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Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea
Celtic Group Ceol Cridhe Performs Music at Kentucky Artisan Center
On Saturday, May 5, the musical ensemble Ceol Cridhe (Pronounced Ke-ol Cree) will perform Celtic and Irish music from 11:00-2:00 at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.
The name of this Frankfort based musical group means ‘Heartsong’ in Scots Gaelic and is made up of three musicians, Jack Twombley, Bob Cox and Bryn Bowen Cox. These three play and share the love and passion for the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales, as well as the lesser known Celtic cultures of Cape Breton, Brittany and Nova Scotia. In 2002 the band released its first album “Like a Heartbeat” with 13 tracks of their most popular songs.
The band members play a variety of instruments including the fiddle, Celtic harp, concertina, and the traditional Irish drum, the Bodhran. Lead singer and guitarist Jack Twombly learned to play the piano at an early age, like his father and grandfather before him. With the gift of an acoustic guitar from his mother and access to his sister’s extensive collection of folk music recordings, Jack discovered and developed his love for Celtic music. As well as playing 12 and 6-string guitar, Jack plays the unusual bouzouki that has become popular in traditional Irish and Scottish music. He has played guitar and been soloist with the acclaimed band “Easter Island” and has performed on National Public Radio, at the Kentucky Music Festival, Frankfort Expo and many other venues.
Bryn Bowen Cox who plays Celtic harp, concertina and Electro-harp was trained on the piano by her mother, a classically trained pianist. She credits her mom as her biggest influence and when Bryn was young, she studied organ, piano, guitar and cello. She even took Suzuki harp lessons and went on to secure a degree in music education from Ball State University. Her Welsh background feeds her instinctual love of traditional music. The Celtic harp has always been her first love and she has explored the use of the harp for healing and therapy. She completed the Music for Healing and Transition Program in Houston, Texas, and serves as a music volunteer at Hospice of Louisville. In 1998, Bryn traveled to Ireland to study Irish harp with Maire Ni Chathasaigh, Grainne Yeats and other masters. She has also studied the piano style of Cape Breton masters Joey Beaton and Hilda Chiasson.
Fiddler Bob Cox began playing folk and traditional tunes on the mountain dulcimer and mandolin while in college in Arkansas in the late 1970’s. His uncle gave him his old violin to see if he could play - and Bob has been fiddling ever since. Bob states, “The dance music you hear played by traditional fiddlers emphasizes rhythm, and out of necessity imbues the tunes with enough energy to carry the dancers on – and that has always appealed to me.”
In recent years, Bob has been drawn to the music found on Canada’s Cape Breton Island. Cape Breton was settled by many Scottish highlanders and islanders from the Hebrides, and Scotland. Bob’s interest has led him to visit Cape Breton Island and study with such masters as Buddy MacMaster, and Jerry Holland. In the band, Bob also backs up Jack Twombly’s vocals and lends a hand with the Irish drum, the Bodhran.
Musical recordings by Ceol Cridhe are regularly available at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, located just off Interstate 75 at exit 77 (Berea). The Center’s exhibits, shopping, and travel information areas are all open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the café from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. The Center currently features works by more than 650 artisans from all across the Commonwealth. For more information call 859-985-5448 or visit the Center’s web site at www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is an agency in the Commerce Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
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