Institute of musical Traditions

Monday, December 11th Institute of Musical Traditions presents our Annual Celtic Holiday Show w Robin Bullock, Ken Kolodner & Elke Baker at 7:30pm. Tickets : $20 advance (+$2 box office fee) / $25 door | children / students $15/20.

Robin Bullock returns to the Institute of Musical Traditions for our annual Celtic holiday concert, with Ken Kolodner (hammered dulcimer) and fiddler Elke Baker! The music of Christmas, perfectly suited to the ageless tones of the acoustic guitar, comes to life in Robin Bullock's concert of carols and hymns spanning over 600 years, drawn from his bestselling holiday recordings A Guitar for Christmas and Christmas Eve is Here.

Internationally recognized as a master Celtic instrumentalist, Robin celebrates the many moods of the Yuletide season in gorgeous guitar interpretations, augmenting his six-string virtuosity with selections on cittern, mandolin and piano. Combining familiar favorites such as What Child is This, The First Noel, O Little Town of Bethlehem and his show-stopping solo guitar arrangement of Carol of the Bells with lesser-known pieces such as the traditional Scottish carol Rorate, the Irish Wexford Carol and the Shetland Islands fiddle tune, Christmas Day in the Morning, Robin weaves a spell from centuries of tradition and the joy of the season, creating an unforgettable evening of acoustic Christmas cheer.

Ken Kolodner
Ken Kolodner is widely recognized as one of “one of today’s most accomplished, musical hammered dulcimer artists...” (Elderly) and a fine old-time fiddler. Ken has performed for over 30 years as a soloist and in ensembles with Scottish national fiddle champion Elke Baker, his son Brad Kolodner (clawhammer banjo, banjola, vocals), with Helicon (with Chris Norman and Robin Bullock), Greenfire (with Laura Risk), and with many others. He has been featured numerous times on NPR, The Thistle and the Shamrock, All Things Considered, Performance Today, the CBC, the Voice of America, Germany National Radio, and countless radio shows.

Elke Baker
U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion Elke Baker has played all over North America and in places as far-flung as Japan, West Africa, and Scotland, as well at The Birchmere (with Ken Kolodner) and the Kennedy Center in her hometown of Washington, D.C. She brings a scholar's depth of knowledge and an extremely engaging manner to her performances, as well as an intimate knowledge of just what makes people want to dance.