PEEK BENEATH THE CELT!
11th ANNUAL CELTFEST CELEBRATES CELTIC CULTURE
JULY 17 - 22 IN NANAIMO
June 24, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: For additional information, photos and interviews,
contact Heather Jeliazkov at (250) 888 3938 or ovationpr@shaw.ca.
Background information and artist bios can be found at www.CeltFest.ca
IN BRIEF
CeltFest 2011 announces its 11th season, July 17 to 22, 2011, welcoming some
of the world's finest Celtic artists to Nanaimo, along with students from
around the world, for a six-day residency and performance festival.
The collaboration of students and professional artists is celebrated in
public performances throughout the community, beginning with the kick-off of
Celtic Heritage Week, 4:30 - 8:30pm on Saturday, July 16, in Maffeo Sutton
Park. CeltFest's roving performance troupe will take ceilidhs into the
community with free performances in senior centres and cafes around town,
and you may catch a random "flash o' the Celt" on a city sidewalk when you
least expect it.
Ticketed performances are bigger and better than ever. This year's festival
features the internationally acclaimed The Outside Track, Celtic Women II
with Mary McLaughlin, Norah Rendell, Mairi Rankin, Eileen McGann, Ailie
Robertson and Fiona Black, nightly student and faculty led ceilidhs and the
Sunset & Stars Gala finale by students and instructors.
Prices for individual tickets range from $5 to $39. Concert tickets and
festival passes are available now at www.CeltFest.ca. Tickets for the
Sunset and Stars Gala, July 21, are available from The Port Theatre.
250-754-8550 or www.porttheatre.com
IN FULL
Celt-hearted from near and far are gathering to participate in CeltFest, a
six-day residency and performance festival in Nanaimo from July 17 to 22,
2011. The 11th Annual CeltFest features some of the world's finest Celtic
musicians and dancers with students from throughout North America.
By day the classrooms of Vancouver Island University will echo with the
sound of pipes, drum and bodhran, fiddle, harp, piano, and penny whistle.
Celtic Song, Bardic Tales, Highland and Irish Dance, Cape Breton Step
Dancing and Irish and Scottish Social Dancing fill out the program. Each
evening, the public is invited to join the faculty and students to celebrate
all things Celtic with performances in the VIU Cafeteria.
Carolyn Cusson, CeltFest Artistic Director, is delighted that the City of
Nanaimo has proclaimed July 16 through 22 Celtic Heritage Week, in
recognition of Celtic influence on the culture and heritage of the Nanaimo
area. "Everyone is invited to join in the celebration of Celtic Heritage
Week", she says, "and we'll offer a peek beneath the Celt with impromptu
performances throughout the community. Out roving troupe of performers will
take ceilidhs to senior centres and cafes around town, and you may catch a
random "flash o' the Celt" on a city sidewalk when you least expect it!"
CeltFest will provide entertainment at the Opening Ceremonies of Celtic
Heritage Week, Saturday, July 16 at Maffeo Sutton/Swy-a-lana Park, on the
Harbour, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. The party will include traditional food and
family activities. Everyone is invited to join the party at the Park, or
join the Piper's march at 4:45pm from Diana Krall Square to Maffeo Sutton
Park.
CeltFest's ticketed performances include a Wacky Jig and Hornpipe Contest on
Tuesday evening, July 19. "The evening is spontaneous and hilarious",
Cusson declared, "and we invite people of all ages to step up and show us
their best jig or hornpipe, or just come and enjoy the show". Entry forms,
and ticket information, can be found at www.CeltFest.ca
Celtic Women II perform at the VIU Cafeteria on Wednesday, July 20. From
BBC to Juno and ECMA Awards, Mary McLaughlin, Norah Rendell, Mairi Rankin,
Eileen McGann, Ailie Robertson and Fiona Black are well-decorated musicians
together on the same stage for the first time.
Celtic cultures merge in the Sunset and Stars Gala, Thursday, July 21, at
The Port Theatre. More than 30 champion fiddlers, dancers, pipers and
drummers, including James Troy of Victoria, Alex Gandy of Halifax and Trent
Freeman of Comox, create the finest Celtic variety show in the west! This
year's headliner is the internationally acclaimed The Outside Track.
Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver, its five members
are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new
music on its foundation. A stunning synthesis of virtuosity and energy, The
Outside Track's marriage of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music and song has
been rapturously received around the world. A special feature of the Gala
will be a Tribute to the Military Tattoo with a performance by the Pacific
Tattoo Dance Team, comprised of dancers from all over BC.
Prices for individual tickets range from $5 to $39. Concert tickets and
festival passes are available now at www.CeltFest.ca. Tickets for the
Sunset and Stars Gala, July 21, are available from The Port Theatre,
250-754-8550 or www.porttheatre.com. For a complete schedule of CeltFest
events at Vancouver Island University and throughout the community, visit
www.CeltFest.ca.
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