Celtic music community.
• The Boston Urban Ceilidh, Friday, January 18 at The Atrium. This perennially popular Celtic dance party features social dances from Celtic traditions, all with live music. No prior dance experience is necessary!
• Dayfest offering 12-plus hours of Celtic music, classic traditional to contemporary sounds. Dayfest takes place on Saturday, January 19 at both Club Passim and The Sinclair.
• The late-night Festival Club on Friday and Saturday bringing together festival artists in special collaborations.
• The BCMFest Brunch at Club Passim, featuring fine food in a relaxed live Celtic music atmosphere on Sunday, January 20.
• Saturday night's BCMFest Nightcap at The Sinclair will feature headliners Carroll and Henderson as well as various festival performers for an extravaganza that showcases Boston's prominence in Celtic music and dance.
• Festival workshops on Sunday at The Passim School of Music

All festival details, including specific performance and ticket information, are available at passim.org/bcmfest.