Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival

09/21/2024

Today’s Dance Sessions are moved to the Community Center! It’s going to rain any minute!!

09/19/2024

2024 Tickets Now Available Only Through Festival Office Or At the Event!
I want to thank you all for such an outstanding response to this year's Festival. At this point in the weekend, we are no longer accepting on-line ticket orders for Workshops, Concerts, and Demonstrations. You may, however, still purchase individual event tickets (Workshops, Demonstrations, and Concerts) at the Festival Office (cash, check, or charge) or directly at the event (cash only). We have tickets left for all Demonstrations and Workshops and for the Friday and Saturday Night Concerts. Tickets are going fast for the Sunday Afternoon Concert, so come into the Festival Office for tickets and Artist Merchandise.

09/18/2024

09/16/2024

Things to experience in 2024!

When you come to the Spanish Peaks area for the Celtic Music Festival (celticmusicfest.com), there are several things you should plan on attending. The first of these is our opening festivities at the La Veta Town Park. This is where you can enjoy your picnic lunch, listen to some wonderful Celtic music, and maybe partake in a dance or two. We will start at 11am on Thursday with some basic dance instruction, followed by time to enjoy your own picnic lunch (remember to bring a camp chair or blanket to sit on) and the wonderful ambiance and friendship, finishing up with a rousing time for dancing and playing.

And don’t forget our many other free events. Among these are all the events in the Town Park on Thursday, several beginning instrumental classes throughout the weekend, a Hooley at Miner’s Plaza in Walsenburg on Friday afternoon, and Dance Instruction and a Ceili in the La Veta Park on Saturday afternoon. There will also be late-night sessions in La Veta and Walsenburg on Friday and Saturday nights. Be sure to check out the full schedule of events online at celticmusicfest.com.

09/12/2024

Festival Office, Tickets and Passes, and Upcoming Weather Forecast

When you come to the Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival, remember to stop by the Festival Office (127 W. Francisco St. in La Veta) and say hello to our wonderful office staff. In the office you will find our Celtic Festival merchandise (t-shirts, pins, stickers, and artist CD’s). You can also purchase tickets to concerts, workshops, and demos. If you have purchased Full Festival or Full Concert Passes, you will need to come by the office to pick up your badges. Office hours are Wednesday 9-3 and Thursday through Saturday 8:30-4. If you need a bite to eat, there will be a food truck in front of the theater this year on Friday and Saturday from 9-3.
A word about the weather for the week: the forecast for the Spanish Peaks area is wonderful! Temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 60’s and low 70’s for highs and mid 40’s for lows. The evenings will be cool, so you might want to bring appropriate clothing. We look forward to seeing you next week!

09/10/2024

Important Venue Update!

There has been a last-minute venue change. All opening events that were to be held at the Mountain Mercantile above Cuchara will now be held at the La Veta Town Park. This includes the Welcome Gathering and Open Session (F01 - F04) from 11am - 2pm. The Intro to Whistle class will now be held at the La Veta School of the Arts (2:30 pm) and the Intro to Bodhran class will be held in the Theater (2:30 pm). The Lads at the Dog Bar (C01) will still be at the Dog Bar in Cuchara at 4:30.
We will continue to provide you with information about any changes as we make them. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

09/09/2024

A Quick Reminder - Do Not Fall For Scam Ticket Sales

A warning for all of our patrons: Please do not fall for any scam postings about people selling their tickets. We only honor tickets by purchaser name and they can only be purchased through our office. It is in this way that we can protect our Festival participants from fraud. See you at the Festival!

09/09/2024

Important Ticket Update - Selling Fast!

This year's support has been tremendous and I want to thank you all for making plans to come to Spanish Peaks! We need to let you know that the Thursday afternoon concert at the Dog Bar and the Thursday night concert in La Veta are now SOLD OUT. Because of that, we have to mark Full Concert Passes and Full Festival Passes SOLD OUT as well. There are still plenty of individual concert tickets left for Friday and Saturday nights, Sunday afternoon (going fast!), and for individual workshops and demos. We are looking forward to a great weekend! See you in just under two weeks!

09/03/2024

Register today for the Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat!
One of the Festival's most loved components is the Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat (Sept. 19-21). (sppipers.com) Celebrating its 19th anniversary this year, the retreat features small class sizes and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The Scottish smallpipes stream will be taught by Michael Roddy from Nova Scotia and folks in the Uilleann pipes class will learn with Will Woodson from Maine. Both gents are highly regarded and experienced musicians who perform and teach across North America. (Will is also a master maker of Uilleann pipes and as part of his course he will lead a workshop focused on making chanter reeds.)
This year, we're thrilled to offer for loan during the retreat a beautiful set of Fred Morrison's mouth-blown Scottish smallpipes. So, if you've ever dreamed of giving this melodic and versatile instrument a go, now's your chance (first come, first served)! Reach out to [email protected] for more info.
Registering for the piping retreat is easy via the Festival's ticket page (https://celticmusicfest.com/purchase-tickets/).
We're looking forward to welcoming you to lovely La Veta a few weeks from now!

08/31/2024

Workshop Tunes: Session Playing; Variations; Adv Flute; Int Flute; Int Whistle

We are getting close! For those of you that will be participating in the "Session Playing" workshops, the "Variations and How To Do Them" workshops, the Beg/Int Flute class, the Adv Flute class, or the Beg/Int Whistle class, the tunes you will be using are on our website under the "Workshops" link (https://celticmusicfest.com/musician-workshops/). These tunes are provided to allow you to become familiar with them before we meet together. Have fun learning them!

