The Pasadena Folk Music Society wanted to present this fabulous band, but the quintet would not fit easily in our cozy Beckman Institute Auditorium (similar names, but different buildings) venue, and neither would their audience, so we’re having this show in the biggest theater at Caltech, Beckman Auditorum. Billed as “the hottest Irish acoustic group on the planet”, Lúnasa truly lives up to the press. Pronounced “Loo-nasa” (like the word lunacy, but not in meaning!) and named after an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honor of the Irish god, Lugh, the band is composed of Kevin Crawford (flutes, low whistles and tin whistles), Trevor Hutchinson (double bass), Ed Boyd (guitar), Colin Farrell (fiddle and low whistle) and Cillian Vallely (uilleann pipes and low whistles). They have sold more than a quarter of a million albums in the course of their career and boast an impressive back catalogue of 7 highly acclaimed and award-winning studio albums.
Lúnasa is internationally acknowledged as being the finest traditional Irish instrumental outfit of recent times. They are renowned for their stunning shows honed by superb musicianship and a constant touring cycle. They have performed over 1,500 shows across 36 countries since the band formed in 1997. The band has appeared at internationally renowned venues such as The Hollywood Bowl, National Concert Hall (Dublin), Sydney Opera House and Moscow International House of Music. They have been invited to appear at the White House. The band members all had impressive credentials before they joined Lúnasa, and they continue to do extra-curricular projects when they are not on the road. Trevor went out on a European tour with his old band mates, The Waterboys not long ago; Cillian collaborated with The Boss, Bruce Springsteen on his 2014 release ‘High Hopes’ – the album went straight in at #1 on the album charts across the world; Kevin toured with Martin Hayes and John Doyle as The Teetotalers; while Ed has toured with Flook and Cara Dillon; while Colin Farrell, formerly of Grada, has worked with Karen Casey, John Doyle, Tim O’Brien, and released a solo album with a cast of all-stars 4 years ago. We are extremely proud to present this great, internationally known band and we hope to see you here!
Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for Caltech students and children. They can be purchased on the phone (626-395-4652) with a credit card (a service charge will be added per order), and they are available online here. Note that there is a fee for ordering by phone or online, with phone orders being a bit cheaper than online. They can be purchased at the Caltech Public Events Ticket Office in the Spalding Building (California Blvd. and Wilson Avenue) for face value (open Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm.), and also at the door for cash, check and even, in this one case) by credit card, since the Caltech Public Events staff will have their fully functional box office on this night. Join our mailing list and you’ll be informed about this and all of our shows. Unlike most shows presented in Beckman Auditorium, all tickets will be general seating, that is, no assigned seats. We’re certain that we will have plenty of seats in this large hall, but if you want to be close to the stage, we recommend that you arrive early. The box office will open at 7:00 PM and the doors will open at 7:30 PM.
The show will be in Beckman Auditorium, the large, round, white building, just east of our usual venue at Beckman Institute Auditorium. Free parking is available in the lot behind the Auditorium, but this lot may fill up, so be aware that you can always find parking for all of our shows in the two parking structures on Wilson Avenue, just south of Del Mar Boulevard. On weekends and after 6:00 PM, you may park in spaces that have individual names. Restrictive wording at the structures refers to weekdays before 6:00 PM. There is also parking available on Wilson Avenue itself. From here, Beckman Auditorium is reached by passing through the courtyard of Beckman institute, along the “Gene Pool,” where the water fountains may or may not be operating, to the the round, white Beckman Auditorium, which is easily seen. See this map. Beckman Auditorium is building #91 and the parking structures are #123 and #124.
Join our mailing list and you’ll be sure to be notified about the show a few weeks ahead of time.
A bit more about parking if you haven’t been to one of our shows for awhile: There will be the usual limited parking right behind the large Beckman Auditorium- It is OK to park in slots with names on weekends and evenings, but the lot may fill up, depending on what other events may be taking place on the Caltech campus. This is the best place to park for the handicapped (try to come a little early- email us at [email protected] if you need help planning your visit). The parking lots between Michigan and Wilson have been closed- a new building is rapidly rising at the southeast corner of Wilson and Del Mar. The most reliable parking will be on Wilson Avenue, either on the street or in the two parking structures just south of Del Mar Avenue, across the street from Beckman Institute. One structure is just north of the Institute at 341 S. Wilson Avenue, and the other, 405 S. Wilson, is just a bit south of the Institute. Rest assured that after 5PM on weekdays, and all day on weekends, you can park for free in these structures, despite signs that allude to the more restricted parking rules during the day on weekdays. You are permitted to park in slots that have names on them here as well. From the structures, walk around the big lawn (much of which is currently fenced in for the building projet to the north) in front of Beckman Institute and follow the directions in the above paragaraph. If you need help figuring this out on the night of the show, try calling (626) 616-4559