MILLENNIUM MAGIC

Last Thursday evening, on the The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, two of our favorite artists whistled up some musical magic that swept the audience out of Washington and all the way to the lands of the Celts. Kevin Elam and Jesse Ofgang are a pair of genuine music wizards. Both are masters of the Celtic genre who express their talent through multiple instruments. Jesse, the piper, plays all the bagpipes there are. Kevin, the singer, plays guitar and all the flutes there are. Interestingly, both of these sorcerers are also adept with the magic of the tin whistle, as they proved with a flawless, two-minute tin whistle duet. (Some think “Tin Whistle Twins” would be a great band name, or maybe, “Chanter Banter”.)

And yet they are not exact twins, even musically. One is taller, one shorter. One wore a vest, the other did not. One braids his tresses, the other doesn’t. More significantly, as it says in the event program, “Jesse Ofgang always prefers to push forward, with a mind toward innovation and the future, and Kevin Elam has a (perhaps overly nostalgic) fascination with tradition and the past.” Perhaps this difference between them led to their light, fraternal banter. Given the somber glow of lost battles and lost loves so characteristic of Irish and Scottish music, that light banter helped balance the mood of the evening—that and the reels and jigs that are equally Celtic, equally beautiful, but full of joy.

From the first notes of “The Foggy Dew,” with Kevin’s effortless, All-Ireland Champion tenor, to the final tones from Jesse’s great highland pipes, this duo conjured a space into existence where we could explore the joy, the tragedy, and the beauty of Celtic music. Here’s to their next collaboration. Slàinte!

- Ken Sibley, May 19th, 2024