Boasting a line-up of familiar favorites, new faces and sounds, and creative collaborations, Passim’s BCMFest (Boston’s Celtic Music Fest) will once again warm up Harvard Square January 9 and 10 in celebration of the Boston area’s abundance of Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton and other Celtic-related music and dance traditions.
BCMFest is a program of Passim, a Cambridge-based non-profit seeking to build a vibrant music community through its legendary listening venue, music school, artist grants and outreach initiatives.
Passim’s 12th annual BCMFest will be a gathering place for local musicians, singers and dancers of all ages. The family-friendly, grassroots festival features performances as well as participatory music and dance events, starting with the Friday night “Roots and Branches” concert at Club Passim and the Boston Urban Ceilidh – BCMFest’s popular Celtic dance party – around the corner at The Atrium on Church Street.
BCMFest continues on the Saturday, January 10, with “Dayfest” – nearly eight hours of events at Club Passim and nearby First Church, Cambridge, including children’s and family entertainment in the morning – before concluding with Saturday evening’s “BCMFest Nightcap” finale concert in First Church.
Performers appearing at the festival include: Flynn Cohen & The Deadstring Ensemble; Jenna Moynihan; Laurel Martin & Mark Roberts; Joey Abarta & Nathan Gourley; Cat and the Moon; Patrick Hutchinson and Dan Accardi; Soulsha; Fódhla; Alba’s Edge; Molly Pinto Madigan; The Coyne Family; Fresh Haggis; Bridget Fitzgerald; Ceol Corvus; the Vox Hunters; Oran Mor; Lindsay Straw; Nancy Bell; Scottish Fish; Elizabeth & Ben Anderson; Adrianna Ciccone; Laura Cortese & the Boston Urban Ceilidh Band; Mad for Trad; the Jackie O’Riley School of Irish Dance; Highland Dance Boston; Audrey Budington & Clayton Clemetson; Liz & Dan Faiella; Will Woodson & Eric McDonald; Jigs & Saws; Colleen White & Sean Smith; the Rushy Mountain Oysters; Scottish Fish; Haley Hewitt; Boston Scottish Fiddle Club; Mad for Trad; and the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society of Boston.
In addition, the all-women Celtic band Long Time Courting featuring Shannon Heaton, Liz Simmons, Val Thompson and Katie McNally will headline the BCMFest Nightcap finale concert, “Women in Trad.” Serving as the house band, Long Time Courting will have an assortment of special guest musicians, dancers and storytellers performing selections that speak to the experiences of women through the ages. With songs and tales of love and heartbreak, heroines and villains, daughters and mothers, supernatural beings and poets, and much more, “Women in Trad” will captivate long-time Celtic music lovers and general music enthusiasts alike.
This year, the Passim School of Music will present BCMFest Academy on Sunday, January 11. BCMFest Academy will offer an afternoon of Celtic music classes, including guitar, fiddle, pipes, and more, taught by BCMFest artists. For more information: http://www.clubpassim.org/BCMFest
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