08/08/2024

2024 Tickets Now Available On-Line!

On-line tickets are now available on our website (celticmusicfest.com/purchase-tickets/)! Please use the schedule as your guide to purchasing tickets, either on-line or by mail-in form.

You can download a PDF of the Registration Form, which can be used as a mail-in form and the schedule at https://celticmusicfest.com/festival-program/.

Please note that we are again offering FULL FESTIVAL and FULL CONCERT passes.

The FULL FESTIVAL PASS is priced at $295. The FF Pass includes admission to all FIVE major concerts (including the Dog Bar in Cuchara), and all individual events, except as limited by skill level.

Thank you for your support!

08/04/2024

Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat reminder:

Scottish smallpipes and Uilleann pipes are two of the most energizing Celtic musical instruments. Whether you are just getting started learning to play or well along on your journey, the Spanish Peaks Piping Retreat -- celebrating its 20th anniversary this year -- is an outstanding opportunity to immerse yourself in a friendly, supportive learning environment.

When: Thursday, Sept. 19-Saturday, Sept. 21
Where: La Veta, CO
Cost: $280 ( Register/buy your ticket online.)

This year's Scottish smallpipes instructor is Michael Roddy from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Students in the Uilleann pipes class will learn with Will Woodson from Portland, Maine. Both of these fellows are world-class musicians and exemplary instructors.

As an added bonus, each retreat participant will receive a complimentary ticket to the Festival's gala Saturday-evening concert!

You can find all the details at https://www.sppipers.com/ . If you have any questions, send an email to [email protected].

Looking forward to playing great tunes with you in La Veta next month!

08/04/2024

Great News!! The 2024 Registration Form is now posted on our website. I want to thank all of you for your patience as we worked through artists, venues, scheduling, and technology to produce the information you need to plan your trip to the beautiful Spanish Peaks Country. And I am pleased to announce that we have NOT increased prices this year. You will also find many free events scattered throughout Huerfano County.

The full Festival Schedule is also online and you can find locations, maps and options for lodging listed there as well.

For Mail-in Registration Forms and Schedules please visit our website: celticmusicfest.com. On-line Ticket Sales will be going live later this week.

07/25/2024

Important Announcement: 2024 Schedule is Now Posted!

The Schedule for the 2024 Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival is now on our website! The actual registration form will be posted in a few days and the online registration will be open around the 9th of August.

While you are looking at the schedule, this is a good time to think about how you might help us make the Festival a success. Whether it’s through attending, making a direct donation (those are always welcome and necessary to achieve something of this size), or volunteering, you make all the difference to our Festival. Please consider helping in any way you can. It will truly go a long way towards creating a dynamic and prosperous Festival. You will find links for Sponsorships, Donations, and Volunteering on our website: celticmusicfest.com. Thank you for your continued love of our Festival.

06/26/2024

Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald will be live at the Spanish Peaks Festival!

With a background that ranges from being a bouncer with The Rolling Stones and The Who, a 25-year career in veterinary medicine that saw him named “Specialist of the Year in Private Practice” in 2006, & over 20-years of performing as a professional stand-up comedian; Kevin Fitzgerald is a true renaissance man.

As a comedian, Kevin has opened for such diverse and legendary performers as Bob Hope, Diana Ross, The Temptations, and The Neville Brothers. Despite maintaining a busy practice at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Kevin performs to rave reviews at nearly one hundred corporate and fundraising events annually and is in very high demand as a host, guest speaker, and lecturer at universities and veterinary conferences across the country. He believes that laughter is an incredibly important part of everyday life, and that nobody could ever laugh too much.

See more about Kevin at http://drkevinfitzgerald.com/ and see more about the Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival at https://celticmusicfest.com/

Tickets coming soon!

06/24/2024

Morgan Toney & Keith Mullins to Perform at Spanish Peaks!

Morgan Toney is a 24-year-old Mi’kmaq Singer-Songwriter/Fiddler from Wagmatcook First Nation. Morgan combines his Mi’kmaq roots and his love of Cape Breton Celtic tunes in the creation of this fresh new music, which he calls “Mi’kmaltic. He has a debut album produced by multiple ECMA award winner Keith Mullins. His showcase with the International Indigenous Summit partnered with Apple to create a mini-documentary of Morgan’s music. Summit leaders have quoted him as, “The one fulfilling the prophecy and carrying the torch from the east.”

Born and raised in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, music and Keith Mullins have been synonymous within the East Coast Music Scene for a quarter-century. Keith has garnered several industry Awards including 4 ECMAs (including 2021 Musician’s Achievement) and 10 Music Nova Scotia awards, two of which include Musician of the Year. For the past 18 years, Keith has been well known across Canada for his workshops with students in schools . He has created many fundraising projects with his recordings with students loves to share and connect and engage with people of all ages through his music.

For more information, please visit celticmusicfest.com.

To hear a sample, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cEfsilybNE

06/19/2024

The Byrne Brothers Return to Spanish Peaks!

After MANY requests to have them back, we are pleased to announce the return of The Byrne Brothers to the Spanish Peaks Festival. They are so well known for their electrifying and high-energy performances that showcase modern traditional Irish music and world-class Irish dancing. Their music features both traditional and original tunes and songs. Audiences around the globe are captivated by their infectious humor, energy, and talent. We are very happy that they will be sharing their talent with us.

Be sure to check out their website at https://www.thebyrnebrothers.com/
And remember to check out the Festival website at https://celticmusicfest.com/