The Power of Words & Music

Celebrating the Irish Bardic tradition, this concert includes ancient poetry and legends accompanied by harp as well as songs based on old stories and lore with lyrics by modern poets. Mystery, romance and blarney combine with music for a delightful program which includes not only sprightly dance tunes and haunting ballads, but also the legends, lore and engaging rapport with which the duo has always delighted audiences.

The Bardic tradition has always been strong in Celtic societies and the power of words and music held in great esteem. Ancient poetry, stories and songs are filled with mythology and symbolism, wit and satire. During the nineteenth century there was a great resurgence of interest in these themes. Poets such as Thomas Moore, William Butler Yeats, Padraic Colum and John Montague have written romantic, mysterious works based on old stories and lore, many of which have been set to music. This program features those songs as well as ancient folk tales supported with the music of the Celtic harp.

The Celtic lands have provided rich inspiration for many musicians, and Gosbee and Lane are no exception. Both have had an avid interest in collecting and performing this music for most of their lives. In particular, Julia Lane's dedication has won her three awards for her playing of the Celtic harp. Their performances feature poignant ballads sung in Lane's ethereal soprano and Gosbee's rich baritone supported with harp and guitar. Interspersed with songs are stories and joyous dance tunes played on fiddle and tin whistle. The duo will share lore and history associated with the music as well as their own experiences travelling in Ireland.

How does it sound? Try the audio files or watch the concert video on this page.

For information about our touring schedule and fees please contact Castlebay.

Castlebay is eligible for grant funding from the New England States Touring Roster. Contact NEST for more information.

About the Artists Show/Hide

Julia Lane has loved, sung, researched and created folk music since childhood. Growning up in New England, she studied music theory and took guitar lessons from a lutenist specializing in Elizabethan songs and flamenco. She became active in madrigal and Renaissance music groups, played as a soloist and provided music for a children's theater group. Show/Hide

After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy, her interest in English and Scottish folk music and lore led her to study in Oxford, England. She continues to conduct in-depth research into the social history and folkways of the Celtic lands and her native New England. Utilizing the power of music in conveying a story, she has created multimedia programs of history and myth with both traditional and original music.

Julia has studied piano, classical and flamenco guitar, and voice. A self-taught player of the Celtic folk harp, her unique style has won three international competitions. She is also a fine vocalist whose voice has been compared favorably with Loreena McKennitt, Jean Redpath and Judy Collins.

Julia enjoys researching dusty tomes for obscure information. She also engages in "full contact" gardening at her home on the Maine coast.

Fred Gosbee has collected and performed folk music for over thirty years. As a child in Central Maine, he heard his older relatives singing the old woodsmen's songs and playing fiddle and accordion. At the University of Maine, he was inspired by the folk music he heard in a college folklore class with Dr. Sandy Ives who became Fred's advisor. Dr. Ives became influential in Fred's awareness and appreciation for his own heritage of folk music. Show/Hide

Having had wide experience with community theater, both onstage and in production, Fred combined his theatrical experience with his knowledge of folk music when he arranged, composed, and performed new incidental music for a production of A Spoon River Anthology. The resulting sound tapestry included 56 pieces of music performed live for each show.

Fred has continued to write original songs in the traditional style, celebrating the humor and humanity of ordinary people. His works have since been recorded by other artists and have garnered him invitations to international music festivals.

He currently sings and plays classic and 12-string guitar, viola, fiddle, and Irish flute and tin whistle and enjoys experimenting with both traditional and ethnic instruments. (He has been known to elicit music from a squash vine). Fred is also a skilled technician and woodworker. When he is not touring, he engineers and produces recordings as well as designing and building Celtic harps and other instruments.

Castlebay Show/Hide

has toured the eastern US, Maritime Provences, Great Britian and Ireland. Their first tours of Scotland in the early 1990's were organized by the traditional singer, Jack Beck. Over the years they have met and collaborated with many fine Scottish musicians including members of Heritage, Geordie MacIntyre, Alison MacMoreland, Stravaig, and the late Lionell McClelland. While much of the Scottish music they perform is traditional, they have also been moved to write major pieces about places they have visited including the Isle of Skye and Dumfries & Galloway.