Born of a desire to marry the best of both Celtic and chamber music in exciting and creative ways, the Cleveland Celtic Ensemble blends Scottish and Irish bagpipes, whistle, flute, fiddle, harp, and dance to create a Celtic style all their own. Revel in blazing bagpipe duets, sublime harp airs, soaring songs, and sweet fiddle tunes -all in an intimate and ethereal chamber music ensemble setting.
Featuring: Brian Bigley on uilleann pipes, flute, dance. Kristen Bigley on violin. Ian Crane on Scottish small pipes, vocals and whistle. Tiffany Schaefer on Celtic harp, vocals.
Featuring: Brian Bigley on uilleann pipes, flute, dance. Kristen Bigley on violin. Ian Crane on Scottish small pipes, vocals and whistle. Tiffany Schaefer on Celtic harp, vocals.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2024
FREE WORKSHOP AT 3:30 pm, FREE CONCERT AT 7:30 pm
OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE CENTER FOR FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
7270 BINIKER ROAD, PERRYSBURG, OHIO 43551
Free workshop before the concert! The workshop will introduce participants to the 6 main instruments that are played in the Cleveland Celtic Ensemble; the Scottish small pipes, Uilleann pipes, Celtic harp, fiddle, flute, and whistle. We'll give a demonstration of each instrument and talk about how they are made, the challenges of playing each instrument, how they compare to familiar instruments, and brief history of each instrument. Some instruments may also be available for participants to try.
Free workshop and concert, no tickets required.
FREE WORKSHOP AT 3:30 pm, FREE CONCERT AT 7:30 pm
OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE CENTER FOR FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
7270 BINIKER ROAD, PERRYSBURG, OHIO 43551
Free workshop before the concert! The workshop will introduce participants to the 6 main instruments that are played in the Cleveland Celtic Ensemble; the Scottish small pipes, Uilleann pipes, Celtic harp, fiddle, flute, and whistle. We'll give a demonstration of each instrument and talk about how they are made, the challenges of playing each instrument, how they compare to familiar instruments, and brief history of each instrument. Some instruments may also be available for participants to try.
Free workshop and concert, no tickets required.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2025, 7 PM
ST. BRENDAN PARISH
4242 BRENDAN LANE, NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO
No tickets needed; freewill offering accepted
ST. BRENDAN PARISH
4242 BRENDAN LANE, NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO
No tickets needed; freewill offering accepted
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2025, 3:00 pm
FIRST LUTHERAN LORAIN
1019 W. 5th STREET
LORAIN, OHIO
Free Concert
FIRST LUTHERAN LORAIN
1019 W. 5th STREET
LORAIN, OHIO
Free Concert
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2025, 12 PM
TRINITY CATHEDRAL BROWN BAG CONCERT SERIES
2230 EUCLID AVENUE, CLEVELAND, OHIO
Free Concert
TRINITY CATHEDRAL BROWN BAG CONCERT SERIES
2230 EUCLID AVENUE, CLEVELAND, OHIO
Free Concert
SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2025, 4 PM
CHURCH OF THE WESTERN RESERVE
30500 FAIRMOUNT BOULEVARD, PEPPER PIKE, OHIO
No tickets needed; freewill offering accepted
CHURCH OF THE WESTERN RESERVE
30500 FAIRMOUNT BOULEVARD, PEPPER PIKE, OHIO
No tickets needed; freewill offering accepted
VIDEO OF LIVE PERFORMANCES
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BIOGRAPHIES
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BRIAN BIGLEY - UILLEANN PIPES, IRISH FLUTE, WHISTLES AND TRADITIONAL IRISH DANCE
Brian Bigley has studied the Irish uilleann pipes for nearly 25 years as a player, as well as a maker, of the instrument. He has toured North America and Europe extensively as both a musician and a dancer, appearing in shows such as Tomàseen Foley's A Celtic Christmas, the Omaha Symphony's Celtic Journey, and the Apollo's Fire Countryside Concert Series. In 2002 and 2003 Brian competed with great distinction at the World Irish Dance Championships held in Glasgow and Killarney. He has recently released his fourth recording of traditional Irish music Dance the Town Green in conjunction with the New York School of Irish Dance. Brian now lives near Cleveland, Ohio, with his fiddler wife, Kristen, and their dancing children, James and Kathleen. brianbigleymusic.com |
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KRISTEN BIGLEY - VIOLIN
Violinist Kristen Bigley has been playing the violin for 23 years. She studied classical violin at the University of Akron and Youngstown State University. Kristen often performs with small local ensembles in both classical and folk genres, but most of all loves teaching violin/fiddle to local musicians out of her home near Cleveland, Ohio. Kristen and piper husband, Brian, live near Cleveland, Ohio with their dancing children, James and Kathleen, where they have formally started a family business sharing their love of music and manufacturing traditional Irish instruments, The Bigley Music Workshop LLC. |
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TIFFANY SCHAEFER – HARP, VOCALS
For the past fifteen years Tiffany Schaefer has been playing and promoting Celtic music in Northeast Ohio and beyond. Aided by a background in classical voice studies and summers in the Ohio Scottish Arts School’s harp program, she performs regularly as a solo artist in addition to the Cleveland Celtic Ensemble. Most recent recognitions include winner of the US National Scottish Harp Championship in 2022. As an experienced educator, she offers private harp instruction and workshops to a wide international following. tiffanyharpandsong.com |
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IAN CRANE - HIGHLAND BAGPIPES, SCOTTISH SMALLPIPES, BORDER PIPES, CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY SINGING
Ian Crane, vocalist and piper, is equally at home in the classical and traditional idioms. He is a founding member of Quire Cleveland and performs with Apollo’s Fire, as well as the King’s Counterpoint (SC). In 2018 he toured Britain and Ireland with Apollo’s Fire and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. He has performed at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, the Kennedy Center, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ian spent a lifetime competing on highland pipes both as a soloist and in bagpipe bands. These days he’s playing the other Scottish bagpipes – the smallpipes and border pipes. His passion is creating interesting and unconventional arrangements of traditional music. choirpiper.com |
CLEVELAND CELTIC ENSEMBLE SAMPLE PROGRAM
