Celtic at the Winery

Sunday, October 8th, 2023, 2:00pm–5:00pm

Come enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the El Vaquero Winery Tasting Patio while listening to some of the best players of traditional acoustic music in Santa Cruz County. The first two hours will feature two incredible music groups:  Fire & Grace, and the John Weed Trio. We’ll finish with a traditional Irish session, where audience members can bring their instruments and join the performers in playing Celtic tunes. An assortment of wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase, as well as charcuterie plates, cheese and cracker assortments, hummus and chips, and cookies. 

Fire & Grace is an eclectic collaboration between guitarist William Coulter and violinist Edwin Huizinga. This unique duo explores the music of classical, folk, and contemporary traditions from around the world. Fire & Grace’s repertoire is vast, ranging from Bach to Vivaldi, tango to Celtic tunes, traditional Bulgarian to American fiddle tunes and waltzes, all played with a sense of discovery and commitment to the elements of passion and virtuosity — fire and grace — found in these diverse traditions.

The John Weed Trio features three of the west coast’s finest exponents of traditional music. Dublin, Ireland button accordion player Johnny B. Connolly, Carmel fiddle player John Weed, and Portland, Oregon guitar wizard/vocalist Cary Novotny are uniting for a limited run of fall shows in the California Bay Area and Central Coast. Community Music School is thrilled that they’ll be part of the lineup for our 2023 Celtic at the Winery concert. Their set will intertwine driving sets of jigs and reels, rhythmic old time tunes highlighting the interplay between squeezebox and fiddle, and Americana ballads that’ll delight the soul.

Cost: $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $10 for those under 18. All proceeds from ticket and food sales go towards funding Community Music School's youth programming.

Parking: Parking has become very limited at El Vaquero. After accommodating all the cars we can on site, we’ll have drivers drop off any passengers, and then drive one mile to Bradley Elementary School to park. We’ll have a number of shuttle vehicles to bring drivers back to the concert, and will reverse the process at the end of the event. Please carpool if possible!

Questions? Email info@communitymusicschool.org.