GATHERING OF THE CELTS 2009*
[a joint event with the St. Andrew's Celtic Festival]

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2009
NOON - 5:30 PM

ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1819 HEIGHTS BLVD. HOUSTON, TEXAS 
MAPS

ENTERTAINERS:

JED MARUM

Throughout the US each year Jed plays over 150 shows at festival, club and concert venues, including performances in Canada and Mexico.

Recorded tracks and songs by Jed Marum have been licensed for use by various TV, film productions
and for recording by other recording artists.

Jed Marum albums play regularly on Folk/Bluegrass and Celtic radio programs around the world.
His music is also distributed widely on all the major MP3 services.

Reflected in his song writing and song selection is a keen interest in history and the passing of culture from generation to generation.
Jed performs traditional songs and contemporary songs in musical style that is both Celtic and American, with strong Bluegrass roots.

BLOODY DAWN
Jed has licensed four songs to Lone Chimney Films for use in their upcoming film, BLOODY DAWN. The film is being made for the PBS and History Channel markets and premiered on Jan 11 at the Orpheum Theater in Wichita KS.

For the year 2001 Jed's recording of GRACE ranked the #25 Most Played Single Track In Ireland on the European Country Music Charts (the track is included on Jed's 2000 release of STREETS OF FALL RIVER).

Jed has a number of of CDs:

  • Lonestar Stout a collection of Irish favorites, with a Texas/Louisiana twist.

  • Cross Over the River is Jed Marums second Civil War album. This one is an Irish and Confederate Collection.

  • Fighting Tigers of Ireland - Revised

  • Mainly Scots i

  •  Miles From Home A repeat musical collaboration among Jed Marum and friends, Brian McNeill (Battlefield Band) - and producer Paul Mills (Stan Rogers and many many others). The album also features Tom Leighton (Mark Haines) as a guest performer. MILES FROM HOME made the "Most Played Albums List" for the first four months of its release in March of 2005, on the FOLK - DJ Playlist, with 125 DJs reporting from a dozen countries. MILES FROM HOME again made the FOLK - DJ "Most Played Albums List" in May 2006, fourteen months after its release - for two songs; LAST DAY OF MAY, a lovely, prayerful Memorial Day tribute written by Michael Troy and Jed Marums CHICKAHOMINY RIVER - a lament inspired by a poem found in the diary of Civil War battle field hospital nurse.
    MILES FROM HOME was selected as best album of the year by several radio stations around the US.

  •  Soul of a Wanderer Produced by Paul Mills at the Millstream in Toronto, Jeds 2002 released album is called, SOUL OF A WANDERER. Working with Jed on the record are Scottish fiddler and folklorist, Brian McNeill, Canadian folk music legend, Rick Fielding and "Stan Rogers favorite side-man," Curly Boy Stubbs. On Amazon Jed was listed for two months among "Most Played Artists" for his release of SOUL OF A WANDERER in 2002 on the Folk-DJ-List.  The title track from SOUL OF A WANDERER was selected for the top 10 Songs of the Year in the J.P. Folk Celtic Music category.

  • Streets of Fall River is a collection of original and traditional songs drawn, in large part from the Irish immigrant experience, and has received critical acclaim from industry experts throughout the US and Europe. On Amazon

  •  Into the West was recorded live at a performance of Into the West: Celts in Texas at the Pocket Sandwich Theater in Dallas, TX. on August 28th, 2002. The show focused on the Irish and Scots immigrants in Texas history.

  •  Tigers and River Songbook Jed Marums Civil War Music 2006. Lyrics, guitar chords, music comments and song background for these Boston Road Records albums: FIGHTING TIGERS OF IRELAND and CROSS OVER THE RIVER. Please send a request for information if you are interested in ordering a songbook.

HUGH MORRISON


 

  • Hugh was born in 1973 in the town of Wick, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland, and moved to Tain, Ross-shire, when he was two.

