St. Columba's Inverness
Invites you and your family to an afternoon in our Amphitheater with
FIRE & GRACE
Celtic Meets Classical
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15
3:00 - 5:00 PM
Advance Tickets $30 — At The Door $35 — Children Free
Fire & Grace is an Electric collaboration between guitarist William Coulter and violinist Edwin Huizinga. Performing an eclectic mix of iconic favorites alongside well-established ballads, North American folk tunes mingle with Celtic melodies as Argentinian tango complements Bach sonatas. Highlighting folk and contemporary traditions from around the world, this concert of American classics is underscored by a sense of discovery and commitment to the elements of passion and virtuosity - fire and grace - found in these diverse traditions.
Over the last decade, Edwin Huizinga has crossed many borders and boundaries as an artist around the world. Finding new and unique ways to connect with audiences performing in different genres and platforms, and always striving to commit and connect with the community. Huizinga is a founding member of ACRONYM, a world-renowned baroque ensemble, and Fire & Grace, which gives him the opportunity to share modern baroque premieres, new arrangements, and compositions with the musical community. Huizinga has recently become the Artistic Director of the Sweetwater Music Festival and is also on the Artistic Leadership team of the Carmel Bach Festival.
William Coulter is an internationally acclaimed, Grammy award-winning master of the steel-string guitar. Coulter has been Music Director for Tomaseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas since 1998, and has performed with the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, Apollo’s Fire and many other ensembles. Collaborations have been a mainstay of his career, including tours and recordings with Gourd Music artists Neal Hellman and Barry and Shelley Phillips; classical guitar virtuoso Benjamin Verdery, and Irish flute wizard Brian Finnegan. Coulter teaches classical guitar at UC Santa Cruz and earned degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and UC Santa Cruz.
Reviews of Live Performances
“Imagine pairing fiery Canadian violist Edwin Huizinga — symphony soloist/conductor and baroque ensemble founder — with Santa Cruz., Calif. Celtic guitarist William Coulter - internationally-acclaimed, Grammy award-winner master of the steel-string guitar…musically exquisite and visually entertaining…”
Kelowna Daily Courier, JP SQUIRE
November 12, 2019
“More stringed virtuosity sold out the Palace again for Fire and Grace, with violinist Edwin Huizinga and guitarist William Coulter mixing two music styles that are rarely put together - and proving that you can dance to classical music. Fusing baroque and classical violin with folk and celtic guitar made for some interesting time-signatures, but the resulting music mix exuded life, emotion, warmth and depth. Their opening suite, Liquid Gold, set the tone, alternating the emphasis between baroque dance and Irish jigs, and ending on an Irish reel full of passion and excitement.”
Otago Daily Times, Nigel Zega
April 17, 2017
“I am a huge fan of violinist Edwin Huizinga and guitarist Coulter…The “Riverdance Set” by Bill Whelan practically brought the house down. It was played with sheer joy and energy by Huizinga and Coulter. It was as though Irish folk music and the Orange Blossom Special met. They had amazing stamina and the ability to play well at high speeds.”
Peninsula Reviews, Beverly Dekker-Davidson
July 21, 2017