We are delighted to welcome back a longtime friend and major figure in Celtic music, fiddler, Kevin Burke. In a 30-plus year career, Kevin has played with the Bothy Band, Patrick Street, Open House, the Celtic Fiddle Festival, and in many other combinations. As fine as he is with these various accompanists, it is sheer pleasure to hear him with his “naked fiddle,” as he calls it. Kevin first performed here in 1983 with the late, great Irish singer, Micheal Ó Domhnaill, and then returned in 1985 with Andy Irvine and Gerry O’Beirne. In 1993, he returned with his group, Open House, and he did his first of 3 solo shows here in 2001. He also performed here with his group, Celtic Fiddle Festival in 2015. Kevin plays in the fluid, highly-ornamented style of County Sligo and is a recipient of the NEA’s National Heritage Award.
The New York Times describes Kevin as “a superior instrumentalist in any idiom……impressively virtuosic.” The Washington Post writes of his “lyrical style that is always emotionally electric,” and the Irish Times says that “Burke’s fiddling is one of the high spots of the current Irish musical scene.” Folk Roots described his music, “Sublime fiddle playing from Burke …. each moment, just right” Folk Roots. The Village Voice wrote that his playing is “lyric, fluid and precisely as tricky as he needs to be…probably the greatest Irish fiddler living.”
Along with his wonderful music, he’s a thoroughly charming man and this promises to be a delightful evening!
Tickets: $20 / $5 for Caltech students and children
Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 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), 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.), or purchased at the door for cash or check (no credit cards.) Online tickets can be purchased here (service charge will be added per ticket). Occasionally, a show will be sold out before the day of the show, so call the Ticket Office, if you are planning to buy tickets at the door. Better yet, join our mailing list and you’ll be informed about such situations 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 you will recognize where to go. On this map, we are suggesting that you park in structures #123 and #124 in the upper left. Beckman Institute is building #74, just to the east (right). If you need help figuring this out, try calling (626) 616-4559