On Saturday, March 15, and Sunday, March 16, the Chatham Chorale presented “A Celtic Celebration,” under the baton of its music director Joe Marchio. This second annual program of Celtic music offered up classical and traditional selections from this rich repertoire to an enthusiastic sold-out audience in Harwich, MA. The program featured the Cape Cod premiere (and possibly the U.S. premiere) of the 1870 cantata St. Patrick at Tara by John William Glover. The first large choral work ever composed on an Irish subject, it dramatizes how Christianity was brought to Ireland in the fifth century, in music set to the words of Ireland’s great writers. The program also included such well-loved tunes as “The Galway Piper,” “Killarney,” “The Rose of Tralee,” “Danny Boy,” and “Home from the Sea.” The musicians played jigs and reels, and the Chorale sang a new arrangement of “Highland Cathedral,” Scotland’s unofficial anthem.
Soloists included Chatham Chorale member Charles Ferris, Martin Kelley, and Richard Sullivan, tenors; Máiréad Loughnane Doherty, Irish harp; Matthew Phelps, bagpipes; Laurel Martin and Mark Oien, fiddle; Julian Petrallia, flute; and Jeff Myers, percussion.
The concerts were held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Route 28, West Harwich, MA. For tickets and more information on upcoming concerts, please visit Chatham Chorale or call 888.556.2707.
Comments