'Celtic Christmas' Brings Gaelic Holiday Sounds to the Wesley Stage

Oak Ridge's The Wesley Stage will fill with lilting Irish sounds for the season when singer and multi-instrumentalist David Rimelis returns to town Sunday to present "Celtic Christmas & Irish Stew."

The last time Rimelis played The Wesley Stage, it was to great acclaim. He returns this year by popular demand with vocalist, fiddle player and Irish dancer Jennifer Johnson, and Dave Braham, who sings and plays piano and fiddle. The trio will perform traditional Christmas music and Irish favorites in an interactive show in which the audience will do its share of singing and dancing.

Rimelis, the artist-in-residence for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, teaches at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and is director of music education for the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children in Newark. His music has been performed around the globe by ensembles including the Boston Pops, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Baltimore Symphony, and he has earned kudos on this shore and others for his own performances as well.

"Celtic Christmas and Irish Stew" takes place at The Wesley Stage, 316 Dover-Milton Road, Sunday at 4 p.m. After the show, a light Irish meal including classic Irish stew will be served.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors and free for kids under 12. For tickets, call Doug at 973-697-2120 or purchase them at the door.