Posted January 30, 2019
DAYTON, OH (January 30, 2019) – On Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 8 pm in the Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, will present the fourth concert in the 2018–2019 Kettering Health Network SuperPops Series, Celtic Spirit featuring Eileen Ivers.
Our Vista this February comes from across the Atlantic as the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance invites Eileen Ivers, master of the Irish fiddle, to join the DPO for an evening of Celtic music and tradition.
A daughter of Irish immigrants who was raised in New York City, Eileen Ivers started playing fiddle at a young age, eventually winning the All-Ireland fiddle championships… nine times! She graduated magna cum laude from Iona College with a degree in mathematics. However, while pursuing post-graduate studies in mathematics, she delved further into diverse genres of music that she experienced growing up in New York. Perhaps it was the mathematical mind coupled with her passion for seeking parallels in certain traditional music styles that contributed to what has become the signature sound featured in much of Eileen’s recordings since the late 1980s.
Ivers has since established herself as a preeminent fiddler. It has been said that the task of respectfully exploring the traditions and progression of the Celtic fiddle is quite literally on Eileen Ivers’ shoulders. The Grammy Award winner has performed for U.S. presidents and royalty, and the New York Times has called her “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin.” She has performed with more than 40 symphonic orchestras and at many renowned folk festivals. Ivers’ newest CD “showcases how Irish music and dance have integrated with various roots music of North America.”
National Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Conductor Marvin Hamlisch has said, “Nobody does it better than Eileen Ivers. Not only does the orchestra savor her musicianship and professionalism, but she never misses to bring a pops audience to its feet with thunderous ovations.”
Get out of the February cold and into the warm hearth of music from Eileen Ivers, her band, and the Dayton Philharmonic that will envelop the Schuster Center in lively energy and a true Celtic Spirit.
Tickets for Celtic Spirit featuring Eileen Ivers begin at $24 and are available at Ticket Center Stage (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and student discounts are available at the box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
# # #
About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the community, offering a tremendous variety of performance and education programs and setting a new standard for artistic excellence. Dayton Performing Arts Alliance performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works, the single largest source of community funds for the arts and culture in the Miami Valley. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance also receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency created to foster and encourage the development of the arts and to preserve Ohio’s cultural heritage. Funding from the Ohio Arts Council is an investment of state tax dollars that promotes economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohio residents. In 2013, The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was thrilled to be one of five performing arts organizations in the country selected to receive a three-year “Music Alive” grant from New Music USA and the League of American Orchestras. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is the proud recipient of a 2017-2018 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.