For Maple Ridge residents with a kilt in their closet, a taste for Haggis, and an admiration of peaty single malt scotch, having to spend Robbie Burns day isolating at home might be a bit of a bother.
This year marks the 225th anniversary of the popular bard’s death, so for many there is a desire to honour him properly.
Maple Ridge’s Bruce Coughlan will be doing just that at the virtual Burns Night musical celebration – An Address to Robbie Burns.
The musician has toured Scotland 12 times during the course of his 40 year career, and thinks the world of their national poet.
“Every year I do three or four Robbie Burns nights,” he said. “I’ll come in and perform a handful of his standard songs, and I know a lot of Celtic, and Scottish, music, so I mix that in too.”
READ MORE: For Maple Ridge musician, music is like living in an adventure novel
Coughlan pointed out, viewers do not have to be Scottish to love Robbie Burns.
“There is something universal about his work that has intrigued people of all walks of life for over two centuries,” he said. “His words echo with such humanity and compassion that they’ve helped inspire sweeping social reform.”
The concert will take place on the stage at the Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River. Coughlan will be joined by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Lapp, and René Cusson, who will be performing on pipes and whistles.
“It’s going to be a really nice show,” Coughlan insisted.
“We’ve been organizing it long distance, and we’ll be seeing each other for the first time in a while on the day.”
The live show will be broadcasted on Friday, Jan 22 at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available through the Tidemark Theatre website. Those who purchase them will be able to re-watch the show until Robbie Burns Day on Jan 25th.
ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
