Special Guests

Special Guests
Saturday, December 21, 1996

The New York Times says that The Boys of the Lough "remain one of the finest bands in Celtic traditional music." For three decades, the band has taken its native musical heritage to audiences around the world. Their North American tours have brought them in front of audiences at this nation's premier concert venues including Carnegie Hall. The group has often performed in front of college audiences, playing at universities from Honolulu to Florida. In Europe, the Boys of the Lough have appeared throughout Great Britain and Ireland, at festivals in Norway, Sweden and Finland, and at many cities on the continent. Radio and television appearances include guest spots on PBS' Ramblin', and public radio's Morning Pro Musica and >A Prairie Home Companion. In 1989, they released Live at Carnegie Hall, an album recorded in February 1988 that features Garrison Keillor. The Boys of the Lough have recorded nearly 20 albums and have been honored with a few Grammy nominations for their work. Their most recent album, Midwinter Night's Dream, can be found on Blix Street Records. The Boys of the Lough are: Aly Bain (fiddle), Dave Richardson (mandolin, cittern, English concertina, and button accordion), Christy O'Leary (tin whistle, pipes, vocals), Cathal McConnell (flute, whistle, vocals), and Chris Newman (guitar).

The Sonos Handbell Ensemble was founded in 1990 by director James Meredith, who has been conducting handbell ensembles since 1983. The influence of the Sonos Handbell Ensemble goes beyond their concerts: the group has sought the best transcriptions and original material available today, and they have encouraged composers to write for handbells alone. The group has performed at events such as the 1992 World Ice Skating Championships and the United Nations 50th Anniversary Celebration, and they have made numerous appearances on television and radio. This is the group's first performance on A Prairie Home Companion. They have recorded several CDs including their latest holiday recording, Christmas with Sonos Handbell Ensemble (Well-Tempered Productions), and their latest release, Classical Sonos (Well-Tempered Productions), a CD featuring pieces by Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi. The Sonos Handbell Ensemble is: James Meredith (director), Mark Decker, Rick Hoffmeister, Christopher Kinzel, Jason Tiller, Diane Tiller, Tim Rossi, Michael Raposo, Cyndi Tully, Kathie Fink-Hein, P.L. Grove, Lois Kail, Mary Kidwell, and Peggy Rising.

The Ypsilanti High School Chamber Singers celebrated their 20th anniversary this year. They were formed two decades ago by Conductor William W. Boggs, who had begun teaching at Ypsilanti High School in 1974. At that time, there were 33 students in the choral program: there are now more than 275 choir students. The Ypsilanti High School Chamber Singers perform nearly 60 concerts each year, and they have traveled abroad to England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Hungary. In 1989 and 1992, the Chamber Singers took the top prize at the International Music Competition in Vienna, Austria. Also in 1992, they traveled to the Vatican to perform for a papal mass. In 1994, they won the Youth Choir of the Year Award at England's Bournemouth International Music Festival. Well-known within the U.S., the group has performed twice at the White House: in 1986 for President Reagan, and in 1994 for President Clinton. The group received an Emmy Award for their performance on the PBS documentary, Where Does Excellence Begin?

Performing with the Ypsilanti High School Chamber Singers tonight are:

soprano:
Carla Dirlikov, Adelle LaRue,
Adrienne Pisoni

alto:
Celia Alcumbrack, Sophia Conti,
Heather DeVries, Hannah Jentzen,
Anna Love, Elsa Thomason

tenor:
Neil Kolberg, Illich Perez, Aaron Phillips,
Tim Schrieber, Andrew Vlisides

bass:
Anthony Cornish, Jose Garcia,
Eric Hetzel-Gaynor, Aaron Jentzen,
Ryan Landt, Quinn Strassel

conductor:
William W. Boggs