It’s easy to feel a wee bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara (folkorchestrasb.com) got us into the Celtic spirit the weekend before, with their rousingly beautiful performance of an all-Irish program at El Presidio de Santa Barbara on Saturday and Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday.
I saw the Saturday show at the magical and timeless El Presidio (where the Folk Orchestra has a residency), and thought more than once that I felt like I had traveled back in time to my own private Irish dreamland (with Spanish-inspired architecture).
Led by the charismatic founder/music director, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and all-around showman Adam Phillips, the 30-piece orchestra — complete with Irish whistles, Uilleann pipes, a harp, pastoral bagpipes, accordion, and hurdy-gurdy, among other instruments —put on a stellar performance from start to finish.