2025.12.07 | Celtic Christmas Program

In partnership with KCRW

with Titanic Piper Eric Rigler & Dirk Freymuth Sunday, December 7, 2025 | 3PM Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America

Celtic Christmas with Titanic Piper Eric Rigler

Featured Performers Eric Rigler

uilleann pipes, Scottish small-pipes, whistles

Dirk Freymuth

acoustic guitars

Lily Honigberg fiddle

James Yoshizawa

bodhrán, bones, percussion

Hannah Crowley vocals

In partnership with KCRW

ABOUT THE ARTISTS The “World’s Most Recorded Piper” Eric Rigler (Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Outlander, Braveheart, Titanic) and multi-talented guitarist Dirk Freymuth return to create a night of acoustic holiday cheer. Drawing from traditional Irish & Scottish melodies featured in their PBS Special, Celtic Journeys: Songs & Soundtracks, and themes from Eric’s motion picture & television soundtracks, the artists will highlight music from the Christmas tradition - both familiar and lesser-known pieces from the British Isles, Ireland, and other Celtic Nations around Europe. Featuring special guest Hannah Crowley from Dublin, Ireland, singing in English, Irish & Scots Gaelic, Breton and Latin.

ERIC RIGLER uilleann pipes, Scottish small-pipes, whistles

For over 40 years, Eric Rigler’s iconic solos on the Scottish bagpipes, Irish uilleann pipes & whistles have touched billions worldwide. From performing “Amazing Grace” at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan to hundreds of appearances, recordings and films, Eric has been referred to as “the most recorded piper in history.”

Currently featured in Amazon’s Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power and STARZ channel’s Outlander, Eric’s solos are familiar to audiences through films such as Braveheart, Titanic, Dungeons and Dragons, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Men In Black 3, Austin Powers, Million Dollar Baby, Troy, and Cinderella Man to television’s The Simpsons, South Park, Parks and Recreation, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, How I Met Your Mother, Black Sails and Battlestar Galactica. A native of Los Angeles, Eric has devoted his life to the Scottish bagpipes, Irish uilleann pipes & pennywhistles.

Pablo Cabrera © 2023

Eric’s diverse body of work also includes concerts with Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, Josh Groban, Mike Oldfield and CDs

by Faith Hill, Phil Collins, Keith Urban, Bette Midler, Meatloaf, Josh Groban, Rubén Blades, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Loggins, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tracy Chapman, Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and many others.

Celtic Christmas with Titanic Piper Eric Rigler DIRK FREYMUTH acoustic guitars

Dirk Freymuth is a guitarist, producer, composer, and educator.

His gifted and diverse talent on the guitar spans genres from being a member of the Minneapolis powerpop trio, Hindu Rodeo, to Dublin’s Baroque Orchestra of Ireland. As a studio player, he can be heard on more than a hundred recordings for artists such as the Kottonmouth Kings, The Proclaimers, John Gorka and many others. As a record producer, he has produced more than 50 albums in a wide range of genres. Recently, Dirk was ranked #61 on the Digital Dream Door ‘100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists’ list.

Pablo Cabrera © 2023

Having previously lived in Dublin and London, Dirk is also an Early Music multi-instrumentalist and historian who has worked with The Tallis Scholars, The Gabrieli Consort, Musicians of the Globe Theater, Circa 1500, and many others. He earned his doctorate in Early Music Performance at the University of Southern California,

where he studied with James Tyler.

Since 2011, Dirk has been teaching Audio Production, Historical Performance Practice, and various music ensembles and music history courses at both Western Oregon University and The New School in New York. He currently lives in New York City.

LILY HONIGBERG

after completing a Bachelor of Music in classical violin. Much of her current musical styling steps out from her classical background and into the diverse landscape of pop, hip-hop, soundtrack and Irish traditional music. The Sun’s Valley, Lily’s latest album, is a testament to her nuanced interpretation of Irish fiddle and elegantly bridges tradition and innovation with her

fiddle

Raised in a family of professional musicians in Washington, DC, fiddler, violinist and violist, Lily Honigberg dedicated herself to music at a young age. She holds a Master’s degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory in Boston,

ABOUT THE ARTISTS original compositions in the Irish style.

Lily has been fortunate to tour with the National Youth Orchestra (2014) and has performed across America, including Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Hall, the Millennium Stage, and on television’s The Late Late Show with James Cordon. She appears alongside Eric Rigler on the feature film soundtrack of Dungeons and Dragons (2023) and works across a variety of genres with artists like Finneas, Bebe Rexha, Denzel Curry, Kenny Hoopla, Alex Warren, and Felly. Lily is based in Los Angeles and is currently on tour with Country Music star, Dasha.

Pablo Cabrera © 2023

JAMES YOSHIZAWA bodhrán, bones, percussion

James Yoshizawa is a versatile drummer, percussionist & educator living in Los Angeles, and is wellrecognized for blending unique percussion instruments from around the world with the drum set to create unique and compelling rhythms & textures. He began his musical training at age 11 playing in a Japanese folk music ensemble, as well as his middle school marching band and orchestra. He went on to earn a percussion performance degree at university where he was awarded a number of accolades & scholarships.

