RANGELEY – New England Celtic Arts will host a Celtic Christmas by Boston-based Matt & Shannon Heaton at the Lakeside Theater in Rangeley Wednesday, Dec. 3, and at the Skye Theatre in South Carthage Thursday, Dec. 4.

The “Fine Winter’s Night” concert will feature traditional, updated and original Irish music.

Both concerts start at 7 p.m. A preshow jam at Skye Theatre will start at 6:30 when audience members are encouraged to bring their instruments.

On its December 2007 CD release, “Fine Winter’s Night,” the duo performs music dating from the 12th to the 21st century. With an appealing blend of voices, guitar, bouzouki, Irish flute and whistle, “Fine Winter’s Night” is simultaneously homegrown, refined and timeless.

Audience members will hear a few reassuring favorites (a lullaby version of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and the anti-war hymn “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”) alongside unexpected new holiday songs (“First Snowfall of December” and “Julius the Christmas Cat”).

With “Fine Winter’s Night,” the Heatons offer both secular and spiritual music to brighten chilly winter days and nights. Scott Alarik of the Boston Globe described their music as “a cocoa warm set of carols, wintry jigs and originals about the snuggling moods of midwinter.”

The Dec. 4 concert at Skye Theatre is Skye’s annual Christmas concert and will be preceded by a potluck supper starting at 5:15 p.m. Reservations are required. Skye Theater is at 2 Highland Drive off Winter Hill Road and U.S. Route 2 in South Carthage. Lakeside Theatre is on Main Street in Rangeley. Tickets are $10 at the door. Call New England Celtic Arts at 562-4445 for reservations. For more information on the Heatons, log on to www.MattandShannonHeaton.com.

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