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Celtic Aire embarks on first national tour

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Jennifer Pagnard and Master Sgt. Jake McCray
Washington, D.C. --  Celtic Aire, the premier Celtic and folk ensemble of the United States Air Force, will embark on its first national tour which will take them through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The five-member group is a subset of the Singing Sergeants, and led by Technical Sgt. Julia Brundage. She had this to say about the upcoming tour, "I started this group in 2007 with a passion for Celtic music. I am honored as a member of the armed forces to be able to share this type of music with the public." Using multiple instruments and lush vocal harmonies, they have a large repertoire of Celtic folk songs, Irish reels and jigs, pub songs, and even cover versions of pop songs.

In addition to community relations concerts in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area, Celtic Aire regularly performs at official functions for military and civilian leaders including the president, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and the U.S. Air Force chief of staff. In 2009, Celtic Aire deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Kyrgyzstan in support of diplomatic and troop morale initiatives as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The U.S. Air Force's only bagpiper, Technical Sgt. Adam Tianello, will be also appearing with Celtic Aire on the tour. As a member of The U.S. Air Force Band's Ceremonial Brass, he regularly performs ceremonies and high-level functions at Arlington National Cemetery and other venues in metropolitan Washington, D.C. A native of Rochester, N.Y., Tianello's Air Force career began in 2009 as a member of the Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

Their first concert of the tour is in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University's Kresge Theater on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a "homecoming" concert for Pittsburgh native, Senior Master Sgt. Dennis Hoffmann, and Carnegie Mellon University graduate, Master Sgt. Joe Haughton. Hoffmann said, "I'm really excited to be playing in my home town after 13 years in The U.S. Air Force Band. I'm happy that so many of my family and friends will finally get a chance to see and hear what I do as part of this organization...and I know Pittsburghers will love Celtic Aire and the program we plan to present."

The second concert will be presented at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, Jarson-Kaplan Theater, in Cincinnati on Wednesday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. It is sponsored by the Aronoff Center for the Arts. For Celtic Aire's third tour concert, these Airmen musicians will appear at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Lafayette, Ind. on Thursday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. The fourth and final concert on the tour will be at the Irish American Heritage Center Auditorium in Chicago on Friday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m. This final concert of the tour is sponsored by the Irish American Heritage Center. All of the tour performances will be videotaped by members of the Band's technical support staff. The video will be edited with music to create a first of its kind, live music video, for release to the public. The video will focus upon "life on the road," with footage of performances and the behind the scenes perspective of the performers. To hear a sampling of Celtic Aire's music and download a portion of their upcoming recording "As I Roved Out" click here.