Bill Blumenreich Chevalier Theatre Presents: Celtic Thunder

Celtic Thunder: Celebrate Your Favorite Songs

Seeing Irish musical phenomenon Celtic Thunder in person offers more than you might expect from a typical concert. The settings and showmanship are akin to a Broadway theatrical production, with a wealth of musical talent at the center of it. The four singers who make up Celtic Thunder are all enormously gifted vocalists, and their blend of Irish folk flavors with pop is a carefully concocted brew. But you get something extra when you see them live in concert.

The foresight of producer Sharon Browne first brought Celtic Thunder together. Browne’s vision combines the talents of five young, world-class Irish vocalists for a project that is as much about live performance as recordings, and creating a sound that keeps traditional Irish music at its core, while opening itself up to other influences—including contemporary pop/rock, spirituals, and holiday music.

Ryan Kelly, Damian McGinty, Paul Byron, George Donaldson, and Keith Harkin made up the original quintet that formed in Ireland in 2007. On early albums like ‘Celtic Thunder: The Show’ and ‘Celtic Thunder: Act Two,’ they established an approach that appealed to a broad cross section of music fans, and they performed concerts that brought elaborate visuals and bold theatricality into the mix.

Today only McGinty remains from the original lineup, and sometimes Kelly, but Celtic Thunder continues to be an international sensation, and the group’s peerless vocals and unbridled showmanship remain on point.