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School of Music

BYU Folk Music Ensembles Celebrate Traditional Irish Music for St. Patrick’s Day

BYU’s Folk Ensembles Will Feature Irish, Scottish and American Traditional Tunes To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

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Photo by @byumountainstrings Instagram

Catch the luck of St. Patrick’s Day this year with BYU’s folk ensembles! This concert will include Irish, Scottish, American traditional, jigs, reels and other songs such as a reimagined version “After You’ve Gone” composed by Turner Layton to celebrate the holiday.

Mark Geslison, the director of the folk music ensembles, will be presenting BYU’s Celtic Ensemble, American Traditional Ensemble, and Mountain Strings at the concert.

Audiences will have the opportunity to listen to a variety of folk music instruments in these groups, such as guitar, mandolin, harp, penny whistle, fiddle, flute, piano, accordion, octave mandolin, cello, bass, bodhrán (Irish hand drum), cajón (rhythm box) and drum set.

Mountain Strings also has the opportunity to travel around the world with the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble. This June they will travel to Hungary, Czech Republic, and Austria to perform at international folk music and dance festivals, which brings together cultural dance and music ensembles from around the world that represent their country or culture.

Madeline Charles, a singer and keyboard player studying business at BYU, shared how the diverse backgrounds of the members of Mountain Strings impact their approach to their folk music. Like Madeline, none of the students in the group are music majors, but their diverse experiences help the group have a fresh take on folk music. “I have a musical theater background, and other band members have contemporary backgrounds, bluegrass, classical, etc.,” said Charles. “Our group is versatile and open-minded, and when we come together that's reflected in our arrangements. When I play with this group, we envision a song's potential, share ideas, and experiment.”

“It is a joy to see the students perform the music that they love to play,” Geslison said. “They are the reason we, the faculty at BYU, are here. They are so great to work with in our profession.”

Tickets and Show Details

Performance Dates and Times: 

  • March 16th at 7:30 PM

Location: 

  • Recital Hall 1031

Price: 

  • Free

Tickets

  • Free admission, tickets not required. Seating will be general admission and will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis.