The First Congregational Church of Bakersfield celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day with its musical tribute to Ireland and Scotland on March 13. The choir members sang Scottish and Irish folk songs to honor Ireland and Scotland’s rich musical history.

BC music professor Ronald Kean conducted the Bakersfield College chorale and chamber singers. “It is a lot of work to produce this, but it really depends on how dedicated you are. I practice every day to make sure I don’t screw up,” said Meredith Weybright, a choir member.

Kean puts a lot of work into this program and makes sure his choir members hit the right pitch to better intensify the song. Besides the choir performing, there were three special guest artists. One was an Irish folk band called Banshee in the Kitchen.

The trio of women performed Scottish and Irish ballads on their guitar, flute and violin and got the crowd clapping. “This is the coolest part of the job. It’s not so fun traveling all the time and lugging bags with our instruments inside,” said Brenda Turner, a member of Banshee in the Kitchen.

The trio has been performing for almost nine years. Kean said that this year’s celebration really shows all the hard work and talent of the choir, and, with Banshee in the Kitchen, the musical tribute to Ireland and Scotland was truly grand.