We went to our final concert of the Carmel Bach Festival this evening, "Across the Sea—A Celtic Journey," put together by violinist Edwin Huizinga and guitarist William Coulter, aka Fire and Grace. It featured a string quintet comprising Festival musicians and several guest performers—a couple of whom I will highlight here.
First up, Brian Finnegan, of county Armagh, on tin whistle (he also played flute this evening), here performing "Slide from Grace" (a slip jig) and "The Queen of Rangoon" (a reel) written by himself and John McSherry:
My favorite piece in this evening's performance was a mash-up of Bach's Violin Partita No. 1 and five songs composed by Finnegan, just Edwin, William, and Brian playing beautifully together. Such fabulous energy.
Also on the program was harpist Maeve Gilchrist, whose featured performance was excerpts from her composition "The Harpweaver," based on a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay:
And here are Fire and Grace (and Ash: mandolinist Ashley Hoyer) from a few years ago, showing what they can do with Bach (also infused with a little Irish):
Also on the program was Andrew Megill, the choral director of the Bach Festival, singing "Danny Boy." My husband, David, has worked with Andrew over many years—this season, on Shakespeare songs and the "Ode to Joy"—and accords him utmost respect as a director. Turns out, the man can sing too. And isn't it great that Edwin showcased him tonight—putting him in front of the audience, for a change. It bespeaks the camaraderie and mutual admiration that these musicians enjoy during these two weeks.
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