Shoreline – Lake Forest Park Magical Strings Concert for the Holidays!

On Sunday, November 29th the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council presents Magical Strings Celtic Yuletide Concert. Now in it’s 31st year, Magical Strings will be performing at the Shorecrest Performing Arts Center at 3 p.m.  As many families and fans in the community have made this a holiday tradition, tickets will go fast. 

Phil and Pam Boulding, the center of this musical whirl of Holiday sparkle, are magical at holiday time. 

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park concert is the first of their holiday series (which goes from Portland to Mount Vernon) and is, according to Phil, “always exciting, the energy is up and high because it’s the first show of the season.”  This year is specially special…Brittany Boulding, one of their five children, has returned from NYC where she lived for years performing with major orchastras.  It’s her first year back and she is busy as she’s the Concertmistress of the Bellevue Philharmonic, as well as playing with the Seattle Symphony.  She will appear with the Magical Strings group and play a special solo as well as fiddling along with the Celtic music and jigs!  Her brother Brenin, a notable cello player, will also join the group and since his wife is Sara Raney of the Raney Irish Dancers, there has for some years been a cross link and the dancers will be performing at the concert.  More wonderful family, grandaughter Rowen, now 9, is an award winning Irish Dancer (The Tara Acadamy of Irish Dance is run by Sara Raney and her sisters) and will perform a solo. 

Also appearing will be Irish Flute Player Hanz Areki as a guest performer (said to be the “quintessential world music musician”), lyrical juggler Thomas Arthur, vocalists Mark and Colleen Raney, and other special guests.  Phil explained to me that he and Pam compose a lot of their own original music, and have just returned from a spectacular trip to Ireland which inspired some of this year’s program.  I am personally looking forward to a special arrangement for a violin and cello duo that sounds amazing!

Practically a household word in the Northwest, Magical Strings Ensemble enthralls with a tight woven blend of dancing hammers and pulsating strings.   The distinctive music created by the harmonious partnership of Phil and Pam is described in the Washington Post as “warm, graceful and sonically gorgeous.”  Centered around a tight-knit blending of hammered dulcimers and Celtic harps, the performance will be enhanced by pennywhistles, valiha (Malagasy harp), concertina and song  and storytelling.  During the past 25 years Magical Strings has always drawn a great and loyal following all over the world, captivated by sparkling arrangements of Celtic music and their original joyful compositions, intertwining Celtic roots with classical and World Music influences

Could there be more?  Yes, just don’t miss it!  Please take a look at their Magical Strings website for further details  and for other concerts they will be playing for this series in the Holiday Season!  And don’t forget to check out the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council website (and maybe bookmark it?) for gallery news and other events of the season.

For an interesting taste of a Hanz Araki balad, try http://popup.lala.com/popup/2810527689712221426.