FARMINGTON — New England Celtic Arts and Old South Congregational Church will present “A Fine Winter’s Night” with Matt and Shannon Heaton, along with special guest Andrew Harris, on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 235 Maine St. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the show will start at 7 p.m.
“Fine Winter’s Night” is not a run-of-the-mill Christmas show. With songs dating from the 12th to the 21st centuries, husband-and-wife harmonies, and instrumental accompaniment on guitar, bouzouki and Irish flute, Matt and Shannon Heaton’s holiday show is simultaneously homegrown, refined and timeless. Carols range across a spectrum of moods, much like the holiday season itself. There’s poignancy, jubilation and reflection with songs about Victorian winter romance, the nativity and the stillness of the solstice.
The Heaton originals sound like timeless traditional classics, and their renditions of century that resonate with listeners. The Heatons are no strangers to high-profile Christmas programs. Matt has played with the Boys of the Lough for their Christmas tour, while Shannon has appeared with the “Celtic Christmas Sojourn” production at the Cutler Majestic Theater and the companion DVD released by Rounder Records. They also recorded a Christmas album with the band Siucra, “A Very Siucra Christmas.”
Opening the show will be University of Maine Performing Arts Chair and director of Deertrees Theatre, Andrew Harris. Harris will perform the Dylan Thomas classic “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.”
The event will also be a benefit for the annual ECU HEAT program in Franklin County. ECU HEAT is a fuel assistance ministry for low-income neighbors who live in Franklin County. Dubbed “$50 for 50,” the program provides one 50-gallon fuel delivery a heating season. The applicant pays $50 toward the cost and the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund pays the balance due. All forms of fuel energy are covered from oil to wood. Last winter, 1,009 people in 426 households were warmed by the program.
Reservations are strongly suggested. Ticket price is $20 for adults or $10 for all students, including UMF.
FMI, tickets: 207-491-5919, www.necelticarts.com.
Shannon, left, and Matt Heaton will perform “A Fine Winter’s Night,” a benefit for ECU HEAT, on Dec. 14 in Farmington.
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