“Christmas with The Celts,” the popular pledge-drive program that was shown on 222 PBS channels across the United States and Ireland in 2011, will bring its extensive holiday production to the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15.
Tickets for the show are $15, $25 and $35, with all proceeds going to the Central Coast Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign.
Celebrate the season with an Irish music show featuring the warmth, joy and magic of the holidays as The Celts perform Celtic renditions of classic Christmas songs with traditional Gaelic instruments, such as fiddles and bagpipes, and accompany the sounds with lively Irish dancing.
The Celts, formerly known as The Blair Band and composed of Irish and Irish American musicians, have toured the world over the past 15 years, performing a combination of fiery Irish/Scottish traditional instrumental and vocal songs as well as their own American pop-influenced original tunes with Celtic instrumentation. The band has recorded eight albums and contributed on numerous Celtic music compilations.
“Christmas with The Celts” offers heart-stirring Scottish and Irish Christmas carols that go back as far as the 12th century, along with the common carols that revelers know and love, but with a Celtic twist. The show also features recitations in Scottish dialect from the Glaswegian Bible about the birth of Christ, a children’s choir and The Gael String Orchestra.
The Celts’ performances are punctuated with one key component that has been surprisingly missed by other Irish music shows in spite of its important role in Celtic culture — Irish humor. Percussionist and comedian Jeff Durham will keep you laughing while Ric Blair (guitar), Kimberly Barnes (Irish fiddle), Deb Shebish (Scottish fiddle) and Patrick D’Arcy (bagpipes) will fill the room with Christmas spirit.
Since 1947, Toys for Tots has raised funds and collected toys for families in need. The Central Coast Marine Corps Reserve campaign serves children in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has chosen “Christmas with The Celts” as the force behind this year’s Toys of Tots drive.
Located on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, the Chumash Casino Resort is an age 18-and-older venue. Tickets for all events are available at the Chumash Casino Resort’s Club Chumash. Click here or call StarTicketsPlus at 800.585.3737.
— Mike Traphagen is a public relations specialist for the Chumash Casino Resort.