NY Metro Area to Celebrate Christmas with Pipes and Drums

From the bold sounds of the bagpipes and the harmonious blending of brass, strings and percussion, to the poetic and lyrical words that complement them, the Pipes of Christmas is a festival for the soul. Performances will be held at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan and Central Presbyterian Church in Summit, NJ. Featured performers include the Kevin Ray Blandford Memorial Pipe Band from Redlands, CA, Braveheart actor Andrew Weir, three-time New England Fiddle Champion, Paul Woodiel, soprano Maija Lisa Currie and the Solid Brass ensemble.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 19, 2008 -- A new Holiday classic, The Pipes of Christmas will celebrate its tenth anniversary season with performances in New York and New Jersey this December. Two concerts are scheduled for 2PM and 8PM on Saturday, December 20 at Central Presbyterian Church located at 70 Maple Street in Summit, NJ. The "Pipes" will also return to New York City on Sunday, December 21 at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, located at 921 Madison Avenue (at 73rd Street). That concert begins at 2:30 PM. The New York performance is a benefit concert to support the Society's scholarship program.

The program will feature the music of Christmas accompanied by a selection of readings taken from the Celtic literature of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Featured performers include Andrew Weir from the film "Braveheart," the Scottish Country Dance trio Local Hero, the Solid Brass ensemble, Scottish harpist Jennifer Port, and the Kevin Ray Blandford Memorial Pipe Band of Redlands, CA.

Honorary Chairmen for the 2008 concert are Lord James Sempill, Chief of Clan Sempill and Vice Convener of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, Major General Euan Loudon, Chief Executive and Producer of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Hon. Daniel F. Sullivan, New York Consul-General of Canada. The concert is sponsored in part by the Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, NJ.

Order Tickets Now

Tickets for the NJ matinee concert are $40 and are available via mail order. A downloadable ticket order form can be found on the concert's website at www.pipesofchristmas.com. Tickets for the NY gala concert are $60 each and may be purchased online at www.smarttix.com or by phone at (212) 868-4444 or by mail order. Premium VIP seats are available at both venues through membership in the "Friends of the Pipes of Christmas."

About "The Pipes of Christmas"

Since making its debut in 1999, The Pipes of Christmas has played to standing room only audiences. Given the popularity of the program, a second concert was added in 2001 to accommodate the high-demand for tickets.

That same year, the concert began an award-winning partnership with TV-36, Communities On Cable, by broadcasting concert highlights on Christmas Eve to an estimated 40,000 cable subscribers. Four of the Society's productions were recipients of the prestigious Telly Award for television production excellence. In 2003, the concert was broadcast live on cable television as a fundraiser for the local community access station.

Now a cherished holiday institution, the concert has provided audiences with a stirring and reverent celebration of the Christmas season and the Celtic spirit. Audience-goers return year after year to experience the program, many reporting that the Pipes of Christmas has become part of their family's annual Christmas tradition.

Over the last nine years, the concert has received great critical acclaim. In his review for Classical New Jersey Magazine, Paul Somers wrote, "The whole evening was constructed to introduce gem after gem and still have a finale which raised the roof. In short, it was like a well constructed fireworks show on the Glorious Fourth." The Westfield (NJ) Leader described the concert as "a unique sound of power and glory nowhere else to be found."

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