Karen Burciaga and Shelley Otis will take us on a musical tour of the Celtic lands. You'll hear toe-tapping Scottish jigs, Breton folk dances, groovy original reels, lilting Manx waltzes, and an Irish lullaby for the midwinter nights. Voices intertwine with harp and fiddle in evocative songs of snowfall and fireside. Join us and drive the cold winter away!

Karen Burciaga (fiddle, voice) is a Boston-based strings specialist who bridges the worlds of classical and folk music. She has performed for events across New England and in Texas and appeared in last year's Midwinter Revels. Originally trained as a classical violinist, Karen's lifelong love of Celtic music led her into the world of fiddling and folk traditions and she now enjoys playing (and dancing!) Scottish, Irish, English, contra, Cornish, and Breton styles. She founded Ulster Landing and folk-classical group Seven Times Salt, and she has fiddled with southern Italian folk band Newpoli and numerous English Country Dance bands across Greater Boston. Karen directs and teaches at Early Music Week at Pinewoods Camp, and she manages the SoHIP early music concert series each summer. When not making music, she can usually be found petting cats, climbing small mountains, or playing pickleball.

Shelley Otis (harp, voice) is currently based in Boston, Massachusetts. She performs both as a soloist and in several ensembles, including The Boston HarpBeat, the children’s music group Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys, and Ulster Landing. Performance highlights include the South Shore Folk Music club in Kingston, MA, the Boston Recorder Society concert series, private events in France, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, and opening with Ulster Landing for Steeleye Span at the Music Haven in Schenectady. She maintains a 5-star rating on several event planning sites and is a multi-year winner of both Wedding Wire’s Couple’s choice award, and the Knot’s Best of Weddings Award, and recently was accepted into the Knot’s Wedding Hall of Fame. Her music is available on most streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora.

This concert is presented in partnership with the Department of Senior Services. This program is generously sponsored by the Jayne Colino Fund at the Senior Citizens Fund of Newton.

RSVP requested. Please call, 617-796-1675, or stop by the Front Desk at 20 Hartford Street. Or send your name, telephone number and email address to our Receptionists at seniorprograms@newtonma.gov