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WHEELING, W.Va. – Gallowglass, a traditional music ensemble that performs vocal and instrumental music of the Celtic nations, will present a free concert at West Virginia Independence Hall in downtown Wheeling at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 3. Band members include Michael Petersen on concertina, button-box and hammered dulcimer; Patrick Coughlan on bagpipes, guitar, pennywhistle and vocals; Diane Coughlan on bodhran (Irish drum) and lead vocalist; Francine Zajac, lead fiddler; Tom Bothe on pennywhistle and button accordion; and Pat Plunkett on Irish flute. Guest musicians include Matthew Turner and Sarah Sigmon who both are fiddlers, and Brenna Miller who performs traditional Irish dances. Gallowglass has performed in many area venues over the years, including the annual Wheeling Celtic Celebration, the Fort Henry Days Living History events, Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center, Hannah’s Town and Penn’s Colony (18th-century period events in Pennsylvania), as well as various other parties and functions. The band has recorded three cds, Single Malt Sessions in 2004, Tripping Up the Stairs in 2005 and Celtic Noel in 2006. For more information about WVIH and the Celtic concert, contact Debbie Jones, site manager, at (304) 238-1300 or Deborah.J.Jones@wv.gov. West Virginia Independence Hall has been on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1970. It was originally built as a federal custom house in 1859, served as the home of the pro-Union state conventions of Virginia during the spring and summer of 1861 and as the capitol of loyal Virginia from June 1861 to June 1863. It also was the site of the first constitutional convention for West Virginia. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988, the museum is maintained and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, with the cooperation and assistance of the West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, except major holidays. The museum is located on the corner of 16th and Market Streets in Wheeling. The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts, Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. -30- |
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