Lynchburg VA center for arts, culture, and community building
Christmas with the Celts
Celebrating 12 years of successful national touring, Christmas with the Celts performs a wonderful combination of timeless ancient Irish Christmas Carols and lively Irish dance with modern contemporary songs but with Irish instrumentation. New Christmas hits, Celts originals and fresh Irish Dance tunes are added to the show each year so that no 2 years are the same. Always a pleasant surprise.
This year Christmas with the Celts will introduce top Irish musicians Patrick D’Arcy from Dublin and Fiachra O’Regan from Connemara, Ireland. These two have performed with Bono of U2, Sting, Quincy Jones, The Waterboys, Bill Whelan of Riverdance, just to name a few. Also, featured will be the haunting vocals of beautiful singer/fiddler Luisa Marion.
And an Irish Christmas would not be complete without the unpredictable Irish jokes (craic) and banter that occurs between band members and the audience every year and the always crowd pleasing fiery Irish dancers.
The high-stepping spirited musical selections have audiences clapping along from the first lively renditions of popular contemporary Christmas classics such as Irish versions of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas, White Christmas, John Lennon’s perennial Happy Christmas and many surprises. The show presents a perfect combination of modern Christmas hits, lively ancient Irish Carols, hilarious spontaneous humor, thrilling Irish dancing, a children’s choir and meaningful Christmas ballads with lush string arrangements giving audiences a most memorable interactive Christmas experience.
Show founder, Grammy nominated songwriter, and film score composer Ric Blair says, “You can’t listen to Celtic music and not be happy. Christmas with the Celts isn’t just a concert; it is a spiritual experience of music and dance uniting communities. It’s about bringing young and old together. It is a music of the people. I think that is why this unique melding of modern Christmas hits and organic Celtic instrumentation continues to resonate and grow in popularity every year with audiences.”
The first live performance of Christmas with The Celts was in front of a sold-out audience at the original Grand Ole Opry (voted top venue by Pollstar) the world-famous Ryman Auditorium. The Celts pack concert halls around the world including The Grand Ole Opry, The Lincoln Center, and Performing Arts Centers, Theaters and large Casinos across the country; including multiple appearances on NPR, WSM Radio, PBS shows like Music City Roots and The Bluegrass Underground. Later this year they are set to appear on the Woodsong’s Old Time Radio Hour which also airs on PBS. Blair credits much of their success to their exposure on PBS. The group has shared the stage with Vince Gill, Cathy Jordan of Dervish, Mairead of Altan, Ricky Skaggs, Tim O’Brien, Patty Loveless, just to name a few.
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On Sale Days/Times:
Academy Member Presale begins Monday, September 11, 2023. Remaining tickets will be released to the public on Friday, September 15, 2023. All sales begin at 10 AM EST.
Academy Members Level 5+ Pre-Sale: Monday, September 11, 2023
Academy Members Level 4+ Pre-Sale: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Academy Members Level 3+ Pre-Sale: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Academy Members Level 1+ Pre-Sale: Thursday, September 14, 2023
General Public On-Sale: Friday, September 15, 2023
Tickets:
Standard Seat: $29.00*
Premium Seat: $38.00*
Value Seat: $24.00*
Obstructed Seat: $19.00*
Box Seat: $62.00*
Pit Seat: $53.00*
*Plus taxes and fees
For more information or to purchase tickets to this performance, contact our Bank of the James Ticketing Office at (434) 846-8499.
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Accessibility
Age Requirement
All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket for this event unless otherwise stated. All ages are welcome.
Camera Policy
Videography and audio recording during the performances are prohibited. Photography of the set on stage is allowed pre-show, post-show, and during intermission. But we do ask that you show our designers and visiting performers some love by crediting them (and by tagging us) in your social media posts.
Content Advisory
The Academy Center of the Arts offers a diverse selection of entertainment. Not all productions may appeal to or be appropriate for every guest or for all ages. Ticket buyers should take responsibility for making informed decisions regarding their purchases. We recommend visiting the official show website of each show you are coming to see at the Academy. If you ever have questions about the content or appropriateness of a show, please contact us at boxoffice@academycenter.org.
Doors Open
Unless otherwise noted, our lobby doors open 60 minutes prior to show time and house doors open 30 minutes prior to show time for seating.
Parking & Directions
Parking is available on-site and throughout downtown Lynchburg. Our parking map (linked below) shows all of the free public and paid parking available. In addition, street parking is also available on most streets.
Ticketing Policies
Ticketing purchases are non-refundable. By purchasing a ticket to an event at The Academy Center of the Arts, you are agreeing to our ticketing policy. View our full ticketing policy.
Volunteer
Want to volunteer and see this show for free? Contact Mele Thompson, mthompson@academycenter.org, for more information.