Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

July 3, 2008 issue

Cherish The Ladies Brings Traditional Irish Music to App Summer July 12


Story by David Brewer

Coming together initially for a one-time concept concert in New York City in 1985, the members of female traditional Irish music group Cherish The Ladies have long since established themselves as one of the most powerful forces in their genre. With a mix of virtuosity, showmanship and class, the group has risen to Irish music stardom.

On Saturday, July 12, Cherish The Ladies will perform at Farthing Auditorium. The show begins at 8:00 p.m. and is being presented in collaboration with the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.

With their unique blend of virtuosi instrumental talents, beautiful vocals, captivating arrangements and stunning step dancing, Cherish the Ladies combines all the facets of Irish traditional culture and into a humorous and entertaining package.

While the group has undergone many changes during their career, the current lineup of Cherish The Ladies includes Joanie Madden on flute, whistles and harmony vocals; Mary Coogan on guitar, banjo, mandolin; Heidi Talbot on lead vocals and badhrán; Mirella Murray on accordion; and fiddler Roisin Dillon. The band initially won recognition as the first and only all-women traditional Irish band. In a relatively short time, they soon found themselves as musicians and performers without peer and have won thousands of listeners and fans of their music.

The Boston Globe said of the group, “Cherish the Ladies has been a leading group in the Irish traditional world for more than a decade... it is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do.”

Cherish The Ladies has recorded 11 highly acclaimed albums and shared the stage with such noted entertainers as James Taylor, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, the Chieftains and dozens of symphony orchestras. They have received numerous accolades and awards and have been chosen Best Musical Group of the Year by the BBC and the Top North American Celtic act by National Public Radio’s Thistle and Shamrock. The Celtic Album, their collaboration with the Boston Pops, led to a Grammy nomination in 1999.

For more info on Cherish The Ladies’ performance, click to www.appsummer.org.


Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, July 12
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Farthing Auditorium
Cost: $25 for adults (section a)/$18 for adults (section b)/$15 for students (section a)/$10 for students (section b)/$5 for kids 12 and under