SAMHAIN CONCERT—music, poetry, and stories to celebrate the Celtic New Year
Four Shillings Short, the husband/wife duo of Aodh Og O’Tuama from Cork, Ireland, and Christy Martin from California, perform traditional and original music from the Celtic lands, medieval and renaissance Europe, India, and the Americas on a fantastic array of instruments (more than 30) including hammered & mountain dulcimer, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, tin whistles, recorders, medieval and renaissance woodwinds, North Indian sitar, charango, bowed psaltery, banjo, bodhran, guitar, percussion, vocals, and even a krumhorn.
Performances:
Wednesday • November 15 • 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Thursday • November 16 • 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Tickets:
$10 to $15: General admission
$7: seniors & students
FREE: 13 & under
ABOUT SAMHAIN (pronounced sow-in)
This special concert includes, poetry, songs, stories, and folklore in celebration of the ancient Celtic New Year know as Samhain. Many of our modern day harvest celebrations and customs are based on this festival, including ghost stories, Halloween costumes, bobbing for apples, and the jack-o-lantern.
The Celtic Feast of Samhain also known as Féile na Marbh (the Feast of the Dead) marks the end of harvest, the beginning of winter, and the Celtic New Year, and is traditionally celebrated at the end of October and beginning of November. Samhain is Irish-Gaelic for “the Summer's end.” Samhain is considered a celebration of life over death and a time to remember those who have left the world of the living. Candles would be lit at the graves of loved ones and bonfires were lit throughout the countryside. It is believed that the borders between the world of the living and the dead is thinner on this night—also known as “Ancestor night.” Halloween is based on the Feast of Samhain.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Christy Martin grew up in a family of musicians and dancers. From the age of 15, she studied North Indian Sitar for ten years, five of them with a student of master Sitarist Ravi Shankar. She began playing the hammered dulcimer in her 20s and has studied with Maggie Sansone, Dan Duggan, Cliff Moses, Robin Petrie, Tony Elman, and Glen Morgan. In addition, Christy plays mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, banjo, guitar, bodhran (Irish frame drum), charango, bowed psaltery, and sings in English, Irish, Spanish, and Sanskrit.
Aodh Og O’Tuama grew up in a family of poets, musicians, and writers. He received his degree in Music from University College Cork, Ireland, and received a Fellowship from Stanford University in California in Medieval and Renaissance Performance. He plays tin whistles, medieval & renaissance woodwinds, recorders, Doumbek (from Morocco), bowed psaltery, spoons ,and sings both in English, Gaelic, and French.
Touring in the US & Ireland since 1997, Four Shillings Short are independent folk artists who perform 150 concerts a year, have released 12 recordings, and live as full-time troubadours traveling from town to town performing at music festivals, theatres, and performing arts centers, folk societies, libraries, house concerts, and schools.
WHAT FOLKS SAY ABOUT FOUR SHILLINGS SHORT
”The delightfully surprising collection of songs and sounds this husband/wife act create, while stretching the limits of Celtic and folk music by stirring in generous amounts of Indian ragas and medieval flavorings via some of the tastiest sitar playing this side of Ravi Shankar” (Valpariso Times, IN) “bring musical diversity, captivating storytelling, and humorous side notes to create an amazing show.” —Labyrinth Café/Fort Lauderdale, FL
“Yours was truly one of the best shows I’ve been to on any level—and that’s pretty broad: Michael Jackson, Celtic Women, James Taylor, John Denver, and Four Shillings Short!!! I enjoyed not only the musical talent, but the education regarding instruments, origin, etc., storytelling & mix of genuine passion, love, and humor. In that regard you beat out all the others. —Louisville, KY 2012
“Their musical virtuosity makes old songs sound new and new songs sound like time-worn Celtic spells.” —City Pages, Wausau, WI
“Four Shillings Short is the ultimate in coffeehouse entertainment. The variety of musical instrumentation really keeps me interested. Equal amounts of male and female energy keep the emotional content well-balanced. Song lyrics don’t get hidden underneath too much accompaniment. Harmonies are sweet, instrumental solos spirited. And best of all, their demeanor belies a commitment to the ideal of rising up singing.” —Chicory House Concerts, Forty Fort, PA 2008
“Stunning performance last night. Folk music at its best. Well sung, well played, and I lost count of how many instruments. One of the most inspiring performances I have ever witnessed.” —Berea, KY 2011
“Four Shillings Short takes you on a musical journey through time and across the seas as they perform everything from traditional Irish tunes and airs to Indian Ragas.” —The Foothills Sun-Gazette, Exeter, CA 2010
“A husband-and-wife duo of mystical musical abilities. Their sound is haunting, crystalline beauty.” —Monterey County Weekly, Monterey, CA 2010
FOUR SHILLINGS SHORT Contact info:
To request an interview or CD:
Christy Martin & Aodh Og O’Tuama
650.274.1100
email: FourShillingsShort@gmail.com
TEATRO PARAGUAS
3205 Calle Marie, Suite A
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 424-1601
www.teatroparaguas.org