People waited enthusiastically in the beautifully decorated Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. 'Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration - The Symphony Tour' had been sold out for a while and the hall was packed from wall to wall...
And so the night began, with the Atlanta Symphony interpreting a medley of Christmas tunes with a warm, solid sound full of Holiday cheer after which entered David Downes welcoming everybody and introducing the conductor for the night, long time friend John Page.
When Celtic Woman came on stage -- vocalists Chloë Agnew, Susan McFadden, Lisa Lambe, and violinist Máiréad Nesbitt dressed in their stunning black evening gowns, each individually tailored to their own personality -- they received the kind of welcome that has made them love the city of Atlanta: a loud, warm applause full of 'We love you!' and 'Bravo!' shout outs that run wall to wall, from the orchestra to the last tier of the hall. Also present were hard-core fans that they recognized as they walked down the stage and to whom they waved hello with welcoming smiles. The girls are always happy to see familiar faces, many of which travel across the oceans, over and over again, to participate in the different Celtic Woman events that take place around the globe.
And the music began or, better said, continued as the girls shared their voices with tunes, most of them Christmas favorites we all love, and brought the Holiday spirit alive and into the hall that bubbled in colors of green and red, cast over the hanging lights on the stage and the lovely wreath that crowned the celebration. Notwithstanding the consistent overly loud sound system that tended to drown the orchestra and sometimes distort the beautiful voices and violin of the girls, the concert turned into an effervescent festivity that all present enjoyed fully and consistently cheered with standing ovations. The beautiful harmonies written by Downes -- and that are very much an intrinsic part of this group's identity -- filled every corner and conquered despite the technical nuances, as the gifted voices of these talented performers soared in the space and became one delectable sound fused in the acoustics of Symphony Hall.
It wouldn't be the full Holiday experience without a sing-a-long; and so, sing-a-longs they did; two of them, one of which was an original by David Downes composed for the night and taught to the audience who performed quite on pitch and with enthusiasm.
Wreaths, lights, reds, greens, Christmas tunes, Holiday cheer, they were all there Thursday, December 20th. Memorable songs gifted to a grateful audience that joined in song a couple of times and, without a doubt, deeply enjoyed a night with the Atlanta Symphony, Celtic Woman style...
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