Toronto Symphony Orchestra
presents CELTIC CHRISTMAS
Featuring Donnell Leahy & Family
With Special Guest Star Natalie MacMaster
And the Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday Chorus
TSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke
December 9 & 10, 2014 at Roy Thomson Hall
On December 9 and 10, the TSO Pops series welcomes JUNO Award-winning fiddler Donnell Leahy and his family for a traditional Celtic Christmas with singing, dancing and storytelling! Featuring special guest fiddler Natalie MacMaster, this Celtic holiday music party, under the baton of TSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke, will also spotlight the Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday Chorus in a high-energy performance.
For well over 100 years, the Leahy family, descendants of a poor Irish immigrant in rural Ontario, have been fashioning fiddlers that are remarkable in both their level of musical skill and their hard-working attitude. Iconic Canadian fiddler Donnell Leahy is the epitome of this skill and work ethic.
Honing his talent since the age of three, Donnell has spent his entire life with a fiddle in his hand. His initial skills were learned at home from his parents—a fiddle-playing father from Ontario and a step-dancing mother from Cape Breton. With a well-trained ear, he learned tunes from fiddlers both in person and on recordings, and his own style emerged; some even say he even created a new genre of music known simply as ‘Leahy’. Whether he is performing with Leahy, alongside his wife, Canadian fiddling sensation Natalie MacMaster (they have just recorded their first album together), with his brothers, or solo, audiences lap up every amazing moment of Donnell’s riveting performances. “I’m not the greatest with words, but on the fiddle, I can tell the whole story passionately,” says Donnell.
Along with TSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke, Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster have created a Celtic Christmas programme that balances the traditions of the Leahy-MacMaster family with festive orchestral and choral selections ensuring a perfect holiday programme that appeals to everyone. Coming from a family with 11 siblings, and with six children of their own, one or two Leahy youngsters are sure to appear, performing alongside their parents for a special holiday treat!
Celtic Christmas: Donnell Leahy & Family Pops
Tuesday, December 9 at 8:00pm
Wednesday, December 10 at 2:00pm
Wednesday, December 10 at 8:00pm
Steven Reineke, conductor
Donnell Leahy, Natalie MacMaster & Family, Celtic musicians
Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday Chorus
Various: Holiday Overture
C. Dragon: “Hail To Christmas”
Larry Blank: “The Best Christmas Of All”
Bernard: “Winter Wonderland”
Anderson: Sleigh Ride Medley
Traditional: “Go Tell It On The Mountain”
Edward Pola: “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
Leontovych: “Carol Of The Bells”
Tchaikovsky/arr. Steve Cohen: Klezmer Nutcracker: Three Miniatures For Orchestra
Donnell Leahy: Leahy Christmas Fiddle Medley
Donnell Leahy: “Mary, Did You Know?”
Traditional: Christmas Sing-Along
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street
Tickets: $29 – $110
Purchase online at TSO.CA, call 416.598.3375 • Chinese hotline: 416.593.0688
Purchase in-person at the TSO Customer Service Centre, 212 King St West, 1st Floor, Toronto
All artists, programmes, dates, prices, and chats are subject to change without notice.
Twitter: @TorontoSymphony
Facebook: Toronto Symphony Orchestra
YouTube: youtube.com/torontosymphony
The 2014/2015 TSO Season Presenting Sponsor is BMO Financial Group.
The TSO Pops Series Presenting sponsor is Scotiabank.
The TSO Official Airline is Air Canada.
The TSO Season Patrons are Pam and Chris Hodgson.
About the TSO: Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada’s most important cultural institutions, recognized internationally as an outstanding orchestra. Music Director Peter Oundjian leads the TSO with a commitment to innovative programming and audience development through a broad range of performances that showcase the exceptional talents of the Orchestra along with a roster of distinguished guest artists and conductors. The TSO also serves the larger community with TSOUNDCHECK, the original under-35 ticket programme; the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra; and music education programmes that reach over 50,000 students each year.
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