Durango Celtic Festival 2020

March is the first glimpse of warmer days coming in Durango. Although it isn’t quite short season yet, you can still find warmer and longer days. Durango loves March and prepares for spring breakers, Saint Patrick’s Day, and Durango Celtic Festival attendees. The town comes alive during March in preparation for all the fun events Spring holds. One of the most popular events is the Durango Celtic Festival which is being held at The Henry Strater Theatre. The event is held from Thursday, March 12th to Saturday, March 14th, with a total of nine events. The Celtic Festival has five world renowned artists performing and a viewing of the documentary “The Groove is Not Trivial,” both shown at the Henry Strater Theatre. The Durango Celtic Festival also has workshops for people wanting to learn Celtic style music. You can click here to find more information on the event: https://durangocelticfestival.com/

The Strater Hotel is proud to be part of the Durango Celtic Festival and to sponsor the event. Another great reason to visit Durango for the Celtic Festival would be The Strater’s Spring Steal Deal. Stay 2 Nights Receive 50% off 3rd Night which is the perfect deal for the three day event. You can find more information on the special and instructions on how to book here: https://strater.com/accommodations/hotel-specials/

Durango Celtic Festival 2020: The Performers

The reason this event is so popular is the fun and lively concerts put on by world famous Celtic performers. Below you can find a bit of background information on the artists to find what bands better fit your taste in music.

RUNA

Runa is a returning artist for the Durango Celtic Festival and has quickly become a favorite of the event. The band’s style includes jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, and blues and redefines the Celtic and Irish folk genre of music. RUNA consists of vocalist and step-dancer, Shannon Lambert-Ryan of Philadelphia, Fionán de Barra Dublin-born guitarist, Cheryl Prashker of Canada on percussion, Jake James of New York on the fiddle, and Caleb Edwards of Nashville on mandolin and vocals. Below is a link to their website so you can find more information on the band: http://www.runamusic.com/2016/ Click this link to watch videos of Runa performing live: https://www.youtube.com/user/slryan18/videos

Ed Miller & Rich Brotherton

Returning artist for the Durango Celtic Festival, Ed Miller (gentlemen on the left) is an artist and storyteller. His performances include great Scottish Folksong Revival and fun stories that captivate his audiences. He is from Scotland but now lives in the United States, where he performs in concerts, clubs, festivals, Highland Games, Burns Suppers, lectures, and workshops. Ed has recorded 10 CDs of Scottish songs. Ed is bringing along his lifelong friend Rich Brotherton this year, who is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer. Ed and Rich met in Austin, Texas, in the ’80s, and Ed wanted to produce a record, thus beginning Rich’s successful career as a music producer. Rich has produced records for Robert Earl Keen, Caroline Herring, Leeann Atherton, Kris McKay, David Halley, The Barbers, Matt Harlan, Marc Gunn, Cluan, The Tea Merchants, Stephen Clair, Barry Beckett, Tony Brown, Ed Cherney, Justin Niebank, Stuart Sullivan and many more. You can find more information on Ed Miller and Rich Brotherton at the following links: http://www.songsofscotland.com/tours.html and http://www.richbrotherton.com/home.htm 

HighTime

HighTime is a band from Ireland that has put a modern twist on Irish folk music. Their live performances are known for bringing a unique sound and electric energy to the stage. The band has three members who harmonize together when singing to give more depth of sound to their music. HighTime stays true to their Irish background and try to incorporate that into their music as much as possible. They tour worldwide, making it a special treat to see them perform here in Durango, Colorado. Below is a link to their website to find more information on HighTime: https://www.hightime.ie/

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas music is a cutting-edge fiddle and cello explorations of Scottish and global music. This year is their first time performing at the Durango Celtic Festival. With their popularity, it makes them a fascinating duo you won’t want to miss during the festival. This duo will be performing at The Henry Strater Theatre Saturday, March 14th, at 4:00-5:30. Below is a link to their website to find more information on Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas: https://alasdairandnatalie.com/home

Réalta

The band of five has respected the traditional aspects of Irish music. Although they stay true to the traditional components, they put a fun and exciting spin on their performances. Réalta has achieved many awards for their music while firmly establishing themselves on the international Irish music scene. Their music demands to be danced to and always brings an uplifting crowd. The band is based in Belfast, Ireland, so it is exciting to have them cross the pond to play for us here in Durango, Colorado.Below is a link to their website to find more information on Réalta:  https://www.realtamusic.com/about/ 

Click this link to watch them perform live: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9XamQy-nIX0BZNF07qa1dA

Events Schedule for the Durango Celtic Festival