The Performing Arts Center presents The Banshee’s Wail: Celtic and Medieval Music on April 15 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Hall. The show features Scott Reiss, founder and co-director of the popular Celtic group Hesperus. The Banshee’s Wail was originally scheduled for Ramsey Hall but has been moved to the larger Hodgson Hall to accommodate ticket demand.
According to Reiss, The Banshee’s Wail “is intended to highlight the connections between Ireland and medieval Europe that can be seen in history, in legend and in the imagination. I play all the medieval pieces in Irish style to weave together the sounds of the two traditions in a seamless tapestry.”
Reiss, one of the world’s leading recorder players, is joined in The Banshee’s Wail by Tina Chancey, who is a founding member and also co-director of Hesperus. Chancey is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in early bowed strings, from the rebec and vielle to the kamenj, viol and lyra.
The Banshee’s Wail will also feature guitarist Zan McLeod, who is co-founder of the Irish-American group Touchstone. McLeod has appeared on scores of recordings, including the Grammy Award–winning Celtic Solstice by the Paul Winter Consort. His film credits include the soundtracks for Edward Burns’s The Brothers McMullen, Ang Lee’s Ride with the Devil and Sam Shepard’s Far North.
The ensemble for The Banshee’s Wail also includes Grammy Award–winning percussionist Glen Velez, who was voted best percussionist of the year in 2001 by Drum magazine. Velez performed and recorded with Steve Reich and Paul Winter for 15 years, and in 1989 composer John Cage wrote a piece exclusively for him.