Champion Scottish fiddler Seán Heely will bring a global tour of holiday traditions to Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center when “Seán Heely’s Celtic Christmas” makes its Long Island debut on Friday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
The performance, Heely said, blends the warmth of familiar seasonal melodies with the ancient musical traditions of Scotland, Ireland and other Celtic cultures.
“What the show kind of does for the listener is it takes us on a journey through the different Celtic nations,” he said. “A lot of people hear that word and they think, oh, it’s like Irish or something like that. And it’s not just Ireland and Scotland.”
The show, now in its second year on tour, has developed steadily from its early days in the Washington, D.C., area.
“It’s been really fun to build this show up to where it has become quite a successful show already,” Heely said. Presented with fiddles, harp, guitar, bagpipes, traditional percussion and dance, the production also occasionally includes guest regional performers at several stops. The ensemble is an eight-piece touring group of champion musicians.
Heely, a U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, award-winning Irish fiddler, Scots Gaelic singer and harpist, is one of the few American performers to earn national titles both in fiddling and in Scottish Gaelic song. His personal ties to the tradition run deep.
“My heritage is basically Irish and Scottish and it’s very strong in my family,” he said. “I’ve been playing this music ever since I started playing the fiddle when I was 10.”
Heely said the show aims to honor not only well-known traditions but also the lesser-known Celtic nations: Brittany in France and Galicia in Spain, among others.
“This year we’ll be adding a Breton piece, which is from France,” he said. “And there’s a little bit of fiery Galician carols and songs and dance, which is really exciting.”
The ensemble will present ancient Gaelic carols, Irish dance tunes and Christmas standards reinterpreted through Celtic phrasing and ornamentation.
“Old favorite Christmas songs given a Celtic sort of spin on them — that’s really fun to do,” Heely said. “The goal is for the fiddles and the bagpipes and all of our different instruments to give flavors from those countries.”
The fiddle remains at the center of the sound, a role Heely said connects him both to dance traditions and to the versatility of the instrument itself.
“It’s a very flexible instrument — you can do just about anything with it,” he said. “One of the things we do in the Celtic style is imitate other instruments, like the bagpipes or the voice and we can articulate the music in a way that just makes people want to dance.”
Audiences across the tour have responded with enthusiasm, often braving winter storms to attend.
“People have come up in tears saying this is the most beautiful show they’ve ever seen,” he said. “We’ve had nights where snow was falling and you think no one will come and we end up having a packed house.”
Last year, the group traveled as far as Maine; this season’s furthest stop will be Stowe, VT. Heely recently returned from performing in Brittany with two of his bandmates, a trip that strengthened the show’s international connections.
The touring ensemble includes All-Ireland champion singer and guitarist Kevin Elam; viral multi-instrumentalist bagpiper Jesse Ofgang; U.S. junior national Scottish fiddle champion Colin McGlynn; harpist and vocalist Abbie Palmer; bouzouki and bass player Beth Patterson; percussionist and cellist Lucas Ashby; and Hungarian-born percussive dancer Agi Kovacs, known for Irish, Scottish and American clogging traditions.
“We’re an eight-piece group — and more when we have guest artists — and every person on that stage brings something really special,” Heely said.
Heely encourages new audiences — even those unfamiliar with Celtic music — to experience the show’s blend of heritage, storytelling and holiday spirit.
“This specific show brings a lot of joy to people,” he said. “Christmas holds a special place in a lot of hearts and to hear the music given this treatment and done so honestly by everybody in the cast, really touches people.”
Tickets for “Seán Heely’s Celtic Christmas” start at $45, with discounts for seniors, students, alumni and Adelphi employees. The Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office can be reached at 516-877-4000.
Visit www.seanheely.com for more information.
