Chelsea House Orchestra Hometown Show
Chelsea House Orchestra (CHO) will perform its energetic and popular “Celtic with a Kick” music at Chelsea High School on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
This uplifting show gives audiences in Chelsea and surrounding areas an opportunity to see and hear why this ensemble of talented high school musicians has been sought after for event and festival entertainment throughout the Midwest for more than two decades. CHO’s music features traditional Scottish and Irish tunes, and Celtic renditions of American folk songs, with some inspiration from diverse cultural influences added to the mix. Their fun and lively performance will keep you clapping and smiling all evening.
CHO is thrilled to welcome the Langford Lads, a new Celtic trio, to their stage this year. The Langford Lads play “a dynamic synergy of traditional Irish tunes with an American folk twist,” featuring guitar, mandolin, banjo, percussion, tin whistle, flute, and vocals, said Bob Phillips, one of the group’s musicians.
Phillips and the other members of the trio, Tim Staudacher and Larry Halverson, have spent years directing student ensembles and performing in professional groups.
Phillips, a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, taught orchestra in Saline. Called “the father of fiddling in schools,” he established the Saline Fiddlers in 1994. Phillips has authored more than 25 book series and published 200 pieces of music in the educational market.
Staudacher, a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, retired from teaching instrumental music at Mona Shores Public Schools. He nurtures his deep interest in folk music by playing in groups that perform American and Irish music.
Halverson, from Roosevelt Park, Michigan, is a saxophonist who added the Irish tin whistle and the flute after attending a concert by Kennedy’s Kitchen. Through study with Ireland’s leading performers and instructors, he learned tin whistle techniques while developing his own unique style.
Beach Middle School’s Fiddle Club, directed by Nathan Peters, will play a few tunes as part of the evening’s entertainment. With assistance from high school cadet teachers Megan Hayduk, Sonja Schemahorn, and Austin Copenhaver, the Fiddle Club will be sure to delight.
The Hometown Show signifies CHO’s return to the local stage following an extensive spring and summer 2022 tour performing in Nashville, Kalamazoo, Dexter, Dunkirk (Indiana), Dearborn, and Jackson. CHO also performed at the Alma Highland Festival in May, the Ohio Celtic Festival near Cleveland in August, and the Edinboro Highland Games and Scottish Festival at Pennwest Edinboro University, Pennsylvania, in September.
Proceeds from Hometown Show ticket sales and donations go directly to the group for equipment costs, travel expenses, and other educational opportunities for the students.
General admission tickets for the Hometown Show this year are $12 for adults, $7 for students/seniors.
Tickets are available in advance online (here) and at the door beginning at 6 p.m. the night of the show.
