Black Mountain Center for the Arts show strings together sounds of Bullock and Richards

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts will welcome acclaimed guitarist Robin Bullock and award-winning Celtic harpist Sue Richards for a very special concert of jigs, reels, original compositions and ancient tunes at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22.

Tickets for the show are $20 and seating is limited.

Both musicians have a close relationship with the Arts Center, and a long history with each other. For many years Bullock and Richards called the Washington, D.C. area home and both, oddly enough, ended up moving to Black Mountain around five years ago.

It was the similarity of their repertoires and their new-found proximity that brought them together and inspired their current projects.

Bullock spends many months on the road touring with his solo show and collaborating with a wide range of musical luminaries including Steve Baughman, Aoife Clancy, Tom Paxton and Janis Ian.

He is a veteran of the Swannanoa Gathering and Swannanoa Solstice and has recorded dozens of albums.

Richards is a four-time National Scottish Harp Champion who has played for past presidents and Queen Elizabeth, sat in with the Chieftains, appeared on Prairie Home Companion, recorded dozens of award-winning albums and is a founding member of Ensemble Galilei.

Her humble affect belies her international reputation. When she is not on the road, she teaches harp lessons at BMCA. The duo is working on a CD that is currently being recorded that they hope will be released before Christmas.

Both artists love the intimacy and acoustics the BMCA theater offers, a space each has played many times, but never together. The set list for the evening should take the audience on a journey through up-tempo spirited pieces and slower tunes some of which were composed by prolific blind Irish harper Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738).

Bullock has played an annual “homecoming” concert at the Arts Center for the past four years, and Richards has been joined by her Ensemble Galilei associate Carolyn Surrick on viola de gamba several times as well as sharing the stage with the Mountain Folk Harpers at holiday time.

The resonance of strings is about to fill the space again as Bullock and Richards team up for this exciting collaboration.

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 W. State Street. For tickets or more information call 669-0930 or visit BlackMountainArts.org.