About this Event
Returning to the UICC stage—Patrick Ball is one of the premier Celtic harp players in the world and a captivating spoken word artist. He has recorded nine instrumental and five spoken word albums which have sold well over one-half million copies internationally and won national awards in both the music and spoken word categories.
Whether in the stronghold of a Galway chieftain in the years before history began or yesterday in the snug corner of a pub in Dublin, the Irish have always delighted in storytelling. Their passion for eloquence and wordplay, their deep devotion to their mythical past, their ability to find joy and humor in a dark world, and their belief that the supernatural world could appear between one breath and the next made their stories and the telling of them unrivaled in the world of the oral tradition.
And always, amidst the storytelling, there was music. Jigs, reels and haunting airs graced the spaces between the tales. And first among Irish instruments, and the most honored, was the legendary Celtic harp. With its crystalline, bell-like voice and lavish resonance, it would soothe its listeners and lead them deeper into the realms of the imagination.
In Celtic Harp and Story Patrick Ball rekindles the fire and wonder of an evening of Irish storytelling. For in telling the marvelous old tales of wit and enchantment, and in playing the ancient, brass-strung harp of Ireland, he not only carries on two of the richest traditions of Celtic culture, but blends them in concert to create “a warm and magical performance.”
Along with Celtic Harp & Story, his beguiling blend of music and spoken word concerts, Patrick has written and currently performs three acclaimed solo musical theater pieces. O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music brings to the stage the legendary life, the turbulent times and the glorious music of Ireland’s most celebrated and beloved musician, Turlough O’Carolan. The Fine Beauty of the Island is a musical journey to Ireland’s legendary Blasket Islands in search of a deeply haunting tune and the vanished islanders who played it. "Come Dance With Me In Ireland: A Pilgrimage to Yeats Country" is a musical and dramatic performance based on the life and works of Ireland’s greatest poet, William Butler Yeats—and was a huge hit at the UICC in 2024.
Patrick Ball is “a rare artist.” For in playing the ancient, legendary brass-strung harp of Ireland with its crystalline, bell-like voice and performing marvelous tales of wit and enchantment, he not only brings new life to two cherished traditions, but blends them in concert to create “a richly theatrical and hauntingly beautiful performance.”
Event venue & nearby stays
United Irish Cultural Center, 2700 45th Avenue, San Francisco, United States
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