Letters from the Sea
Features the stunning voice of Irish singer Eilis Kennedy from Dingle, Ireland. In 2020, Kennedy, inspired by a series of letters written by Whaling fisherman that she found in the New Bedford Whaling Museum, wrote an album of songs inspired by the sea and the men and women who make their lives around it.
‘A wife left behind , a wife on board, an adventurous young man , a brave and wise captain , an ill- fated voyage, a drowning , a rescue, an elegy , and a song of hope in times of despair’
Kennedy will bring these letters and songs to life with an all-star cast of musicians from both sides of the Atlantic including readings by David Coffin, and music brought by Genticorum and our stellar house band (Seamus Egan, Maeve Gilchrist and Lena Jonnson). In addition, our resident guitarist and sound designer Kyle Sanna will interweave sounds of the Cape Anne seascape and natural world, recorded over the course of the weekend to create an atmospheric soundscape on which these tales of hardship, adventure and toil will sail.
Maeve Gilchrist & Brian O’Donovan, co-artistic directors
Eilis Kennedy, vocals
David Coffin, vocals
Kyle Sanna, guitar
Maeve Gilchrist, harp
Seamus Egan, multi-instrumentalist
Lena Jonnson, fiddle
Genticorum
About the Rockport Celtic Festival
Maeve Gilchrist & Brian O’Donovan, co-artistic directors
For over three decades, Brian O’Donovan has been hosting A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH, a program exploring traditional and contemporary music from around the Celtic world. He’s also well known for his live concert series A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, as well as many other presentations around New England. In partnership with Rockport Music and working in close collaboration with fellow Artistic Director, Edinburgh-born harpist/composer Maeve Gilchrist, Brian is proud to present the third annual Rockport Celtic Festival- Exploring Celtic Roots and Branches. Featuring a wide and quite extraordinary variety of new and familiar musicians, singers, dancers, and storytellers, the weekend will focus on the genre’s broad and vibrant range with an emphasis on musical influences from Scandinavia. The Festival brings crossover and collaborative work between musicians from different genres including classical, jazz, and American Traditional.
WINDOW NOTICE: Due to the volume level of certain concerts, the curtain may be closed over the window for acoustical purposes. All efforts will be made to keep the view available prior to the concert.
Thank you to our Rockport Celtic Festival Corporate Partners!
