This preview has been provided by the Asheville Choral Society.
Music Director Dr. Melodie Galloway and the Asheville Choral Society will perform a Celtic program that is sure to delight people of all ages and backgrounds. “Celtic Dreams” will take place Friday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 17th at 4:00 p.m at Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church Street, downtown Asheville.
The program for “Celtic Dreams” includes many well-known pieces such as the Scottish classic, Loch Lomond, Irish Folk Song, Dúlamán, and an all female arrangement of Auld Lang Syne. “Our area here in the Appalachian Mountains is a melting pot of Celtic heritage,” Dr. Melodie Galloway explains. “It has influenced bluegrass and Appalachian folk music so I wanted to highlight the locale and the ancestry of these people.”
This concert will also be the world premiere of I Can See Her Face, written and composed by one of Asheville Choral Society’s own members, Kara Irani, in collaboration with her mother. “It’s a matrilineal homage to the connection of women across time. It’s like a female war song,” says Ms. Irani. “Having 100 people sing my music is life changing because you don’t hear it when it’s on paper. It’s very transformational.” However, she isn’t the only one with a début. Fans of Dougie MacLean will be excited to hear a brand new version of Caledonia, arranged by Director Dr. Melodie Galloway. “It’s an arrangement I’ve wanted to do for a long time but this song has always been elusive to me. This concert finally gave me the push I needed to tackle it” The Magills will also be performing alongside the Asheville Choral Society with some authentic pieces of their own, ensuring it to be a fantastic night of Irish tunes and Scottish ballads.
Tickets for “Celtic Dreams” can be purchased on the Asheville Choral Society website at www.ashevillechoralsociety.org or by calling (828) 232-2060. They are $20 for adults and $10 for students.
This is the final concert in the 37th season of the Asheville Choral Society. “As an ensemble, the chorus really embraces new ideas,” Dr Galloway states. “The more difficult and challenging the music, the harder they work. I really look forward to all that next season brings.” The Asheville Choral Society will return this autumn to continue to share their love of music with Western North Carolina.
