A Charleston Celtic & Classical Christmas

Event Details

The Taylor Music Group (TMG), a leading Charleston arts organization focused on the blending of classical and folk music, announces the presentation of A Charleston Celtic and Classical Christmas, performed at 7:30pm, Dec. 17, at Second Presbyterian Church on 342 Meeting Street, Charleston.

A Charleston area favorite since 2009, A Charleston Celtic and Classical Christmas features a mixture of traditional holiday carols, instrumental jigs and reels with a Celtic flavor, and spiritual choral selections presented by the Taylor Festival Choir and Na Fidleiri Reimagined. Also featured are guest artists Uillean Piper Ivan Goff of the renowned Irish traditional Danu, and rising opera star, NY-based Grace Kahl. The evening will also include a brief “Renaissance coda” for preferred ticket buyers, featuring 15-minutes of ancient carols by candlelight.
“We are excited to continue to combine traditional classical Christmas music with Celtic folk music to celebrate the Holiday Season” says Robert Taylor, Founding Conductor of the Taylor Festival Choir. “The Holidays are about family, and the group of people we annually perform with have truly become like family. The singers in the Taylor Festival Choir—many of whom have sung together for 15 years now--all really care for each other. Grace Kahl, for instance—while a real treasure in the opera world—still makes time to come sing with TFC. I think the love we all share for each other comes out in our performance, especially in this special time of year.”
The Taylor Festival Choir (TFC) is a professional chamber choir based in Charleston, SC. Founded and conducted by Robert Taylor, the choir is inspired by the life and career of Bob Taylor, the conductor’s late father and a noted choral musician and pedagogue. Since its inception in 2001, the Taylor Festival Choir has toured and been heard in prestigious venues and festivals throughout the U.S., and has garnered a reputation of excellence among critics and choral specialists alike. Their critically acclaimed Christmas CD’s Sing We Now of Christmas and So Hallow’d the Time continue to be heard on classical and Holiday stations such as SiriusXM Radio Holiday Pops, the latter CD having received votes in multiple Grammy categories.

Na Fidleiri Reimagined continues the traditions established by the Celtic fiddling troupe Na Fidleiri: fusing Celtic musical forms and styles with classical contrapuntal and harmonic techniques. Now an ensemble of professionals led by founder Mary Taylor, Na Fidleiri Reimagined focuses much of its artistic energy on the Taylor Music Group’s “Pathways to Healing” initiative—taking live performances into hospitals and other medical centers.
New York City native Grace Kahl is an artist hailed for her “poised, gleaming soprano” in a wide array of repertoire. Grace recently finished her tenure as Resident Artist with Utah Opera from 2018-2020, where notable performances included The Rose (The Little Prince), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), and Annina (La Traviata). Grace was a member of the prestigious Apprentice Artist program at Santa Fe Opera for their 2019 season, where she covered the role of Lyra and was featured in the world premiere of Poul Ruder’s The Thirteenth Child. After the COVID-19 pandemic put live performances on pause, Grace made a triumphant return to the stage at Des Moines Metro Opera where she sang the roles of Johanna (Sweeney Todd) and Mary Johnson (Fellow Travelers) in 2021. Grace is a featured soloist on the Taylor Festival Choir’s critically acclaimed Holiday CD So Hallow’d the Time.

Dublin native Ivan Goff plays uilleann pipes and Irish flute and is currently a member of Irish traditional band Danú. Over the years he has performed worldwide in duets and ensembles with many household names of Irish music including Iarla Ó Lionáird, Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh, Martin Hayes, Cormac Breatnach, Eileen Ivers Band, Dervish, and Lúnasa. Ivan has performed at venues such as MoMA, The Guggenheim, Disney Hall (LA) and on Broadway in productions such as Riverdance, Sting’s The Last Ship, and Come From Away. Ivan holds MAs in musicology (University College Dublin) music technology and computer composition (Queen’s University Belfast) and a PhD in ethnomusicology (New York University). His latest recordings are with Danú (10,000 Miles; 2018) and a duet album with concert organist Renée Louprette (Bright Vision; 2019).