Come and enjoy an Irish Harp duo perform a free Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 15 at Willow Grove Presbyterian Church in Scotch Plains. The concert, at 3 pm, will be preceded at 2:30 pm by Meet the Instruments, a special musical event for children and their families. Children will have the opportunity to see the harps up close, learn about Irish harps and other Celtic instruments from the performers, and will be given a special activity packet for the concert. The Christmas Concert will be a blend of lively dance tunes, songs with the kinds of choruses to make you sing along, and poignant stories about some of the customs that are now part of the Christmas season traditions. You’ll hear the harp, fiddle, flute, tinwhistle, guitar, bouzouki and bodhran. Among the many songs will be “Christmas Comes But Once A Year”, “The Wexford Carol” and “Auld Lang Syne”.
Musicians Kathy DeAngelo and Dennis Gormley have been performing traditional Irish music together as "McDermott’s Handy" since 1978. With a stage presence honed by 35 years of performing in a wide variety of venues before audiences of all ages, this duo always brings a contagious energy to their concerts. They are seasoned professionals who really enjoy their music and convey their joy to their audiences. Kathy DeAngelo plays mainly Irish harp, fiddle and banjo. She has a commanding and expressive voice, singing in English and in Irish. Kathy is well known in the harp world as a performer and teacher, as well as the director of the Somerset Folk Harp Festival. Husband Dennis Gormley is talented multi-instrumentalist who is a talented guitarist and an accomplished flute and tinwhistle player. Dennis is also quite handy on the bouzouki and mandolin, and does some fine singing in English and Irish.
After the concert, stay for light refreshments and to meet and greet the musicians. CD's will be for sale. This concert, made possible by a grant from the Presbytery of Elizabeth, is part of a concert series "Music for the Soul" at Willow Grove Church. Everyone is welcome to worship at 10 am every Sunday. Willow Grove Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) is located in Scotch Plains at 1961 Raritan Road, across the street from the Scotch Plains Southside Firehouse and Southside Soccer Park, near the corner of South Martine Avenue. All our facilities are handicap-accessible. Check our website: www.willowgrovechurch.org for information about our ministries and other activities or contact our office at (908) 232-5678 or office@willowgrovechurch.org.
