Cherish the Ladies
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 8pm at Kleinhans
About Cherish the Ladies
“It is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do,” says The Boston Globe of Cherish The Ladies, Grammy Award nominated Irish-American supergroup that formed in 1985 to celebrate the rise of extraordinary women in what had been a male-dominated Celtic music scene. Cherish The Ladies has shared timeless Irish traditions and good cheer with audiences worldwide for decades. They’ve brought their signature blend of virtuosic instrumental talents, beautiful vocals, and stunning step dancing to the White House, the Olympics, and to PBS with their television special, An Irish Homecoming, which received an Emmy Award. The Washington Post praises the “astonishing array of virtuosity” that Cherish The Ladies bring to the stage on a regular basis. Their latest album, Heart of the Home, embraces the gift of music passed down from generations. “It was the greatest gift they could give us,” says bandleader Joanie Madden. “We’re carrying on the music of our fathers.” As their reputation and admiration from both fans and critics alike continues to grow, Cherish The Ladies blazes forward into another decade of music making.
Under the leadership of All-Ireland flute and whistle champion Joanie Madden, named by The Irish Voice Newspaper as one of the Top 25 most influential Irish Americans of the past quarter century, these ladies create an evening that includes a spectacular blend of virtuoso instrumental talents, beautiful vocals, captivating arrangements, and stunning step dancing. Their continued success as one of the top Celtic groups in the world is due to the ensemble’s ability to take the best of Irish traditional music and dance and put it forth in an immensely entertaining show.
The New York Times calls their music “passionate, tender, and rambunctious,” and the Washington Post praises their “astonishing array of virtuosity.” They’ve won recognition as the BBC’s Best Musical Group of the Year and named Top North American Celtic Group at the Irish Music Awards and not to mention having a street named after them in the Bronx! They’ve collaborated with such musicians as The Boston Pops, The Clancy Brothers, the Chieftains, Vince Gill, Nanci Griffith, Pete Seeger, Don Henley, Arlo Guthrie and Maura O’Connell as well as being the featured soloist with over 280 nights of symphony orchestras.
The level of artistic, historic, and purely enticing entertainment is unlike any in its genre. As their reputation and admiration from both fans and critics alike continue to grow, Cherish The Ladies blazes forward into another decade of music-making.