Symphony Space; Thu 3

The first New York appearance of 21-piece folk orchestra Childsplay promises to spread timely holiday cheer via a wall of fiddles, lilting traditional tunes and exhilarating arrangements of contemporary songs. The group’s violins were made by Bob Childs, lending an extended-family feel to its mix of musical traditions. Boston Symphony Orchestra violinist Bonnie Bewick, all-Ireland fiddler Sheila Falls-Keohane and New England player Lissa Schneckenburger all find common ground in Childsplay, alongside top-notch harp, cello and guitar players.

More reason for celebration comes with a new CD, Waiting for the Dawn, on which Crooked Still vocalist Aoife O’Donovan’s ethereal voice dances among the violins. There’s a whole landscape in the haunting trad tune “I Am a Youth That’s Inclined to Ramble” (famously sung by Paul Brady), while U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion Hanneke Cassel mixes U2’s yearning “Mothers of the Disappeared” with her own composition, “Evenstar.” The upbeat reels have a jazzy force, moving to the rhythm of step-dancer Mattie Olwell’s feet.—Gwen Orel

Read more: Childsplay - Music - Time Out New York http://newyork.timeout.com/music-nightlife/music/57081/childsplay#ixzz174NpHibB