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The Harper and The Minstrel Top Performer

The Harper and The Minstrel

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5.0 
(4 reviews)
  • New Bedford, MA
  • Celtic Music
  • Travels up to 120 miles
  • $500 and up
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Promotional video thumbnail 1 for The Harper and The Minstrel Watch

Live in Concert Celtic Music

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Live in Woods Hole Massachusetts

Promotional video thumbnail 3 for The Harper and The Minstrel Watch

Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

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O Gin I Were A Baron's Heir
The Harper And The Minstrel
  • 1. O Gin I Were A Baron's Heir
  • 2. The Hobbit Drinking Song
  • 3. Pachelbel's Canon
  • 4. A La Una Yo Naci
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Media Overview Reviews Booking Info
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Overview

Traditional Celtic Music performed on a variety of instruments including
Electric Harp
Irish wire-strung Harp
Celtic Folk Harp
Silver Flute
Divergent Flute
Irish Wooden Flute
Alto, Soprano & Tenor Recorders
Penny Whistles
Bowed Psaltery
Hammered Dulcimer
Guitar
Viola da Gamba
Mountain Dulcimer
Beautiful Vocal Harmonies

Lovely Ballads, Jigs, Reels & Dances.
They are not high energy like Drop Kick Murphy, more like Loreena McKennitt or The Chieftains.

Will perform anywhere in USA with stipulations


4 Reviews

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Verified Review
Anne • March 6, 2023

Excellent duo

Great team! Amazing songs and talented musicians on traditional instruments. Hired for a dinner/cocktail event with a St Pats theme. Everyone enjoyed the music and they were a big hit with our crowd.

Hired as:
Celtic Music
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Verified Review
Joan K. • August 11, 2019

Lovely Duo

These guys brought so much to my mom’s memorial service, playing beautiful Celtic harp and penny whistle tunes that my whole family loved. The service would not have been the same without them. Their music highlighted a gorgeous summer day. I highly recommend them!!!!

Hired as:
Celtic Music
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Verified Review
Emily Z. • June 17, 2019

The experience we were hoping for, and more!

The Harper + the Minstrel brought their full personalities and excellent musical performance. I would definitely recommend them. For our event, we wanted music that set the ambience for my Irish grandmother who was turning 90 with a few upbeat, clap/sing along songs towards the end. Everyone had an awesome time and was talking about the way this group was able to take the celebration to the next level.

Hired as:
Celtic Music
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Verified Review
John R. • October 22, 2017

Great atmosphere! Great musicians! :)

Wonderful cocktail hour band, great sing-alongs. Really made my wedding. Jay and Abbey are super friendly and really brought me back to Ireland with their jigs and reels. Their vast arrays of instruments kept the music lively and entertaining throughout. I can't thank them enough for their performance !

Hired as:
Celtic Music
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Booking Info

  • Profile
  • Calendar
  • Personnel
  • Set List
  • Influences
  • Setup Requirements

Price Range: $500 and up

Gig Length: 60 - 120 minutes

Languages: English

Insurance: $1,000,000 - We have liability insurance. A certificate is available upon request.

What to Expect

The Harper and The Minstrel are Jay and Abby Michaels

Passionate performances of Music from the past sung and played on a variety of Traditional Plucked, Bowed, Hammered and Woodwind Instruments including:

Cláirseach (Irish wire-strung Harp)
Celtic Folk Harp
Hammered Dulcimer
Viola da Gamba
Irish Wooden Flute
The Greek Aulos (also called the Double Flute or Divergent Flute)
Alto, Soprano & Tenor Recorders
Penny Whistles
Silver Flute
Bowed Psaltery
Mountain Dulcimer
Rebec
Baroque and Classical Guitar

The Harper and The Minstrel specialize in beautiful Ayres and Ballads, but are quite adept at Jigs, Reels & Dances. Their vast repertoire includes unique arrangements of Music ranging from Medieval Spain's 13th Century Cantgas de Santa Maria to the music of Elizabethan era English Lutenist John Dowland to 17th Century Irish Harper Turlough O'Carolan to the Music of Sting, The Beatles and much more;

Medieval & Renaissance Love songs sung in many languages including Ladino, Galician, French, Italian, Catalan and Gaelic.

Traditional & Popular Music from The Celtic Lands.

Secular and Sacred Music.

Their own Enchanting Compositions.

A Concert with The Harper and The Minstrel features an array of instruments expertly played, and Music that spans many centuries.
Concerts can be themed:

-Celtic Music
-Early Music (Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque)
-Renaissance Love Songs
-Early Music Wynter (Winter & Holiday Music Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque)
-General (A mixture of the above genres with more contemporary Music as well)

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Educational Library & School Assembly programs on Celtic & Early Music.

The Harper and Minstrel can appear in Medieval/Renaissance costuming or modern Formal Attire.

The Harper and The Minstrel are featured Entertainers at Florida's Annual Florida Renaissance Festival, The Hoggetowne Medieval Faire and The Ohio Renaissance Festival.

They have performed at The ICONS Irish Festival, The Boston Green Fest, The Dundee NY Scottish Festival, The Sterling Renaissance Festival, The Great Lakes Medieval Faire, The Soule Homestead Folk Festival, The Taunton River Folk Festival, The Connecticut Renaissance Faire, King Richard's Faire, The Beal House at The South Shore Folk Music Club, The Phoenix Faerie Festival, The Southern California Pleasure Faire, The Boston Spring Flower Show and at many other events.

