I had the honor of working on a Christmas show last fall for a group called The Celts.
They were filming a show for PBS as well as for release on DVD, and brought in an impressive line-up of musicians from around the world: Irish singer Mauread Ni Mhaomaigh from Alton (considered the best Irish fiddler on the planet), Riverdance piper Ivan Goff from Dublin, and Scottish actor Jamie Stuart, to name a few.
Be watching on December 2, when A Celtic Christmas is aired Nationally on PBS! Here’s a clip from the show….
I was hired just for a couple of days to work with the group and ended up wearing multiple hats. This was a ‘non-traditional’ gig for me in that I didn’t have time to change arrangements or go into every song to find the moments.
Instead, I worked on a couple of moments, then did lots of on-the-fly tweaking as they were rehearsing, which involved making decisions on staging, placement, entrances and exits, and working on some basic movement and band interaction.
Besides The Blair Band, the production involved a string section, narrator Jamie Stuart, who read passages from the Glaswegian Bible, Irish dancers and a children’s choir. There were many elements to juggle in a short time, but it was a blast!
Since Ric Blair – the leader of the Celts – was central to the production, I made him the ‘court jester’ of sorts. He became the ring leader that controls the show (front man) and drew attention to the different elements and players taking their turn in the spotlight. He roamed the stage with his acoustic guitar and bodhran (a hand-held drum), bringing on the players and singers throughout the show.
The moments we had a short time to work on were Ric’s solo tune on piano, where I had him take the beginning out of time and create the mood, and a drum trade-off between one of The Celt’s percussionists and Ric on the bodhran.
Working with the lighting director, the stage manager and crew, as well as all the players and singers, was amazing. They were able to put together a good show in a short amount of time, and each person began to understand and develop their role in the group.
For more about understanding YOUR role in a band, check out this blog from Tom… Read more – Backstage Pass required…
Amy Wolter
As a trained Live Music Producer for Tom Jackson Productions, Amy Wolter brings her years onstage as a lead singer & keyboardist - along with her experience as a producer, arranger, and songwriter - to singers and bands who won’t settle for ‘good enough’. She’s worked with artists at all levels, and genres ranging from Rock to Celtic, empowering them to have confidence and authority onstage, and put on memorable live shows, a few of whom have been on two of the largest US tours in recent history. Some of her clients include Grammy award winners The Band Perry & Lacrae, CMA and ACM –winning country acts, Gloriana & Thompson Square, 2016 The Voice contestant Mary Sarah, CCMA (Canada) winners High Valley, Jess Moskaluke & Chad Brownlee, and Winter Jam Tour veterans Sidewalk Prophets & Love and The Outcome.
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Wow! This is awesome! I don’t watch much TV but will try to tune into this for sure!