Patrick Ball – Celtic Harp and Story

April 21, 20247:00 p.m.

Patrick Ball is one of the premier Celtic harp players in the world and also a captivating spoken word artist. In playing the ancient brass-strung harp of Ireland with its crystalline, bell-like voice, and in performing marvelous tales of wit and enchantment, Ball not only brings new life to two cherished traditions, but blends them to create a richly theatrical performance. Patrick Ball has recorded nine instrumental and three 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. Ball has been awarded grants for his work by the California Arts Council and is the recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association. 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.