Dick Hensold is the leading Northumbrian smallpiper in North America. He returns to Caltech following his debut here a few years ago with Andrea Beaton in a show that was very well received. This time, he is performing with Patsy O’Brien, premier guitarist, singer, and songwriter. They will perform an evening of traditional Celtic music, but with unique and innovative arrangements, including a variety of songs from Britain and Ireland, accompanied by guitar and Northumbrian smallpipes (a quiet bagpipe from Northeast England), and various whistles. The show will also feature traditional and historical tunes from Cape Breton Island, Scotland, Ireland and Northumberland, with a good measure of original music in the traditional style. As well as a broad range of styles of Celtic music, this program includes an impressive range of expression, from the jaunty and humorous to soulful, led by Patsy’s warm and multi-colored baritone voice, Dick’s variety of pipes and whistles, and the nimble instrumental virtuosity of both musicians. For the past 20 years, Dick has performed and taught in England, Scotland, Japan, Canada, and across the United States. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, he is a full-time musician, passionately presenting the traditional music of Scotland, Cape Breton Island, and Northumberland, as well as Nordic folk music, early music, and traditional Cambodian music. He is also an active composer, studio musician and theater musician, and his solo CD, Big Music for Northumbrian Smallpipes was released in 2007. He performs and records in various combinations with artists from around the world.

Patsy O’Brien hails from Cork, Ireland. As well as supplying the driving guitar rhythms of Celtic/World Music diva Eileen Ivers’ last European tour, and collaborating with many giants of the Celtic/World music scene (Paddy Keenan, Cathie Ryan among them), he hosts guitar workshops all over the country, and NPR saw fit to feature one of his song arrangements on the prestigious All Songs Considered. With 4 critically-acclaimed solo albums under his belt, along with numerous live and studio collaborations, Patsy’s songwriting reflects his penchant for seamless genre-hopping, and a strong interest in roots Americana as well as jazz. Dick and Patsy together are a very strong pairing and this promises to be a great show!

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children and Caltech students. They are available at the Caltech Ticket Office by calling (626) 395-4652 and at the Caltech Ticket Office at 1200 E. California Boulevard in Pasadena (Southeast corner of Wilson Avenue). Their usual hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets are sold for face value if you come to the Ticket Office. There are fees for phone orders by credit/debit card and for online tickets as well. You can also buy tickets at the door on the night of the show with no additional fees. We begin admitting people into the auditorium at about 7:15 PM.

The show will be in Beckman Institute Auditorium at 400 South Wilson Avenue. On concert night, free parking is available in the lot behind Beckman Auditorium (the large round, white building at the end of Michigan Avenue), but this lot may fill up, especially if there are other events on campus that night. You can always find parking for 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. Beckman Institute is on the other side of the large lawn (currently a staging area for nearby construction) on Wilson Avenue, on the first floor of the left portion of the building. If you get to the fountain and pools that point toward the white, round, Beckman Auditorium, you have gone too far. See this map. Beckman Institute is building #74 and the parking structures are #123 and #124.