CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) – The great allure of Classic Celtic Music and dance will return to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church this month. Always an exciting and inspiring show, there have been a few changes in the performers for this year.

New World String Project will be reviving a cherished holiday tradition this year. The well-known Winterdance Celtic Christmas Celebration will return, with members of Molly's Revenge and returning champion Irish dancers Marisa Gilman and Cameron Carlson-Riddle. This year's music will include Celtic seasonal favorites from previous years, as well as new music with a decidedly Nordic twist. Attendees will enjoy virtuosic performances on exotic instruments like nyckelharpa, cittern, Celtic harp, and cajon, as well as fiddle, guitar, and octave mandolin.

The core of the Winterdance show is New World String Project, comprised of four highly skilled and well known multi-instrumentalists that have joined forces to create an exciting tapestry of traditional music. Band members Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter have played Swedish, Celtic and original tunes for many years together, while John Weed and Stuart Mason are known as long-time members of the legendary Molly's Revenge. Before the pandemic, the quartet honed their chops and found their voice as a band by touring up and down the West Coast, where audiences were enchanted by their rare instruments and masterful skills. The result is something new and uniquely their own--a sound rooted in the older traditions of Scandinavia, Appalachia, and the Celtic lands, yet shimmering with modern influences as well.

Fiddler John Weed is a classically-trained violinist who has spent the last 25 years immersed in traditional Irish fiddle styles.  John Weed and guitarist Stuart Mason also play together in the long-running Celtic band Molly’s Revenge. Celtic harp master Lisa Lynne, who gained international renown via recordings and tours with the label Windham Hill, often performs in a duo with NWSP-mate Aryeh Frankfurter. For years, Aryeh Frankfurter has been delighting audiences around the globe with his passionate, enduring and evocative music on Celtic harp, Swedish nyckelharpa (or keyed fiddle) and other stringed instruments. Stuart Mason is known for his authentic vocals and nimble skills on guitar, mandola, and banjo. Together, these intrepid string explorers take audiences on a thrilling, melodically exuberant musical ride.

The show is on Friday, December 17 at 7:00 pm. Doors open at 6:15 and refreshments are available for purchase. General admission is $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Children, 13 and under, are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

St. Michael’s Church is located at 2140 Mission Blvd., Carmichael, CA 95608.

To purchase tickets go to NewWorldStringProject.com.