Event Details

Celtic Connections Opening Concert "Common Ground"

15921

Wednesday 16th January 2008, 7.30pm

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall : Auditorium

Please Note: This event is now past.

The 15th Celtic Connections festival kicks off with an opening-night birthday party to remember, featuring an all-star line-up of artists for whom Glasgow in January has become a home from home.

Among the Scots stars are vocalists Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Mike Scott from The Waterboys and Julie Fowlis with top instrumentalists Aidan O'Rourke, Iain MacDonald and Lauren MacColl, James Mackintosh and Ewen Vernal.

"One of the really special things about Celtic Connections is the number of new collaborations that happen between the musicians, whether it's a one-off session in the Festival Club, or something that develops longer-term," says fiddler John McCusker, co-musical director of tonight's performance. "The show is partly a celebration of that, partly an attempt to recapture some of that spontaneity onstage - basically a huge big glorious session."

Joining in the craic will be a powerhouse Irish contingent including Sharon Shannon, Luka Bloom, Damien Dempsey, Karan Casey, Michael McGoldrick and Jim Murray. Also joining the show is the festival's favourite English folk singer, Kate Rusby, Mancunian stars Dezi Donnelly (fiddle) and John Joe Kelly (bodhran) with mandolin prodigy Chris Thile and multi-talented Kane, Welch and Kaplin flying the US flag, and more surprise special guests on the night.