patrick ball
Wohnt
an der Küste Nordkaliforniens und hat sich durch
seine zahlreichen Alben und Konzerttourneen als Harfenist
und Geschichtenerzähler weltweit einen Namen
gemacht. Mit seinem außergewöhnlichen Instrument,
einer 32-saitigen keltischen Harfe, nachgebaut von
dem berühmten Harfenbauer Jay Witcher aus Maine,
spürt er einfühlsam über die irische
Klassik des blinden Harfenisten Carolan und der Volksmusik
zu den keltischen Ursprüngen zurück.
"Is there anything sadder in this world of
ours than poverty of words?” — an Irish
storyteller
“This statement may seem to us today a curious
one to make, as we can all immediately think of something
infinitely more sad. Yet, the man who made it was
not speaking lightly, nor was he speaking figuratively.
He lived in an Ireland which was cruelly burdened
by poverty and oppression, where sadnesses and deprivations
were legion. Yet, to him the lack of words was an
unimaginable loss. For in words, in stories nurtured
and spoken, he not only found light and warmth, laughter
and exaltation, he found the very continuation of
his culture, of his land, of himself.”
—Patrick Ball
Patrick Ball was born and raised in California and
gave little thought to such things as where his ancestors
came from. He went to school and supposed, when he
thought about it at all, that he would one day be
a lawyer, like his father. But he studied music from
time to time and over the years developed a nodding
acquaintance with the piano and the guitar. At university
he continued his flirtatious relationship with music
by playing the tin whistle, principally to annoy his
roommate. But at this time he found that he was irresistibly
drawn to words, to the music of words, to writers
who made words sing, to writers from Ireland. Then,
when he began to study history to fulfill his academic
requirements, he was not surprised to find that it
was the lyrical, turbulent history of Ireland that
engaged him. So much so, in fact, that when his father
died all his thoughts of law school died with him.
He enrolled in graduate school and soon made his way
to Ireland. There he fell in love with the eloquence
and fire of the Irish oral tradition. There he fell
in love with the Celtic harp. And there a few pieces
of his life fell into place. For he came to know that
marvelous unity of Irish words, music and history
that would become his passion and, eventually, his
livelihood.
Patrick returned to California, was awarded a Master's
Degree in History by Dominican College, and soon discovered
that jobs in the field of Irish scholarship were not
to be had for love nor money. So after laboring in
various unrewarding lines of work he set off hitchhiking
around the country and finally fetched up at Penland
School of Crafts in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North
Carolina, where he lived for two years and worked
as a groundsman. There he encountered a branch of
that living oral tradition that had captivated him
in Ireland. And there for him, among the Appalachian
storytellers, his love of the spoken word was rekindled.
He now tours extensively throughout the United States
and Canada, is considered one of the premier Celtic
harpers and storytellers in the world today, and has
recorded nine instrumental and three spoken word albums
which have sold well over one-half million copies
collectively and earned national awards in both the
music and spoken word categories. Along with Celtic
Harp and Story, his beguiling blend of music and spoken
word concerts, Patrick has also written and currently
performs two solo musical theater pieces: O’Carolan’s
Farewell to Music, which brings to the stage the legendary
life, the turbulent times and the glorious music of
Ireland's most celebrated and beloved musician, Turlough
O’Carolan, and The Fine Beauty of the Island,
a musical journey to Ireland's legendary Blasket Islands
in search of a deeply haunting tune and the vanished
islanders who played it.
Patrick has been awarded grants for his work by the
Zellerbach Family Fund and the California Arts Council
and is the recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award
from the National Storytelling Association.
O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music (the
play)
“Hauntingly beautiful ballads and lilting storytelling...it
might spring from the 17th century...but the play
seems as current as the latest troubles in Belfast...Patrick
Ball’s acting is fine, his musicianship outstanding...a
small gem.”
Variety New York
“Richly theatrical...the spell he casts is hauntingly
beautiful...Ball embodies his subject with uncanny
realism...a gem of a show.”
St. Petersburg Times Florida
An Irish Bard Plucks at Heartstrings
"... whenever Patrick Ball pulls his stool up
to the harp, streams of silvery tunes glisten and
shimmer. It's instant Irish nostalgia, even for a
listener who has no particular connection to the country
and its culture...Ball plays the pedalless Celtic
harp with a deft, florid touch. The melodies are lovingly
shaped and the intricate finger work gracefully phrased."
San Francisco Chronicle California
A Poet’s Fond Stirring Farewell
“Ball is both a master storyteller and one of
the world’s leading Celtic harpists...he smoothly
melds the two skills into an arresting oral biography
of O’Carolan. The music is glowingly distinctive,
lingering in the memory after the last note dies.
Ball gives MacCabe’s recollections a depth of
emotion and a true sense of loss. Together the words
and music create a moving portrait of O’Carolan.”
The News Journal Wilmington, DE
Harp Takes Audience on Irish Time Travels
“The piece is performed wonderfully...the evening
crackles...Ball is a master of the Celtic harp, a
fascinating instrument that sounds at times like a
harpsichord and at other times like bells, but always,
beneath his hand, passionate and evocative of the
undaunted Irish spirit and the emotional pull of the
Irish landscape. Ball is also a skillful actor with
an understated style and a gift for both storytelling
and characterization which gently brings alive MacCabe,
O'Carolan and the various characters they encounter...“It
is a fantastic respite from standard holiday fare,
yet at the same time gives you the sort of emotional
lift so enjoyable during the season. O'Carolan's Farewell
to Music makes an excellent early Christmas present."
