Press Release
(Bath, UK). — Emmy nominee and master harp guitarist John Doan with family roots to Bath and Burton, will perform at the Chapel Arts Centre, St James’s Memorial Hall as part of his European Tour 2013. Chapel Arts Centre is located at Lower Borough Walls, Bath, BA1 1QR. The show is scheduled for 8pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Tickets are advance: £8.00, Door: £10.00. For more information, call the Chapel Arts Centre at 01225 461700.
A “Celtic Pilgrimage with John Doan” features music from John’s award winning recording “Eire – Isle of the Saints” (Winner of “Best Celtic Album of the Year”) and Wayfarer (also nominated for the same title).
Concert Description
Master harp guitarist and storyteller John Doan is a Bard for the 21st Century bringing back soulful and provocative musical sketches from a pilgrimage to the most sacred sites of the British Isles. “Thin Places,” as they were once called, were believed to be where the space between heaven and earth, and past and future, were thinly divided. John shares what he found there inspired by breathtaking landscapes, historic ruins, and dynamic stories underlying the faith and vision of a people who shaped the world we have come to call our own. He now leads his audiences back down ancient paths to locations made famous by St. Patrick and the “Twelve Apostles of Ireland” along winding roads to secluded sanctuaries and by boat to remote island retreats. Adventurous, thoughtful, and renewing, this is a journey memorable for its achingly beautiful moments and encouraging spirit.
What makes John Doan’s music provocative is that it is both ancient and contemporary, familiar and like nothing an audience has ever heard before. Some of the music on his Celtic albums were composed at Glastonbury while he was on tour, retracing his roots both in spirit and music.
Billboard Magazine says, “Critics Choice – John Doan’s music is a nearly perfect evocation of the Celtic spirit … intricate arrangements … poignant melodies.”
Philadelphia Weekly notes, “John Doan’s 20 strings liberates truly enchanting Celtic music… Doan transports us to another place and time.”
John Doan’s Instrument with Roots in England
John Doan has performed in various concert halls and festivals across the US and Europe, and his pioneering efforts – the first in modern times to compose and perform the twenty-string harp guitar – have resulted in the “John Doan Model” being manufactured in Ukraine this year.
Reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth the first’s favorite instrument, the Poliphont, the harp guitar supplements the standard guitar’s six fretted strings with six unfretted sub-bass strings and eight super treble strings, which ring with bell-like clarity. John Doan describes it as “almost the range of the piano but it is a lot easier to carry with you!”
John Doan’s Performance Background
In addition to his solo performances John has shared the stage with Burl Ives, Donovan, Rickie Lee Jones, among others. His virtuoso playing and arranging has attracted praise from no less guitar luminaries than Chet Atkins and Doc Watson.
John Doan has starred in various American PBS television specials one of which was awarded an Emmy-Nomination for “Best Entertainment Special of the Year.” John lives in the Northwest United States with his wife, Deirdra, where he is Associate Professor of music at Willamette University.
Family Roots in Bath
John Doan has family roots to Bath as the descendant of a former Mayor and the prominent Ames family of Burton. His puritan Doan ancestor escaped religious persecution in England and left to form the Plymouth Colony in North America in 1620 and served as assistant to the governor.
Doan is hoping that thousands of his extended family will give a good show of family spirit by attending his concert in Bath. He would like to formally forgive those in attendance for their ancestors inhospitable behavior toward his family (or ask for forgiveness for his family’s behavior who left to the USA). All should prepare for a good laugh or perhaps a cathartic experience. Either way, the audience should feel better than they did before the concert.