Tony McManus | Pat Chessell
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SUNDAY
doors
PM
show
PM
MEL LEHAN HALL AT ST. JAMES i
3214 West 10th Ave, Kitsilano
Accessible 
All ages
$32 Advance - $37 at the Door
(NO service charges)
Parcel O'Rogues holders RESERVE ONLINE
$20 Advance - Watch at Home
(NO service charges)
Tony McManus
Hailed by John Renbourn as ‘the best Celtic guitarist in the world’ Tony McManus has been listed as one of the 50 transcendental guitarists of all time by Guitar Player Magazine.
Conjuring a unique but universal language from that most ubiquitous of instruments, the acoustic guitar, Tony McManus has both extended and transcended the parameters of contemporary Celtic music. Ranked by peers and predecessors alike alongside the guitar world’s all-time greats, his fiendishly dexterous, dazzlingly original playing draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora – Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, Quebec – along with still further-ranging flavours, such as jazz and east European music. Long applauded for his uncanny ability to transpose the delicate, complex ornamentation characteristic of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes – even the phrasing of a Gaelic song – onto his own six strings, McManus is increasingly being acknowledged also as a pioneering figure in bridging the realms of Celtic music and other guitar genres.
Born in 1965 in Paisley, near Glasgow, his surname the legacy of an Irish grandfather, McManus was introduced to traditional music via the family record collection. Having first tried his hand at the fiddle, whistle and mandolin, he took up the guitar aged ten, although subsequent academic inclinations got him halfway through a PhD in maths before the music won out. After rapidly making his name as an unusually fluent and sensitive accompanist, he took the solo plunge with a triumphant main-stage debut on the final night of Glasgow’s inaugural Celtic Connections festival in 1994, supporting Capercaillie in front of a 2500-strong crowd.
Over the years, Tony has recorded a catalog of dazzling albums, both solo and with friends, delivering a breadth of artistry and performance which conjures up images and themes of the traditional music of the Celts along with more global influences from far and wide.
Pat Chessell
Opening the night is the Pat Chessell Trio! Pat will be joined by Michael Burnyeat (fiddle) and Brendan Mooney (bass).
In a country that loves its Celtic music, it’s no surprise that Vancouver’s Pat Chessell is known as one of the most exciting roots artists in Western Canada, nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Awards for Best Traditional Singer (2022). Pat’s rootsy vocal style, charismatic stage presence and expert musicianship on guitar make for an ever-growing audience of enthusiastic fans.
While his mostly original music falls solidly under the broad umbrella of Celtic, Pat’s range is prodigious and eclectic. It’s been described as "straight-ahead folk”, “upbeat Celtic influenced Canadian folk/pop”, and “moving mid-and-up-tempo contemporary Celtic”, among other labels. His tunes have also, on occasion, known to be tinged with Americana influences.
But, to cut to the chase, it’s all Pat’s music. It's music played and performed, and often written, in Pat’s distinctive and unique voice; strongly rooted in the Celtic tradition, but with an open-hearted connection to the place he calls home and the modern world around him. His lyrics are at turns profound – or witty and high-spirited – but always dynamic and relatable.
There will be a WORKSHOP too!
THERE WILL BE AN INSTRUCTIONAL GUITAR WORKSHOP led by Tony McManus on the afternoon of the concert performance, focusing on altered tunings, technique, and traditional melodies.
The workshop will cover some altered tunings - dropped D, DADGAD, Csus2, etc. Often these tunings can look just like a list of random letters. We’ll look at gaining some understanding of each and their relationships to each other to somehow “tame” the letters into useful musical tools.
We will also look at some left and right hand techniques to ornament and lift the music to a new level.
Discounted registration rate with concert ticket!
Sunday, September 20th, 2026 - 2:00 - 4:00pm
$30 per person OR $20 with concert ticket
Location - RM 120 (basement room), St. James Community Square, 3214 W 10th Avenue in Vancouver
Registration - Google Form here.
Sponsorship Opportunities: These are available for all our shows. For a nominal cost, individuals or businesses can sponsor any of our shows and reap a number of benefits - free tickets, reserved table, recognition on literature, our web site and at the concerts. For more information simply contact our Sponsorship Director Morris Biddle at [email protected]