Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Celtara will bring their brand of traditional and contemporary Celtic music to Jasper once again during an all-ages concert at the Jasper United Church on July 17.
The Edmonton band is an ensemble of five musicians who entertain audiences with a range of acoustic instruments.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been playing together since 2004, so by the time we鈥檙e playing our concert in Jasper, we will be celebrating our 18th anniversary together,鈥� said Tami Cooper, who plays flute and sings for the band.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a really rich and fruitful relationship.鈥�
Celtara has previously played several concerts in Jasper, but not only has the pandemic kept the band from visiting the mountain community in recent years, they also avoided live performances in general and are now eager to return to the stage.
鈥淲e played at the Water Valley Celtic Festival a couple of weekends ago, and it was just such a joy to be able to play again for people in real life,鈥� Cooper said.
Celtara will be playing new material at their Jasper concert, as well as songs and instrumental sets from its three albums.
鈥淭his is music that you鈥檇 expect to hear in the pubs and all around Ireland and Scotland but the other Celtic countries as well,鈥� Cooper said.
鈥淲e sing traditional songs. Some of these songs are very, very old, but they still have relevance to our world today. We also sing songs that we pulled from, say, the bluegrass tradition or songs that have been written recently.鈥�
The audience should expect a 鈥渓iving room concert鈥� that would be warm and an enjoyable, comfortable place to come.
鈥淪tories are told in the songs and there鈥檚 a really rich instrumental sound, and we鈥檙e just so glad to be out playing for people again, and we鈥檙e just really looking forward to playing for whoever is able to make it,鈥� Cooper added.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very intimate space, that church. The acoustics are wonderful, and so we hope to put smiles on people鈥檚 faces and (get) their toes tapping and enjoy a lovely afternoon.鈥�
Doors open at 2 p.m. and the music starts at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door or in advance at Tekarra Color Lab.
