GoFundMe Campaign Launched to Support Production
The Pipes of Christmas plans to celebrate their 23rd season with performances in New York City and New Jersey this December. The holiday favorite will open on Saturday, December 18 at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, located at 921 Madison Avenue (at 73rd Street) for a 2PM performance. The concert then moves across the Hudson River on Sunday, December 19 to Central Presbyterian Church located at 70 Maple Street in Summit, NJ with a performance at 2pm.
For 2021, the concert has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help offset the considerable pre-production expenses. To donate, visit the fundraising page at:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-pipes-of-christmas
For those weary of the ceaseless stream of secular seasonal music from department stores to TV, the Pipes of Christmas offers a spiritual and traditional take on the season that connects concertgoers to the holiday in a fresh, meaningful way. The show features beloved tunes such as, “Highland Cathedral,” “Joy to the World”, and “Amazing Grace”, all performed on pipes and drums, harp and fiddle, and organ and brass and more. Not only does the performance define Christmas cheer, but also it inspires those of Celtic descent to retrace and reconnect to their ancestry.
Performances Adhere to Pandemic Precautions
While the world begins to emerge from the worldwide pandemic, the Pipes of Christmas will be taking all necessary precautions including a vaccine mandate for all audience members, the wearing of masks and social distancing. In addition, all performers will be required to submit a negative rapid Covid test prior to the performance.
Proceeds Support Scholarships and More
Proceeds from the concert support an extensive music scholarship program, which includes the Carol Hassert Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship at Summit (NJ) High School as well as annual gifts to the National Piping Centre and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (both located in Glasgow, Scotland) the Gaelic College of Nova Scotia and Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas.
Proceeds also support the Society’s sponsorship of the US National Scottish Harp Championship, the Gaelic Literature Competition at Scotland’s Royal National Mod and an annual academic research prize at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Scotland’s Gaelic college on the Isle of Skye.
Each year, concert highlights are webcast in hi-definition over the Christmas holiday to a global audience. In 2020, the entire concert was reimagined as a virtual experience featuring leading Scots performers filed on location in Scotland. The program has been nominated for an MG Alba Trad Award for virtual programming excellence.
About “The Pipes of Christmas”
Since making its debut in 1999, The Pipes of Christmas has played to standing room only audiences. Now a cherished holiday event, the concert provides audiences with 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.”