© jamesyoshizawa.com

As a performer, he specializes primarily in jazz & Irish percussion but has extensive experience in

Cuban, Brazilian, West African, Caribbean, & classical percussion.

As a performer, he can be found

Celtic Christmas with Titanic Piper Eric Rigler on stages all over the world such as the Taipei National Concert Hall.

Locally, James regularly performs at The Blue Whale, Vibrato Jazz Grill, Vitellos, Sam First, The Segerstrom Center, The Greek Theater & many other venues.

Some career highlights include being invited to the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival as a guest

artist since 2013, winning 1st place at the All-Ireland International Bones Championships in 2022, performing for President Barack Obama, and serving as the bodhran soloist and percussionist for the Broadway musical, Come From Away, in 2016.

HANNAH CROWLEY vocals

Hannah Crowley is a singer/ songwriter from Dublin, Ireland, who currently resides in Los Angeles. After being awarded a scholarship and graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, she moved to LA in 2017, where she has been a regular performer on the LA music scene. Hannah released her debut single, Scrolling, followed by the song Teeth in the Water, and then her debut EP, Rewire, in October 2021. She played to a soldout audience at the renowned Hotel Cafe. Other notable performances include the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) for the LA Kings Ice Hockey team, where she performed her song R Father on St. Patrick’s Day in 2022. Renowned music blogs, including Le Future Wave and Come Here Floyd, have praised Hannah’s songwriting as “mellifluously immersive” with “memorable hooks,” highlighting her as a “promising artist to watch.”

Hannah effortlessly blends the timeless allure of the past with the vibrant energy of the present in her

© hannahcrowleymusic.com

music. By combining alternative pop elements with a nod to her Celtic influence, she delivers a refreshing and captivating sound that embodies what is exciting about music today. Her latest music, released in Autumn 2023, is available now alongside her earlier work on all streaming platforms.

Presented in Partnership with

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SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TICKETS & INFORMATION HERE

soka.edu/pac tickets@soka.edu 949-480-4278

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SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TICKETS & INFORMATION HERE

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CONCESSIONS

Concessions A wide variety of wine, beer, soft drinks and freshly prepared snacks will be available before the concert and during intermission.

Staff Drink Pick

Highland Mulled Wine We asked the staff for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions!

Highland Mulled Wine was selected and will be available for purchase before the performance and during intermission.

Click here for menu and to order Pre-order your concessions and skip the line during intermission!

Concessions provided

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More than 800 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2025-26 season marks our fifteenth season presenting first-class programming in our world-class concert hall. We are continuing to expand our programming and outreach with the addition of a Children’s Concert Series and the only Great Pianists Series on the West Coast. From classical and jazz to world and contemporary music, the Soka Performing Arts Center has become a prized space for artists and audiences alike.

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OUR PARTNERS • Blueport Jazz • Philharmonic Society of Orange County • Pacific Symphony • Parnassus Society SOKA PAC MANAGEMENT TEAM Renée Bodie General Manager & Artistic Director John Morgan Box Office Manager Antoinette Rossman House Manager/Assistant to the General Manager Steve Baker Production Manager Jarmil Maupin Internal Events Manager Ian Smith Technical Services Manager Katie Ohrn Lighting Supervisor

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SOKA UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA BOARD OF TRUSTEES Soka Performing Arts Center resides on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America.

We thank the SUA Board of Trustees and the SUA Leadership Council for all of their support.

SUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stephen S. Dunham, JD | CHAIR Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland Tariq Hasan, PhD | VICE CHAIR Chief Executive Officer, SGI-USA | New York, New York Andrea Bartoli, PhD President, Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue | New York, New York Matilda Buck Benefactor | Los Angeles, California Lawrence E. Carter, Sr, PhD, DD, DH, DRS Dean, Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator, Morehouse College | Atlanta, Georgia Andy Firoved CEO, HOTB Software | Irvine, California Jason Goulah, PhD Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and Director, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, Director of Programs in Bilingual-Bicultural Education, World Language Education, and Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship, College of Education, DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois Clothilde V. Hewlett, JD Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California | San Francisco, California

Karen Lewis, PhD Sondheimer Professor of International Finance and Co-Director, Weiss Center for International Financial Research, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Luis Nieves Founder, Chairman Emeritus AUL Corp, Benefactor | Napa, California Isabel Nuñez, PhD, MPhil, JD Professor of Educational Studies, Dean of School of Education, Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana Gene Marie O’Connell, RN, MS Health Care Consultant, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing | Corte Madera, California Adin Strauss General Director, Soka Gakkai International-USA | Santa Monica, California Yoshiki Tanigawa Benefactor, Soka Gakkai | Tokyo, Japan Gregg S. Wolpert Co-president, The Stahl Organization | New York, New York Edward M. Feasel, PhD President, Soka University of America (ex-officio member) | Aliso Viejo, California

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