Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Presents CELTIC CROSSROADS 4/14

A fresh new show from Ireland-CELTIC CROSSROADS-is taking the art form to an entirely new level at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Wednesday, April 14 at 8 p.m.
CROSSROADS are doing to Irish music what Riverdance has done to Irish dance. Performing from east coast to west, these world-class musicians and dancers are taking the performing arts circuit by storm. The show's fresh sound is successfully revitalizing the image of traditional Irish music around the world.

The name CELTIC CROSSROADS originates from a time in Ireland when neighboring communities met at the crossroads between towns and villages to socialize-long before the pub tradition began. The live concerts are a spectacle of talent, displaying how Irish music influenced the global birth of a multitude of musical genres.

The show itself, incorporating seven world-class musicians, playing over twenty instruments on stage, is a fantastic spectacle. Magical interludes from the haunting Uilleann pipes, whistles, low whistles and the Celtic harp along with some of Ireland's finest exponents of traditional song transport the listener to that crossroads in Ireland. Tempestuous fiddle playing competes with explosive banjo, intricate mandolin, accordion, mandola and bouzouki and awe-inspiring guitar riffs, while silky classical flutes remind the audience that these traditional musicians are also classically trained.

Throw in thunderous drum rhythms, saxophone and cajon and the audience finds themselves recklessly and ecstatically stomping along. As the thunder starts to take hold, rhythms beating, Irish Dancers defying laws of speed and gravity, musicians swapping instruments before your eyes, building and rising from a slow groove to a climactic all-encompassing wildness of unadulterated genius, audiences are unable to prevent themselves from jumping to their feet in thunderous ovation.

The show's musical director is Irish/Australian, Michael McClintock who is originally from Dublin, but emigrated like so many Irish to Australia at an early age. In 2005, Michael arrived in Galway, Ireland to fulfill a dream to be the Musical Director of CELTIC CROSSROADS on a full-time basis.
Tickets are $25.50 to $45.00 with a limited number of "smart seats" priced at $10.00.

For more information and to buy tickets, contact the Van Wezel Box Office at 941- 953-3368 or log onto www.vanwezel.org. Dinner is available prior to most shows by Michael's on East at the Van Wezel by calling (941) 366-0007 or logging onto www.bestfood.com.