Program for Golden Bough

Friday, December 17, 2021 at 8 pm

download a copy of this program here.

Golden Bough
Christmas in a Celtic Land

Margie Butler
Paul Espinoza
Kathy Sierra

Program will be announced from the stage

About the artists

Christmas has long been celebrated as a time for family and friends to gather and share the joy of the season. For over 40 years the Celtic music group Golden Bough has been providing an opportunity for loved ones to join together in song and celebration with their concert program, Christmas in a Celtic Land.

An Old World carol states, “Good fortune attend each merry man’s friend to do the best that he may, forgetting all wrongs in carol and song to drive the cold winter away.” With that in mind, Golden Bough created a special program for the whole family. Celtic songs of Christmas and Winter are inter-mixed with their own compositions written especially for the Yuletide season.

No new comers to the current Celtic trend, Golden Bough (founded in 1980) has been bringing their Winter Concerts to family audiences far and wide. These modern-day minstrels have traveled the world over performing their own brand of Celtic music They have drawn from the rare carols of  Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall for their Christmas in a Celtic Land program.

Their Holiday Concert is the perfect setting in which to enjoy Golden Bough’s rare carols and songs of celebration for the Winter Solstice and the New Year. With lively instrumental pieces, haunting ballads and humorous sing-alongs, the band creates an atmosphere in which the listener is transported to another place and time. Margie Butler, Paul Espinoza and Kathy Sierra capture the essence and joy of traditional music on a wide variety acoustic instruments, including; Celtic harp, penny-whistle, guitar, accordion, violin, viola, mandolin, and bodhran (a hand held drum, particular to the Celtic culture).

Golden Bough’s three Yuletide CDs; Winter’s Dance, Christmas in a Celtic Land, and When Winter Comes, are distributed worldwide and have received enthusiastic response from music fans and critics alike. Rock & Reel Magazine in England had this to say about their 2nd Christmas offering; “A vibrant and multi-faceted collection, Christmas in a Celtic Land sees Golden Bough at their musical and creative peak.” You can find out more about Golden Bough, their recordings, concert schedule and history by visiting their web-site at www.goldenboughmusic.com.

This joyful Celtic Christmas Concert is a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to gather together to celebrate and drive the cold winter away with Golden Bough’s unique Yuletide presentation. You’ll be hard put to sit still once the fire of Celtic music is flamed by these fine musicians. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Margie Butler, vocals, Celtic harp, tin-whistles, recorders
Margie’s earliest musical influence came at the knee of her father, a talented Irish Tenor. As a child she played piano and violin. It wasn’t until she began playing the Celtic harp, however, that her true love of Celtic Music came into full bloom. Besides performing with Golden Bough for the past 24 years, Margie has also recorded a CD of Celtic lullabies and two collections of harp music. Margie received a degree in performing arts from The United States International University for Performing Arts.

Paul Espinoza, vocals, guitar, accordion, octave-mandolin
Paul’s first instrument was the accordion, which he took up at the age of nine. The guitar followed soon after and by the time he was 16 Paul was writing songs and performing in coffeehouses and folk clubs. After several years of performing as a soloist, with a folk trio and later in a rock and roll band, Paul joined forces with Margie. They performed for a time as a duo and then, in 1980, they formed Golden Bough.

Kathy Sierra, vocals, violin, viola, tin-whistle
Kathy began her violin studies at age 5 in Honolulu, Hawaii and performed in concert with the Honolulu Symphony at age 7. Kathy received her degree in drama and music from Principia College, where she was honored with the Francis Van Der Meid Smith Music Award for outstanding musicianship. Kathy has performed with the Gold Country Chamber Orchestra in Sacramento. Her other musical influences include Eastern European, as well as, Celtic fiddle styles.