Performance completes Performance Series

The beauty, artistry, and culture of Ireland is coming to Presbyterian College for a single night in March when the acclaimed band, Caladh Nua, appears on the stage at Edmunds Hall.

Comprised of five versatile musicians and singers, Caladh Nua performs using a wide selection of instruments from banjo to fiddle, guitar to bodhran and tin whistle to button accordion. The band has captured the essential qualities of traditional Irish music and balanced them finely with an innovative, contemporary flair.

PC’s Director of Music Porter Stokes described Caladh Nua as, “one of the most innovative and respected bands of Irish traditional and progressive music in the world.” Caladh Nua will be grand finale of the Five Concerts of Distinction Performance Series.

“Getting them to Clinton was a coup and they’ll never return. Want to know how good they are? Just ask Fiona Ritchie!” said Dr. Stokes. Ritchie produces and hosts National Public Radio’s “The Thistle & Shamrock.”

Open to the entire campus and surrounding community, Caladh Nua will perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 10 in Edmunds Hall. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance, going for $5 for general public and $3 for PC students, faculty and staff. For more information or for advance tickets, contact the PC Department of Music at 864-833-8470

Collectively, the Caladhu is a tightly knit, vibrant, and staggeringly talented group of musicians with their origins deeply rooted in the Southern counties of Ireland. Through Caladh Nua’s collective influences, both the history and future of Irish music spark to life with a charismatic verve. From slow airs and plaintive vocals hauntingly delivered to modern arrangements played with virtuosity and spell-binding flair, Caladh Nua respectfully delivers the music of their heritage and carry it forward seamlessly into the future.

Throughout history, Ireland has been embraced as a land of song and singers, of music and musicians—of men and women who for centuries have been inspired and nurtured by the sounds and swells of her windblown nature. It is from the traditional heart of this musical island that Caladh Nua has been born, raised and released into the world. To say Caladh Nua’s meeting and formation was a haphazard thing would be disrespectful to the ghosts of Ireland’s history and music. Each of Caladh Nua’s supremely talented and versatile members carries with them the musical legacy of those who have gone before.

—PC—

Editor: Rachel Miles

Contact: Dr. Porter Stokes, 864-833-8468