In advance of its 25th annual Pipes of Christmas concert, the Learned Kindred of Currie has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the event’s production costs. The campaign, which has a goal of $15,000, will ensure that all proceeds from concert’s ticket sales can be used to support the Kindred’s extensive cultural programs and initiatives.
The Pipes of Christmas: A festival for the soul
Since 1999, the Pipes of Christmas concert has brought together musicians, soloists, and performers from across America and the UK for a stirring celebration of the Christmas season and the Celtic spirit. Over 25 years, the event has grown considerably with a larger company and extended performance runs. In addition, the producers have frequently commissioned new music for bagpipes, clarsach (Scottish harp) and other instruments. Traditionally, part of the program is conducted in Gaelic.
The concert is hosted by the Learned Kindred of Currie, a non-profit cultural and educational organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Scottish and Highland heritage and the arts. As its primary fundraiser, the Pipes of Christmas enables its continued efforts to support the global Scottish community through initiatives such as:
- Hosting the largest Tartan Day event in the world, Tartan Day on Ellis Island, which received 184,000 visitors in 2023 alone!
- Providing scholarships to deserving students
- Commissioning new musical and cultural works
- The Learned Kindred of Currie Monuments Initiative, which helps erect and preserve new and existing locations such as the Scottish Writers Museum in Edinburgh and Bale nam Bàrd (the bard’s home) on the Island of South Uist
- Developing a cultural heritage centre in Scotland (currently in preliminary stages)
Donor rewards offered to all supporters and patrons
As a thank you to donors for their generous support, all backers will receive first access to the concert’s ticket sales (two weeks before doors open to the public). Donors who give over $300 will also receive recognition by name as Pipes of Christmas Patrons on the event’s website, email newsletters, print and digital programs, and webcast.
All gifts made in the US are entirely tax deductible and help to ensure that this iconic Christmas tradition continues for many years to come. Donations can be made to the GoFundMe campaign here.
About “The Pipes of Christmas”
Since its debut 25 years ago in 1999, The Pipes of Christmas has played to standing-room-only audiences. Now a cherished holiday event, the concert gives audiences a stirring and reverent celebration of the Christmas season and the Celtic spirit. Audience-goers return year after year to experience the program, many reporting that the Pipes of Christmas has become part of their family’s annual Christmas tradition.
The concert has been lavished with critical acclaim. In his review for Classical New Jersey Magazine, Paul Somers wrote, “The whole evening was constructed to introduce gem after gem and still have a finale which raised the roof. In short, it was like a well-constructed fireworks show on the Glorious Fourth. The Westfield Leader described the concert as “a unique sound of power and glory nowhere else to be found.”
###
Contact:
Bob Currie
[email protected]
(908) 858-6357