Where We Perform
We have expanded our tour schedule to include the entire eastern seaboard of the U.S. and have made annual tours of the United Kingdom since 1993. We have also performed in the Los Angeles area, Durango, Colorado, Fredrickton, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
We perform at festivals, concert series, and folk clubs. We also teach cultural history through music in schools, libraries, museums, and elder hostels. Since 1990 we have performed at over 450 weddings and innumerable other private functions.
Commissions and Special Projects
In 1998 Castlebay was comissioned by the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association, in Scotland, to write music for
"Sang O the Solway", a cultural celebration of the region. This two-hour piece was performed several times throughout southwestern Scotland, culminating in a concert at the
Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow.
Julia has been researching an historic shipwreck for about three years with the intention of creating a musical commemoration. This will be a multi-media production and will include other musicians, readers, and images. The premier is scheduled for June 17, 2006.
Recordings
As a duo,Castlebay produced 13 CDs between 1994 and 2004 in addition to work on other artists' recordings on both sides of the Atlantic. Included in their body of work is a six-part series of Celtic instrumental music, two holiday harp CDs, a winter humor CD, two CDs of original work (mostly songs) and two CDs of traditional songs.
Our Philosophy
Castlebay has remained focused on music and songs which can be defined as traditional Celtic.
Julia:
"Back in the 1980's I was always explaining to audiences what Celtic music was because the term hadn't been popularized. In my mind it means the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, and the other Celtic lands. Nowadays I still have to explain what we do because Celtic music has come to be regarded as part of the New Age genre - not what we do at all!
"I love the stories, ever since I was a little girl. I always strive to take the audience on a journey with me which means providing a context in addition to the music.
"It is always so exciting to look out at an audience and see young people and old people, people in suits, people in bikers' outfits - all sorts of people - sharing this experience, these stories.
"That sharing, for me, is where the magic lies."
Fred:
"There have been a couple of events in the past few years that have made the general public more aware of this tradition of music. After Ken Burns' series on the Civil War was aired I seldom played ANY aire on the fiddle without somebody asking if it was from the series. The other event to have a big impact was Riverdance. That really put Irish music on the map. We have had a lot less explaining to do since then.
"We include a large amount of traditional music in our repertoire and on our recordings and we strive to breath new life into the old music, sometimes with innovative arrangements, sometimes just playing simply as we can.
"Julia and I have both written a lot of new music - much of which passes as traditional. I often say that the traditional music has been our education. Although we are not 'traditionalist' we feel that we are part of a continuing tradition."