    While in Tain he learned to play the single row melodeon at the age of ten with help from Cam MacKay, a family friend and himself a fine melodeon player. A year or so later he moved onto the 3-row button accordion under the guidance of Willie Graham, another local box player who is still playing regularly at ceilidhs and accordion clubs at the age of 88.
     

  • The biggest influence on his playing has been Ali MacGregor, piano box player and leader of the Tain Scottish Dance Band.

    When he was 14 he joined Ali's band, playing regularly at ceilidhs, concerts and country dance rallies.
     

  • One of the highlights of his learning years was a visit to Auchtermuchty, in Fife, to see Jimmy Shand.
     

  • He also played in a few Highland Music and Dance youth groups, and toured Europe with them  - to countries such as Germany, France, Bulgaria, Italy & Russia.

    He made his first recording at 16, entitled 'Button Box', a solo effort with backing from Ali MacGregor. This album was given quite a bit of exposure on the local radio station Moray Firth Radio, and on BBC Radio Scotland. He's done a few broadcasts on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Take the Floor' program with the Tain Scottish Dance Band & appeared on Gaelic TV shows on Grampian TV, the local TV station.  He won both the Junior and Senior Open Accordion Championships (on the same day) at Keith Music Festival one year.
     

  • He currently plays a Hohner Shand Morino and a 2 row B/C Castagnari button accordion. Hugh plays at a good number of Scottish Highland Games and Celtic Festivals around North America and also plays with the Houston based progressive, edgy Celtic group, Murder the Stout.

    Since moving to Texas Hugh has recorded two albums with Bungalow Studios in Houston, "Feet to the Floor" (2003) is a solo album and "Far from Home" (2005) his latest album is a mix of Celtic music recorded in collaboration with some of Texas' finest musicians.
    Hugh has been living in Houston, Texas, since 1998.

CDs:

  • New Album:
    “Sands of Aberdeen”
    Jed Marum with Hugh Morrison & Mason Brown.
    To hear clips from “Sands of Aberdeen” listen on MYSPACE
     
  • Under a Texas Skye
     
  • Far from Home
     
  • Feet to the Floor

New Book just published "Ali MacGregor’s Music Collection"


CONSTANT BILLY

A new sound -
Music from Britain and Ireland
shaken and stirred
into a Rock, Swing and Classical cocktail - Today's Trad!

EMILY STANDISH
vocals, tin whistle, recorder and percussion.
After years with Houston Symphony Chorus,
and as featured soloist with several theater groups including Houston Revels and Trinity Opera Theater, Emily began singing with smaller ensembles in 1997. Has worked with the popular folk group Furagh Larq
and the Early Music a cappella group Voces Dei.
A powerful and passionate performer,

Emily “sings with a purity of sound that is a joy to hear" and has "A voice like honey melted into crystal.
"

BILL GALBRAITH
vocals, guitars, and bouzouki.
Began playing in a rock group at 12,
switched to Trad in 1977 as a founder of Freeborn,
the first professional Celtic band in Texas. Moved on to the folk-rock group Four Bricks out of Hadrian’s Wall
and sang doo-wop in Dr. T and the Tuxtones.
 Later worked with the a cappella band Nobody’s Reel.
Has performed at festivals and clubs in Britain and America, and has extensive TV and radio credits including appearances on National Public Radio's  All Things Considered and live internet performance.

 


ST. THOMAS' EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
 PIPE BAND
 

The St. Thomas' Episcopal School Pipe Band began in the early 1960's when the school's founding Rector, The Reverend T. Robert Ingram, decided he wanted a school band with a distinctive identity. His love of his Scottish heritage led him to the bagpipes and he decided that a pipe band would fulfill his vision. . .

