Atmospheric and melodic Celtic songs with a hint of jazz are featured by two Wakatipu musicians on their debut recording and in concert tomorrow.
Entertainers Karen Reid, of Arrowtown, and Mark Wilson, of Queenstown, drew on their Scottish and Irish ancestries, the inspiring vistas of the Southern Lakes and their gifts of singing and playing traditional instruments to record Southern Celtic.
Their 10-track CD was recorded and engineered by fellow Queenstown musician Nigel Hirst.
Ms Reid sings and plays an Irish wooden flute, tin whistles and bodhran and introduces the guitar and banjo.
She lived on the Isle of Skye and her parents were both Scottish, with her mother's family able to trace their roots back to Ireland.
Mr Wilson, a renowned pianist, also plays piano accordion.
His father's family hailed from Ireland and his mother's maternal side of the family settled on the Orkney Islands.
The duo will launch Southern Celtic with a special concert in the Thomas L Brown Gallery, Speargrass Flat Rd, near Arrowtown, tomorrow at 7.30pm.
Guest performers are Mr Wilson's fiancee, vocalist Emma Sykes; and Ms Reid's children, Isabella (15), Angus (14) and Becky (11), who sing and play instruments.
Adult tickets cost $20 and include complimentary wine and food at the interval.
Tickets for school-aged children cost $10.
Tickets are available from the gallery, the Lakes District Museum and Eventfinder online.
