Rain has finally fallen in this part of the world. When it rains I usually create a playlist which changes a week. Rain is good. It is the best time for reflection, the best time to curl on a blanket and sip hot chocolate over bread and butter. It is the best time to watch the leaves dance and feel the breeze against your face. It is the best possible way to smell the damp earth rising to your nostrils as liquid diamonds patter and patter. The tympani of heaven break loose midst the spotlight dancing on clouds. There is something supernatural about this weather and what better soundtrack to match the moment than these gems I have compiled. You can look them up in the internet, or if you are curious and want a copy then email me.
Suantraithe-Noirin Ni Riain
Prayer-Oona McOuaut
Stolen Child(live)-Loreena McKennitt
Mhorag’S Na Horo Gheallaidh-Clannad
The Wind That Shakes the Barley-Dead Can Dance
Black is the Colour-Cara Dillon
Erin-Solas
When Juniper Sleeps-Seamus Egan
Tighnn Air A’mhuir Am Fear a Phosas Mi-Capercaillie
Celtic Colours International Festival hoists sails for 14th season!
33 communities host shows in 2010
One of the things that sets Celtic Colours International Festival apart from the vast majority of festivals is that it isn’t limited to just one location. Communities around Cape Breton Island host concerts and workshops at a time when the fall leaves are at their most brilliant and traveling around the island offers one breathtaking view after another. These communities have nurtured the culture for over 200 years, providing context for the roots of the music and celebrating each community’s contribution to the island’s living Celtic culture.
Venues for Celtic Colours concerts in 2010, taking place October 8-16th, include an 18th Century reconstructed French chapel, state of the art performance facilities, and community halls, churches and schools in 33 communities around the Island. While the venues vary in primary function and size—from the 127 seat North River Community Hall to the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre and Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion with a capacity of over 1000 each—they share in common the prominent place each holds in the community it serves. The Celtic culture of music, dance and story-telling lives on in these communities and provides the foundation for the celebration of living culture that is the Celtic Colours International Festival.
Win tickets to our exclusive June 17th line up launch concert!
We are exited to reveal our 2010 artist line-up during a concert at the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion in Sydney on June 17 as part of the celebration of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The concert, A Taste of Celtic Colours, will start at 8pm and will include J.P. Cormier, The Colin Grant Band, Buddy MacDonald, Rachel Davis and Lewis MacKinnon.
“Having this concert to coincide with the visit of the Cape Breton Clipper and other participants involved in the Round the World Yacht Race is a natural fit,” says Dan Coffin, Marketing Director of Celtic Colours International Festival. “We’re excited about this year’s Festival lineup, and this is a great opportunity to share that excitement with the local community, and to show visitors to the island what Celtic Colours, and Cape Breton hospitality, is all about. The Cape Breton Clipper is being marketed as ‘Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece’ and we like to think of Celtic Colours as one of Cape Breton’s Masterpieces.”
The seventh Clipper Round the World Yacht Race began on September 13, 2009 when a fleet of ten identical 68-foot stripped down yachts left Humber on the northeast coast of England to race 35,000 miles and visit fourteen ports of call on five continents before reaching the finish line in July 2010. The “Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece” yacht is the only Canadian entry in the race and the only entry from the Atlantic seaboard. The boat itself has been branded with a magnificent eagle that will market our island to the global audience of 215 million people that the clipper event attracts.
How can you win?
Tickets are available to be won by fans of Celtic Colours International Festival. Simply share a short story or favorite Celtic Colours memory and your name will entered to into a draw for a pair of tickets to the June 17th concert. The random draw will take place on June 11th. Tickets can also be won through contests on our Facebook or Twitter pages or through one of our media partners, CBC Radio, The Coast 89.7 FM, and the Cape Breton Post.
Tickets will go on sale Monday, July 5 at 9:00am ADT
Tickets will be available through our website www.celtic-colours.com, via our toll free number or at our Box Office located in the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion, 74 Esplanade, Sydney. A number of venues and hosting organizations will also have tickets available for their shows within their communities.
Traditionally our first day of sales can be rather busy and we ask for your patience and understanding if you are planning to reserve tickets on July 5th.
Our Box Office and phone lines will be open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm & tickets can be purchased online 24/7.
High Definition videos from our ECMA 2010 Festival Club Stage now online!
