For as long as they have been standing, the mountains of western North Carolina have stirred creative thought that transcends human expectations.
Christ School’s Cooper Living Arts Series is new this year and giving the boys a feel for what makes Asheville and the surrounding area so unique.
Next week will see a free concert by North Carolina native and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Finn Magill on October 16 inside St. Joseph’s Chapel at 3:30 p.m. The concert is open to the public and will follow a week in which Magill is an artist in residence at Christ School.
Magill alternates between the fiddle and the violin. He grew up studying traditional Irish music, old-time, bluegrass and swing every summer with the best fiddlers in the world at the Swannanoa (N.C.) Gathering. He is a Fulbright Fellow, South Arts Emerging Traditional Artist, North Carolina Arts Council Fellow, and All-Ireland fiddle finalist.
Magill has been featured on MTV-U, TEDx, and multiple times on NPR. He has performed with artists including John Doyle, Rising Appalachia, Trio Brasileiro, and many others. His touring projects include a duo with Irish singer/multi-instrumentalist Dave Curley, a duo with Scottish guitarist/bouzouki-player Alan Murray, Merlefest songwriting-winner Anya Hinkle, and various other projects. Finn also tours the country as a guest lecturer at universities presenting his interactive performance/lecture “The Evolution of Irish and Scottish fiddle traditions in the Appalachian Mountains.”
Magill will play for students and faculty on Tuesday and Thursday in Chapel, in addition to working with Christ School music students throughout the week.