Thursday, February 4, 2010; Posted: 05:02 PM - by BWW News Desk

Fiddler Eileen Ivers will bring her compelling tale of the Irish immigrant's journey to the Phillips Center of the Performing Arts February 20 with Beyond the Bog Road.

An homage to the rich and tireless passage of the native Irish people from Ireland to Canada and the United States, the performance features an all-star assemblage of Irish and Old Time musicians, singers and champion step dancers and cloggers.

Ireland's bog roads lead into ancient peat fields where sods of turf were laboriously farmed and dried to provide an essential source of fuel and warmth. These same roads led millions of emigrants away from their beloved homeland into a thriving Irish Diaspora who nurtured and passed down their traditions.

Being an Irish-American, Eileen Ivers experienced the intrigue of learning more about the multicultural sounds of her childhood. After graduating magna cum laude in Mathematics from Iona College and while continuing her post-graduate work in Mathematics, Eileen fully immersed herself in the different genres of music which she experienced growing up in New York.

Eileen Ivers' recording credits include over 100 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores. Her recordings continue to display why Ivers is hailed as one of the great innovators and pioneers in the Celtic and World music genres. It has been said that the task of respectfully exploring the traditions and progression of the Celtic fiddle is quite literally on her shoulders. The Washington Post states, "She suggests the future of the Celtic fiddle."

Beyond the Bog Road is a multimedia concert of music, story, dance and film. The concert is a celebration of the immigrant's journey - it is the story of the Irish immigrant's impact on America and America's impact on the Irish immigrant.

Ticket Prices: $23.25 - $39.25

Web sites:
University of Florida Performing Arts: www.performingarts.ufl.edu
Eileen Ivers: www.eileenivers.com

To Purchase tickets, call the Phillips Center Box Office at 352-392-ARTS (2787) or 800-905-ARTS (toll-free within Florida) or call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 (toll-free). Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Phillips Center Box Office, the University Box Office at the University of Florida Reitz Union or from any Ticketmaster outlet, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

UF students may purchase $10 tickets (with a valid student ID) at the Phillips Center Box Office and the University Box Office at the Reitz Union. Other students may purchase $10 student tickets (in the balcony) at the Phillips Center Box Office.