Altan + Ceoltóirí Óga Laighean

Altan supported by Ceoltóirí Óga Laighean
May 22nd @8pm Tickets €22.00
The TLT Concert Hall & Theatre, Drogheda

Altan celebrating 25 years together in 2010.
Over those years they have established themselves as one of the most important live acts to play traditional Irish music in Ireland and on the World stage. The Boston Globe has described them as “The hottest group in the Celtic realm!” Altan have toured all over the USA and Europe. They also enjoy popularity in Japan where they frequently tour and have hosted Altan festivals in the middle of Tokyo to thousands of enthusiastic fans.
Altan have proven to be important ambassadors of the music and culture of Ireland, so much so that they were invited to accompany the Irish President, Mary McAleese on several State visits, visiting Greece, Korea and Japan. Altan were asked to play at the White House twice by US President Bill Clinton, and played again for him when he visited Ireland. In 2006, the Irish government also honoured the band by putting them on an official Irish postage stamp, one of the highest honours to bestow on any living artist in Ireland (The Chieftains, The Dubliners and Makem and Clancy were also honoured in this set of four stamps). Altan have been invited to play by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives in 2007, and were granted the celebrated “Arkansas Traveller” award from state governor Mike Huckabee. “Tommy Bhetty’s Waltz” from the Red Crow album was featured in the oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting starring Robin Williams in 1997.

Altan have played their music in some of the most prestigious venues in the world; The Sydney Opera House, The Hollywood Bowl, The Royal Albert Hall, The Alte Opera Frankfurt, The Greek Theatre Los Angeles and many many more. They have played music and recorded with The Chieftains, Dolly Parton Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs to name but a few. In 2003 they won the award for Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2005, they recorded their latest studio album “Local Ground” and like every other Altan offering it was met with positive and enthusiastic reviews. The band have gained gold and platinum satus in Ireland with their record sales and have won numerous awards in the music business as one of the most popular bands playing traditional folk or world music in the world.

In recent years Altan have been exploring and experimenting with their music using orchestral arrangements of their most popular pieces. The arrangements have been scored by the highly respected arranger, Fiachra Trench and have been performed with the Ulster Orchestra, The RTÉ Concert Orchestra and with the Royal Scottish Opera Orchestra. Altan hope to record an orchestral album soon and they are also in pre-production on another studio album which should be released by the end of 2009.
Altan will perform live at the TLT Concert Hall & Theatre in Drogheda on Saturday May 22nd as part of their 25th anniversary tour.
Altan will be supported by CEOLTÓIRÍ ÓGA LAIGHEAN (Leinster Youth Group)
The present “Ceoltóirí Óga Laighean” group consists of approximately 20 young musicians, singers and dancers who represent a wide range of counties.