The St. Thomas' Episcopal School Pipe Band is now under the directorship of Doug MacRae and Lyric Todkill. It has grown to become one of the world's most respected pipe bands, winning the Juvenile World Pipe Band Championships in 1985, 1995, 1998, 2004 and 2006. The Band performs throughout the community. Through its history, the band has played for, The MD Anderson Children’s Art Project, The Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Houston Blood Center. It has also performed for Queen Elizabeth II and President George Bush.

CELTIC VOYAGE

Grant Dawson
Toronto, Canada. 
Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Whistle

Sandy Dawson
Anglesey, Wales. 
Vocals, Bodhran

Hector Carmona
Mexico

Iain Gault
Scotland

Phil Cavanagh
 

McTEGGART IRISH DANCERS
McTeggart Championship Dancers

Our Performance Group is dedicated to sharing their enthusiasm
for Irish Step Dancing with the local community.
The Performance Group provides demonstrations of traditional Irish Step Dancing with precision, teamwork and innovative heart pumping choreographies set to contemporary Celtic music.

 

KRISTEN JENSEN  
Fiddle

Kristen Jensen is a native of Central New York
and holds a degree in Music Education/Violin Performance
from Ithaca College.  She started playing violin at the age of 4 hoping that someone would teach her to play “Eleanor Rigby.”  After 20+ years of classical training she heard the call of the fiddle and pursued Celtic fiddle music with Laurie Hart and improvisation with Darol Anger and Mark O’Connor.

Kristen has been an active fiddlist  in both Houston and New Orleans
playing and recording with several groups
 including Poor Man's Fortune The Wild Lotus Band,
Riccardo Crespo and Sol Brasil, Ya Ya Sol, Kim Carson,
The Moe Handsome Blues Band, Fish & Chips, Lisa Novak,
Mark Zeus,
and Funky Mustard.

In her spare time, Kristen is also an active music educator,
having taught and conducted as far as Vancouver B.C.,
 Michigan, New Orleans, and Beaumont, TX.

Kristen also teaches Celtic fiddle!

 

 GOOD TIME SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCERS

This lively group meets Wednesdays in the Heights area of Houston and welcomes new dancers. 

COME DANCE WITH US!
SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING AND MORE
WEDNESDAYS  7-10 pm

NEW DANCERS WELCOME
Families welcome (children must be accompanied by parent or guardian)

Cost:  $5 for those 14 and over; $2.50 those under 14  
($15 maximum per family) fourth consecutive Wednesday free

Oddfellows Hall  115 E. 14th St. (Heights), Houston, Texas

MAP       PHOTO OF HALL
 

CELTIC CHORUS OF HOUSTON

  • mission statement reads in part: to provide a community meeting place for those interested in the Celtic heritages.
  • MEET OUR MEMBERS!  They are also ready to welcome new members and visiting singers. 
  •  JULIAN TRIBE often leads the Chorus on guitar.
CASS ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCE
celtic festival

Cass Academy of Irish Dance, founded and directed by Erin Cass, TCRG, was officially opened in March of 2005. The school provides training in solo and team competition dancing, as well as performance dancing. Classes are offered in The Woodlands/Magnolia and Katy, Texas. Cass Academy performs year-round throughout Houston and surrounding areas, and takes part in many competitions all over the Southern U.S. and beyond.

Kelley Fair & Friends

Kelley is helping to organize
the "bagpipers porch"

KILDERKIN INTERNATIONAL DANCERS
(KIDs)

Modern dance with a Celtic flair!

KIDs are dedicated to community service and traditional dancing popularized by contemporary Celtic performaners.

They perform Irish, Scottish, Breton and English dances at nursing homes, school festivals, and cultural events throughout the year. Adults, teens, and children over 9 years old are welcome to participate in classes and performances.

 

GHOST OF A ROSE

DENE FOYE
SUNDARA
APRIL PORTER

NOTE: CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE ADDITION OF MORE ENTERTAINERS!

*This event was rescheduled from fall 2008 due to Hurricane Ike.


This page maintained by Dianna Shipman.

Page updated January 28, 2009