Hinsdale venue to celebrate season with acclaimed OCEAN Celtic Quartet

HINSDALE – Jennifer Cutting’s OCEAN Celtic Quartet, whose album title cut “The Turning Year” reached No. 1 song on the Folk Radio charts last December, will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 17, at the Hinsdale Unitarian Church.

Acoustic Renaissance Concerts presents the band’s “Song of Solstice,” a Celtic Christmas celebration.

Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol says that the artists of OCEAN are exciting because they “get right inside the spirit of the folk music of the British Isles, unpick it and weave it into a bright new fabric on their own 21st century American loom,” a news release stated. Tony Barrand of Nowell Sing We Clear praises their “beautiful original songs and fabulous arrangements of traditional songs.”

Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior calls their songwriting “stunning,” and The Washington Post calls them “Nothing short of spellbinding.”

Cutting’s original anthem, “Song of Solstice,” has become a classic on Celtic and folk radio.

The OCEAN Celtic Quartet will celebrate the magic of Christmas and the winter solstice with British Mummers’ play recitations, English and French carols, Scottish and Irish fiddle tunes, 19th century broadside songs and original seasonal compositions.

With their soaring vocals and high-energy Celtic instrumentals, OCEAN is known for marrying lighthearted exuberance with spiritual depth in a program that appeals to all faiths and wisdom traditions, the release stated. Audience members will be invited to sing along.

The OCEAN Celtic Quartet is led by composer and ethnomusicologist Jennifer Cutting (accordion and keyboards), a Washington Area Music Association Musician of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. OCEAN features vocalist Christine Noyes (formerly of the maritime music group Crab Alley), folklorist/vocalist/percussionist Stephen Winick, plus U.S. National Scottish Fiddle champion Seán Heely.

The church is at 11 W. Maple St., Hinsdale. Tickets cost $20, and doors open at 6:15 p.m. For information, contact 630-941-7797, randy@acousticren.com or acousticren.com.