Contra Costa Times Contra Costa County, CA
A Fond Farewell / Salute to Celtic Harpist Tugs
At Heartstrings
“An engaging tale...beautifully realized...soothing,
thrilling and haunting...Ball has a warm stage presence,
and his storytelling skills are strong...But when
Ball sits behind his brass-stringed harp and plays
O'Carolan's music, that's when this show becomes something
special...one glorious tune after another.”
Oakland Tribune California
Emotional Adieu
"Patrick Ball, expert at the magic of music and
words...is a world class harper and a fine actor,
with a storyteller’s sharply honed timing and
delight in a good joke...lively, witty and touching...O’Carolan’s
Farewell is tightly woven like fine Irish tweed, where
the warp is a human relationship and the weft is music,
interlaced with threads of history and colorings of
humor...If any part of your heart and/or ancestry
connects with the shamrock shore, this play is a must-see."
Pacific Sun Marin County, CA
Simple Pleasures
“Riverdance, step aside. Frank McCourt, enough
of you already, and your brother, too. It’s time
to make room for Patrick Ball. O’Carolan’s
Farewell to Music plucks a note as simple and candid
as the fireside bond of oral tradition -- and that’s
exactly the magic...the solo performance weaves an
irresistible Gaelic narrative, filled with laughter
and mischief, politics and conflict...a rare performance...an
inspired production...the music is spiritual and effortless.”
Press Democrat Santa Rosa, CA
A Gem of a Show About the Emerald Isle
“Between his music and his storytelling, Ball’s
performance is a tour de force. O’Carolan’s
music is played with wonderful flourish...he brings
O’Carolan’s...songs to full and sophisticated
life....The script is part history lesson and part
outright hoot. The result is an evening that’s
informative, inspiring, amusing and, above all, entertaining.
It’s so well presented and so well paced that
you’re likely to be reluctant to bid farewell
to “O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music.”
Daily Local NewsWestchester, PA
“Patrick Ball’s able solo performance summons
up multiple characters and the spirit of an era, but
it’s in his brilliant playing of the rare wire-strung
Celtic harp that the evening springs to life. The
script...richly contextualizes the music...inspired.”
San Francisco Bay Guardian California
“Musically, the show is impeccable. Ball plays
with a passion for the music that is only matched
by his skill...Ball is also a gifted storyteller...As
MacCabe, Ball tells the story with warmth and humor.
And then he sits at the harp, and O’Carolan speaks
for himself.”
Arcade Suburban Publications PA, NJ
Celtic Harp and Story (the concert)
“It’s rare that we will feature a performer
on our fine performances season for two consecutive
years, but then Patrick is a rare artist...The audience
was entranced by his harp playing, amused by his storytelling.
Patrick is a grand man who puts on a great show. A
warm and magical performance.”
APAP Report Humboldt State University
“Patrick Ball conjured some Druid magic...weaving
words and music into a spellbinding program.”
The Blade Toledo, OH
“The SRO audience loved Mr. Ball’s performance,
asking when we will be bringing him back. Mr. Ball
was a delight to work with,very professional and he
is superb at captivating an audience.”
APAP Report Arizona State University
"An American master of the Irish instrument,
a peripatetic modern day bard, combining tale-telling,
history and music into a seamless compound that reaches
all ages and types of listeners."
San Francisco Chronicle California
“His concert consisted of ethereally gorgeous
instrumental music and colorful stories. The music,
like that of many Windham Hill artists, painted a
feeling with delicate wisps of sound. But there is
something special about the sound of the harp and
the sight of someone playing it. His renditions of
musical antiquities were almost a spiritual experience.”
The Courier Journal Louisville, KY
“Ball weaves a pleasant skein of shanachie tales
with a fair bit of wit, but it’s just so much
string for his true jewels, the short harp solos.
These extremely delicate and gracefully measured melodies
shone like constellations over a moonless heath.”
The Boston Globe
“One of the premier interpreters of O’Carolan’s
music today.”
Los Angeles Times
"Patrick Ball...casts a haunting spell... a
graceful and often bittersweet evocation of the past."
Washington Post
“Patrick Ball is the finest interpreter of traditional
Celtic music I have ever heard in my professional
career. His storytelling is wonderful and his entire
program combines storytelling and Celtic harp tunes
seamlessly. He is a delightful entertainer.”
APAP Event Report Barbara A. Harris, Caffe
Lena
“Patrick Ball is a real artist; perhaps a profound
one.”
Grand Rapids Press Michigan
“It’s some of the most interesting a heart-stoppingly
gorgeous music to come along in some time...Ball plays
with skill and feeling, weaving intricate textures
and rendering the centuries-old material compelling
from the first note...The harp itself sounds so glorious
that it’s quite understandable why it’s
reputed to be the instrument of choice among the angels.”
The California Music Magazine Los Angeles
“The leading practitioner of O’Carolan’s
art is Patrick Ball. He systematically explores O’Carolan’s
prolific output, as well as branching out to other
traditions in his laudable and ambitious search of
a by-gone Celtic past.”
Tower Records Pulse!
“Patrick Ball plays the ancient, wire-strung
Celtic harp with a sense of magic and refinement that
takes you back to a time when music was more direct
and powerful in its simplicity.”
CD Review
“The show is a rare treat.”
The Arcata Union Arcata, CA (Humboldt State
University concert)
