Celtic Spring Press Release

Arkansas State University's Fowler Center Series

Presents

 

CELTIC SPRING

 

Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Riceland Hall, Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr., Jonesboro.

 

Celtic Spring is six siblings who play the fiddle and step-dance, backed by their mom on the keyboard and their dad on percussion. 

 

Celtic Spring's music hails from Ireland, Scotland, and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  While firmly grounded in the traditions of their ancestors, Celtic Spring's style is all its own.        

 

The six Wood family siblings have spent their lives on stage, bringing their unforgettable performance to live and TV audiences in the millions. They each began learning the fiddle and Irish step dancing at the age of four years old; they hardly remember when they did not play the fiddle and dance!  The siblings are also classically trained violinists. This influence has brought a certain beauty and clarity to their music.   

To learn the traditional fiddle styles of Ireland, Scotland, and Cape Breton, the siblings have studied under some of the finest fiddlers today, including Natalie MacMaster, Alasdair Fraser, Martin Hayes, and Liz Carroll.

 

A defining element of Celtic Spring is the dual expertise in music and dance.  The Wood siblings are champion Irish dancers, and they have been influenced by French Canadian and Cape Breton step dancing styles. The tight choreography, powerful footwork, intricacy and precision of the dancing astound audiences.  Just when the audience might think that they have seen it all, Celtic Spring erupts into the exceptional feat of dancing and fiddling at the same time!

 

While immersed in traditional music, the band has developed a unique style and  a repertoire that includes numerous original compositions.  A depth of expression is evident in their stunning arrangements--from haunting airs to hard-driving dance tunes.  In recent years, Celtic Spring has added expressive vocals and the rhythmic octave mandolin.

 

Celtic Spring's amazing performances have taken the band around the United States, Canada, and Europe.  They have performed at theaters nationwide, including symphony appearances, and at numerous festivals, including the top Irish festivals in the country, such as the Milwaukee Irish Fest and the North Texas Irish Festival.

 

In 2002, Celtic Spring was named Grand Champion of the World at the World Championships of the Performing Arts, in Hollywood. In the summer of 2007, 12 million people watched Celtic Spring on the #1 rated TV show of the season, NBC's America's Got Talent, produced by Simon Cowell.  The band was one of the top five finalists.  Celtic Spring has also been featured on The Today Show, ABC's Good Morning America, WB's Steve Harvey Show, the Tom Joyner Show, PBS, E.W.T.N. and Japan's Nippon Television.

 

This past summer, Celtic Spring the band brought its enthralling show to yet another continent. They performed at the international festival, World Youth Day 2008, in Sydney, Australia.

 

The band has released two albums, At the Source and Cornerstone.

 

Ticket prices are $30 and $20 for adults; $24 and $16 for ASU faculty and staff; $23 and $15 for senior adults and K-12 students; and $10 and $6 for ASU students.

Tickets for all Fowler Center Series events may be purchased by calling 870-972-2781 or 1-888-278-3267, or online at www.yourfowlercenter.com. On performance evenings, the box office in Fowler Center opens one hour prior to the event.

Visit www.yourfowlercenter.com for additional information or call the Fowler Center at (870) 972-3471.