Passim Announces All Star Line Up For 20th Annual BOSTON CELTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL

Featuring over 60 local Celtic musicians, workshops, and participatory musical sessions and dances, Cambridge-based non-profit Passim will host its 20th annual Boston Celtic Music Festival January 12-15, 2023.

A showcase of music, song and dance from Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton and other Celtic communities, BCMFest will take place at Club Passim, The Sinclair and the First Parish Church in Harvard Square, as well as the Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. Tickets for all BCMFest performances are on sale now at passim.org/bcmfest.

"Throughout the years, BCMFest has stood out as one of the greatest celebrations of Celtic music, both within Boston and beyond," said Summer McCall, marketing and membership manager at Passim, and the festival director. "Now after 20 years of this festival (including two virtual years), the local Celtic community is thriving stronger than ever. This city is full of established legends as well as fresh new players who have been relocating here for the last couple of years, specifically for the scene - like myself in September 2019. It's my absolute pleasure to ensure that the 20th anniversary of BCMFest celebrates and honors the traditional and innovative sounds and people who make up the ever-expanding Boston Celtic music community."

The festival kicks off at 7pm on Thursday January 12 at Club Passim with a First Round performance featuring Scottish Fish (Ava Montesi, Caroline Dressler, Giulia Haible, Julia Homa, Maggie Macphail), Matt and Shannon Heaton, and Copley Street (Nathan Gourley and Joey Abarta). Tickets are $25 and $22 for Passim members.

Friday's activities begin with the Roots & Branches Concert at Club Passim, offering a sample of the innovative, dynamic sounds of Boston's Celtic music community today including Jenna Moynihan, Katie McNally and Friends and Molly Pinto Madigan. Tickets are $25 and $23 for Passim members.

Also on Friday January 13, BCMFest will host the Boston Urban Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-Lee), instructional and participatory social dances open to all ages and experience levels at 7:30pm at the Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. The event will include live music and traditional Irish, Cape Breton and Scottish dances. Tickets are $20 for all guests. No experience necessary.

Dayfest will take place on Saturday January 14 and features a full schedule of concerts and activities across three venues. Performances will take place 11am-5:30pm at Club Passim, 12pm-5pm at The Sinclair and include David Healy, Nathan Gourley and Eamon Sefton; Sarah Collins and Jonathan Vocke; Carroll Sisters Trio; Elizabeth and Ben Anderson; Leland Martin and Friends; David McKindley-Ward; Fódhla (Ellery Klein, Nicole Rabata, Bethany Waickman); James Kelly and Ryan Douglas; Casey Murray and Molly Tucker; Kate Gregory and Brendan Hearn; Adam Hendey with Eamon Sefton and Simon Lace; Boston Scottish Fiddle Orchestra; Calum Bell and the Boston Session Community; Maura Shawn Scanlin and Friends; and Loud Weather (Alasdair White, Elias Alexander, Eamon Sefton, Neil Pearlman, Anna Colliton).

During Dayfest, there will also be a series of open sessions at the First Parish Church from 12pm-5pm of varying levels and styles. There will additionally be workshops through the Passim School of Music that will focus on different styles, instruments and techniques used in Celtic performances. Tickets for the entire day of entertainment are $28 for all guests.

A full day of Saturday activities lead up to the Nightcap Finale on Jan 14. The performance will take place at 8pm in the Sinclair and feature the "Boston Celtic All-Stars'', an ensemble of supremely talented women, including ensemble director Katie McNally, Jenna Moynihan, Shannon Heaton, Natasha Sheehy, Bethany Waickman, and Janine Randall, with Irish and Scottish traditional dancers Rebecca McGowan and Christine Morrison.

BCMFest comes to a close on Sunday January 15 at Club Passim with Brunch and Tunes featuring Mrs. Wilberforce (Sean Smith and Kyra Davies) from 10am-2pm. The event does not require tickets.

"This will be a special occasion for BCMFest in many ways," said Sean Smith, a long-time member of the festival organizing committee. "We're celebrating 20 years of a grassroots festival that showcases the incredible variety of Celtic music in the Boston area, whether straight from tradition or drawing upon modern influences and styles. Throughout its two decades, BCMFest has featured full-time, professional acts alongside the 'evenings and weekends' musicians, and it's made a point of highlighting how the love for this music is shared among generations. And, as always, the line-up of performers includes fresh new faces among the familiar ones."

Updates, ticket information, performer bios and other festival details will be available at passim.org/bcmfest. BCMFest will take place at Club Passim (47 Palmer Street in Cambridge), the Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre (55 Davis Square in Somerville), The Sinclair (52 Church Street in Cambridge), and the First Parish Church (1446 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge). Tickets for all BCMFest performances are on sale now at passim.org/bcmfest.

The mission of Passim is to provide truly exceptional and interactive live musical experiences for both performers and audiences, to nurture artists at all stages of their careers, and to build a vibrant music community. Passim does so through its legendary listening venue, music school, artist grants and outreach programs. As a nonprofit since 1994, Passim carries on the heritage of our predecessors-the historic Club 47 (1958-1968) and for-profit Passim (1969-1994). We cultivate a diverse mix of musical traditions, where the emphasis is on the relationship between performers and audience as well as teachers and students. Located in Harvard Square, Passim serves Cambridge and the broader region by featuring local, national and International Artists. Our ultimate goal is to help the performance arts flourish and thereby enrich the lives of members of our community. For a complete schedule, visit www.passim.org.

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