Celtic Colours hosted a wildly successful Festival Club Stage during the recent East Coast Music Association weekend held here in Cape Breton. Over 30 of our Island’s best musicians performed some of the finest traditional music our region has to offer for almost one thousand audience members.
If you weren’t able to make it to the show, or want to relive the excitement, be sure to visit our YouTube Channel to check out nine, brand new, high definition videos created by our friends at Shot On Site Media. The videos feature top notch performances by Dawn and Margie Beaton, Gillian Boucher, Jennifer Roland, The Colin Grant Band and more.
Patrick Gillis, Dawn Beaton and Margie Beaton perform during ECMA 2010
Connect with Us Online
Be sure to keep up with all of the exciting Celtic Colours news and interact with other fans and friends of the festival by following us on Twitter or Facebook and our Community Forum. Many of our community members are regular attendees of the festival and are always willing to share their experiences and answer any questions you may have about the event.
Watch for more information on Celtic Colours International Festival 2010, taking place October 8-16.
In early 80’s, Enya was approached by Time Warner’s David Puttnam to write a soundtrack fo a teen romance set in France. The Frog Prince was the result of the effort which paved the way for her successful career. Now we have to remember that this is the Enya before she’s able to really solidified her style. There are still traces of 60’s pop, jazz and folk in her tunes. This is a good collection in a sense that it will make you think what if….what if… indeed Enya moved to another direction of music. The video above is called ‘Dreams” taken from the same album.
P.S. This is a big OMG! There was a power outage in the middle of this and I was shocked to find my whole writing so horrible posted. I am so sorry. Anyway I added another song by the same artist and the same movie.
There are so many reasons to go to France. Not only that it is the country hosting the biggest Celtic music event called Interceltique Festival, the west coast is also home to Breton music. There are so many musicians that are already out there stirring the scene with their brand of Celtic music and some of them made it to our ears. Let me present now
Carré Manchot
This I got from the official website:
Carré Manchot is a traditional dance music band from Brittany; it was founded in 1986 by Remi MARTIN (box accordion), Jean-Claude RIOU (fiddle), Herve LE LU (bombarde) and Gilbert LE PENNEC (guitar), who still plays with the band today. The same year, they produced their first recording: “Tabalich”.
In 1988, Remi and Jean-Claude left and were replaced by Ronan ROBERT (box) and Ronan PINC (fiddle). After two albums (“Mab ar Miliner” and “An Disparti”), both Ronan left the band and three musicians joined: Yannig ALORY (wooden flute), Erwan VOLANT (bass) and Yann-Loïc JOLY (box accordion). Together they released five albums: “Noz!” (1996), “Riboul!” (1997),”Liyannaj” (1999, featuring Guadeloupean group “Akiyo Ka” and breton singer Patrick Marie), “Degemer” (2001), “Liyannaj Live” (2003). In 2005, Stéphane SOTIN (percussions) replaced Erwan Volant and in 2006, Carré Manchot recorded a new album “Laÿoù” and celebrated their 20th anniversary on July the 13th in Mûr-de-Bretagne, along with many Breton musicians and bands.
In 2007, Herve LE LU, founding member, and Stephane SOTIN, percussionist, hit the road for some new musical adventures…
Uilleann piper Loïc BLEJEAN joined in January 2007.This new line-up keeps playing with the same energy that has made Carré Manchot one of the most acclaimed Breton music band for more than twenty years on the dance floors of festou noz in Brittany and elsewhere…
My personal observation:
This is quite unique coming from Breton music. The melodies are gentle, the instruments are not the usual wall of sound you would expect without the bombarde and the binou. It is also interesting to note that the band has been around since 1986 and yet they still play with the same energy the day they started. They are still here, still making beautiful music for us. And I think this is what makes the rest of the guys wonderful.
Wow, I love the energy of these guys. The instruments are something you would like to dip your ears into and experience a moment of bliss. Sweet, spicy and a lot of Celtic Spirit. So watch out for these guys.
I am listening to a compilation called Celtic Collections-The Soundof Ireland. There is this one track from Phil Coulter called Derry Air which includes the unmistakable melody of Danny Boy. This track is taken from his 1983 release Classic Tranquility. Lush strings and piano keys powerfully punctuated into emotional lines dominate this piece which does sound dated in a Richard Clayderman sense but in a good way. It’s like going back into the late 70’s and the early 80’s when instrumental music became such a hit and taking out your phonograph player, you find yourself standing in this part of Ireland overlooking the scenery.
Celtic Music Fan 