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Music

With music director Seamus Egan returning, his ground– breaking group Solas will be back on stage as well. The virtuosity of Winifred Horan on fiddle, Mick McAuley from Kilkenny on accordion and guitar, and Eamon McElholm, from Co. Tyrone will be supplemented by a new percussionist Steve Holloway, and the returning stalwart, Chico Huff on Bass. Steve Hickman, who wowed the audience with his use of body percussion (hambone!), and fiddling in 2007 will return. And Maeve Gilchrist will bring her harp wizardry from her native Scotland as well as the new influences of her years at the Berklee College of music. This year, some of the distinctive music of Norway will also be incorporated as Mariel Vandersteel joins the cast with her 8 string Hardanger fiddle, named after a musically vibrant and distinct part of the country.

Singing

Joining Mick McAuley, Brian, and his wife, Lindsay O’Donovan on vocals will be the lead singer of the acclaimed group Voco, Moira Smiley. Moira will be joined by Scottish singer and star of the PBS special, Highland Heartbeat, Maureen McMullan, as well as Maeve Gilchrist also known as an accomplished singer.

Dancing

And finally, Liam Harney has cleared his international touring schedule to choreograph and perform in this year’s edition of A Christmas Celtic Sojourn. And what would Christmas Celtic be of course, without the young dancers from Liam’s Academy of Irish Dance in Walpole.!

Artistically directed again by Paula Plum for the 11th straight year, these concerts promise to be one of the most exciting editions of A Christmas Celtic Sojourn yet