Since 2002 The Harper and The Minstrel have brought their music to many venues in America including Folk, Renaissance, Medieval, and Celtic Festivals, Coffee Houses, Libraries, Schools and Concert Halls.

"You can best judge a musician’s acumen by the way they interpret music, whether that music is familiar to you or obscure...Jay and Abby Michaels’ deft adaptations of songs from Sting to Robert Burns are thrilling, and they reveal the pair to be artists of some skill."
-Motif Magazine

"Sheer uniqueness" -Dirty Linen Magazine

"Gentle, lovely music...Stunning Voices" -Renaissance Magazine

The Music of The Harper and The Minstrel and Jay's Harp playing have enhanced several Television programs including ABC's Nashville & Secrets and Lies, NBC's Parenthood & Parks and Recreation, Fox's Lie To Me, & Rosewood, the HBO Series Hung and the Marvel/Netflix series Daredevil.

Jay's Harp Music also appears in the Independent Films How To Be A Latin Lover and Baby Baby Baby

Jay and Abby Michaels are members of
Early Music America

Jay Michaels is a member of
The Viola da Gamba Society of America and
The Historical Harp Society

About

Jay Michaels has spent his entire life studying and performing Music.

He started on the Trombone in 5th grade and moved to Guitar, Piano and Voice studies in his teen years.

Jay earned a BA in Music from Anna Maria College where he studied Classical Guitar.

He taught Music for many years while performing at various venues in Massachusetts and eventually taught himself to play the Harp.

Jay Michaels plays many instruments including wire-strung Harp, Celtic Folk Harp, Viola da Gamba, Baroque and Classical Guitar, Rebec, Mountain Dulcimer and he sings. He has been a full time musician for the most of his life

In addition to his duties with The Harper and The Minstrel, He maintains a solo Harp career, and produces music for film and TV productions.

Abby Michaels has been involved in Music since she was old enough to reach the keys on the family Piano.

She began singing at an early age and became very involved in the school Music programs.

Abby earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Westfield State College where she studied Opera.

For several years Abby taught music in the public and private school systems, and has also taught recorder and voice privately. She was also a popular soloist for Church services.

She now pursues a full time Musical Career performing hundreds of Concert every year at a variety of venues.

In addition to being an accomplished vocalist, Abby plays Hammered Dulcimer, Irish Wooden Flute, Double Flute, Bamboo Flute, Recorders, Penny Whistles, Guitar, Harp and Bowed Psaltery.

Additional Booking Notes

This depends on the venue and the type of gig. We generally require a stage area at least 8 feet wide (10 - 12 is better) and 8 feet deep. If the venue is providing sound, we require 2 vocal mics, 2 instrument mics 4 boom stands and (depending on the type of show) a quarter inch DI with a 10 foot chord.

Services Offered

Celtic Music Renaissance Entertainment

Past Booked Events

March 03, 2023 • 6:00pm - 8:30pm Corporate Event
March 12, 2022 • 3:00pm - 4:00pm Birthday Party
August 10, 2019 • 10:30am - 10:45am Funeral/Memorial Service
June 15, 2019 • 5:00pm - 6:30pm Birthday Party
October 21, 2017 • 6:30pm - 9:00pm Wedding Reception
February 25, 2016 School Assembly

Set List

A Typical Set List for a Celtic Concert might include:

The May Song
The Stolen Child
Fanny Power
Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór
The Irish Washerwoman
Westlin Winds
Comin' Through The Rye
The Butterfly
The Foxhunter
I'll Tell Me Ma
Petronella
Whiskey Before Breakfast
The Sally Gardens
King of the Faeries
Bonny Portmore
The Road to the Isles
Old Rob Morris/Come Under My Plaidy
Jock O'Hazeldean
She Moved Through The Faire
The Wren
The Parting Glass

A Typical Set List for an Early Music Concert might include:

Rondeau
Joy to the Personne of my Love
Tanz
Dormi Dormi
Tourdion
Cantiga 100
Cantiga 166
Bransle
A La Una Yo Naci
Come Again
Stingo
All in a Garden Green
Greensleeves
The Rustic Duck Dance
If I Were a Blackbird
A Sonnet for the Queen
The Torch Bransle
Nonesuch
Once I Had a Sweetheart
Bouffons
Our Revels Now Are Ended

A Typical Set List for a Wynter Concert might include:

The Wassail Song
Drive the Cold Wynter Away
The Christ Child's Lullaby
Salten y Ballen (Shepherds Come Dancing)
Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming
Pat a Pan
El Decembre Congelat (Cold December's Winds)
Cantiga 353
Noel Nouvelet
Quant Je Voy Yvers
In the Bleak Midwynter
L'Inverno (Largo from Vivaldi's Winter)
The Boars Head Carol
The Basque Carol
All Through the Night
O Come Emanuel
The Children in Bethlehem
Deck the Halls
The Gloucestershire Wassail
Auld Lang Syne

Team

Jay and Abby Michaels The Harper and The Minstrel

Influences & Inspiration

Loreena McKennitt

The Chieftans

Jordi Savall

The Baltimore Consort

Yes

Setup Requirements

This depends on the venue and the type of gig. We generally require a stage area at least 8 feet wide (10 - 12 is better) and 8 feet deep.

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