Tickets For Killdares Show Available Tuesday
One of the most unique events of the Highland Park High School centennial this year comes up on Thursday, when the excellent Dallas Celtic rock group The Killdares will perform at the school.
The “Rocking the Centennial” concert will feature the Highlander Strings Orchestra and the HPHS bagpipers playing with the band.
The 6 p.m. show is free, but tickets are required, since it’s expected to be a full house. Tickets are available on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the HPHS Titus Box Office.
We’ll let the school district explain the origins of the show after the jump in their press release.
HPHS orchestra director Peggy Tucker is a longtime fan of the group, and she and The Killdares founder, lead singer and drummer Tim Smith thought the collaboration was a natural fit.
“We’d heard about the Scots and the school’s reputation for having a great music program — with bagpipers — which we loved,” Smith said. “This is going to be a first for us — having student musicians as part of our show. It’s not just exciting for the kids, but it’s way outside the box for us.”
Tucker said the students are thrilled to be joining the band onstage throughout the performance.
Members of the band will join students for several rehearsals before the show, which will be a part of the learning experience. The Killdares fiddle player Roberta Rast practiced with students during their April 4 class. Rast broke the ice with students by playing along with the students’ practice song before wowing with them with her technique in one of The Killdares’ songs.
“What a great chance for our students to see up close how professional musicians create their own unique sound,” Tucker said. “And then to be able to play with the band — it’s going to be fantastic!”
When Smith heard about the Scots’ football team playing The Killdares in the locker room to get pumped up before a game, he said the deal was sealed.
“At that point, we knew it was meant to be,” he quipped.
