SOUTH ORANGE — A Christmas tradition was born last year at the South Orange Performing Arts Center when the critically acclaimed all-female Irish music group Cherish the Ladies wowed the audience at their concert with their own versions of beloved holiday songs.
Returning to SOPAC on Dec. 19, Joanie Madden, Mary Coogan, Mirella Murray, Grainne Murphy and Kathleen Boyle will once again perform classic carols like “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Silent Night” and “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” with a Celtic twist. And that is not all they will play — founding member Madden also promised some newly composed music along with a few traditional Celtic Christmas songs they have adapted especially for their show.
Fans of Cherish the Ladies and Christmas music in general will undoubtedly be thrilled to hear such news. But as much as they are surely looking forward to seeing the concert, Madden told The Villager she is just as excited to perform.
“We have been doing Christmas shows for over 15 years now, and the tour is always a highlight of our year,” Madden said last month in an email. “It never ceases to amaze us how well Celtic music blends with the carols of the season.”
Cherish the Ladies, a name taken from a traditional Irish jig, does not only play holiday compositions. The group has had a successful, 29-year career performing traditional Irish music in general, spanning more than 10 albums and a Grammy nomination.
But their Christmas songs are certainly a revered part of their repertoire. Their two Christmas albums have received widespread acclaim, with “On Christmas Night” even being selected by the New York Times as one of the 10-best Christmas albums of the year.
The reason their Christmas music and concerts are so special, Madden said, has to do with how Christmas unites all types of people.
“It is incredible how everyone says our concert gets them in the Christmas spirit,” Madden said. “Since it is a Christmas show we have people from other ethnic groups coming out to see us, who might not ever buy a ticket to an Irish band. And it might be their first time catching us live, but it is great to see their positive reaction and them roaring in the aisles.
“Also, it is the only time when we perform where you look out into the audience and see so many families: Mom and Dad, the kids and Grandma and Grandpa all out together singing along to their favorite holiday songs,” Madden added.
Soon after their Christmas show at SOPAC, Cherish the Ladies will celebrate their 30th anniversary in January. The group has come a long way since it was formed in 1985 as a way to celebrate the rise of women musicians within the Irish music scene. Numerous members have come and gone, but as the last original member Madden pointed out, the mission remains the same: to put on the best show possible combining music, singing and dancing.
Yet perhaps the biggest difference that has come about in the years since Cherish the Ladies began is the advent of female musicians playing Irish music.
Even in 1985, the notion of having an all-female band was a relative novelty. But following their success, the number of female musicians performing Irish songs has risen exponentially, with acts like Celtic Woman receiving international recognition.
For Madden, it is rewarding to see so many women follow in their footsteps. But Cherish the Ladies is far from retirement.
“We are very honored that at this stage of our careers, we have been role models for some of the top up-and-coming groups of the day,” Madden said. “I would like to think we paved a few roads for future Irish musicians, and we will continue to do this until the phone stops ringing.”
To order tickets, call 973-313-2787 or visit http://www.sopacnow.org/515/CherishLadies.