NEPA Scene Staff

Cherish the Ladies celebrate ‘A Celtic Christmas’ at the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Dec. 17

Cherish the Ladies celebrate ‘A Celtic Christmas’ at the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Dec. 17
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From a press release:

The F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre has announced that Cherish the Ladies will perform “A Celtic Christmas” on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets, which are $26 and $36, plus fees, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Kirby Center box office, online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100.

“It is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do,” says the Boston Globe, speaking of Cherish the Ladies. The long-running, Grammy-nominated, Irish-American supergroup was formed in New York City in 1985 to celebrate the rise of extraordinary women in what had been a male-dominated Irish music scene. They have since toured the world, played the White House and the Olympics, and recorded 15 outstanding albums, including their latest, “An Irish Homecoming,” which was also videotaped for an Emmy-winning public television special that is airing across America.

Under the leadership of the dynamic and irrepressible flute and whistle champion Joanie Madden, these ladies create an evening that includes a spectacular blend of virtuoso instrumental talents, beautiful vocals, captivating arrangements, and stunning step dancing. Their continued success as one of the top Celtic groups in the world is due to the ensembles ability to take the best of Irish traditional music and dance and put it forth in an immensely entertaining show.

The New York Times calls their music “passionate, tender, and rambunctious,” and the Washington Post praises their “astonishing array of virtuosity.” They’ve won recognition as the BBC’s Best Musical Group of the Year and named Top North American Celtic Group by both the Irish Music Awards and NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock – not to mention having a street named after them in the Bronx!

They’ve collaborated with such notable musicians as The Boston Pops, The Clancy Brothers, The Chieftains, Vince Gill, Nanci Griffith, Pete Seeger, Don Henley, Arlo Guthrie, and Maura O’Connell as well as being the featured soloists with over 250 nights of symphony orchestras.

Cherish the Ladies accesses a roster of regional, national, and world champion step dancers who join them in every performance. Their artistry has captivated audiences worldwide. They are in constant demand worldwide as their reputation and admiration from both fans and critics alike continues to grow. Their name may come from a traditional Irish jig, but after 30 years, they’ve proven that the jig is still not up as the ladies blaze forward into another decade of music making.