10 Jan Press Release: The Mermaid

LES DÉLICES SETS SAIL IN THE MERMAID, APRIL 25-27, FEATURING CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC POWERHOUSE SEÁN DAGHER

CLEVELAND – Chamber ensemble Les Délices sets sail with three Northeast Ohio performances of an imaginative new program The Mermaid, April 25-27, 2025  featuring Irish bouzouki player and vocalist Seán Dagher. Based in Quebec, Dagher performs an array of folk and classical music and has cultivated a specialty in sea shanties through his work on the Assassin’s Creed video game series and his own Shanty of the Week video series, which has received thousands of views a week and has a loyal following the world over.

Live performances of The Mermaid will take place Friday, Apr. 25 at 7:30 pm at Akron Civic Theater’s Knight Stage; Saturday, Apr. 26 at 4:00 pm at Heights Theater, Cleveland Heights; and Sunday, Apr. 27 at 4:00 pm at Westshore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River. A filmed version of this concert will be released on Les Délices’ online platform on May 23, 2025. 

Performing alongside Seán Dagher for The Mermaid are: soprano Elena Mullins Bailey, Artistic Director and oboist Debra Nagy, violinist Allison Monroe, cellist Rebecca Landell, and percussionist Anthony Taddeo.

The Mermaid

For centuries, the figure of the mermaid has beguiled sailors with her siren song, embodying both the seductive allure and unpredictable wrath of the sea. In these concerts, the mermaid appears across a wide range of music from the “Golden Age of Sail” (1650-1840) from popular ballad and country dance tunes to parlor songs by familiar composers like Henry Purcell and Franz Joseph Haydn.

While depictions of mermaids and mermaid lore date back to Medieval times, mermaids exploded in the popular consciousness as global exploration and trade took off in the 18th and 19th centuries. The mermaid’s hybrid physique represented the fantastical, wondrous creatures one might find at the edges of the known world, while the story of her siren song warned sailors of the inherent dangers aboard ship. The mermaid also became a potent symbol of vice, symbolizing “the harlot who tempted men with wild, forbidden pleasures.”

The Irresistible Charm of Folk Music

As with The Highland Lassie, (Les Délices’ popular Scottish folk-baroque program), The Mermaid embraces both art and folk music from the 18th century. Led by musical polyglot Seán Dagher, whose varied background includes everything from banjo and sea shanties, the musicians of The Mermaid will nimbly jump from toe-tapping fiddle tunes and boisterous sea shanties to heartfelt ballads and elegant art songs. 

While Dagher strums and sings classic sea shanties including “Haul on the bowline” and “Leave her Johnny,” soprano Elena Mullins Bailey (pictured left) will perform haunting Scottish ballads like “The Boatman” and Haydn’s delightful “Mermaid Song,” and violinist Allison Monroe will lend virtuosic flair to fiddle tunes from Thomas Calvert’s 1799 collection.

A Unique, Encompassing Approach to Storytelling

While each ballad and work song tells a story on its own, the structure of The Mermaid has a narrative too, with Seán Dagher taking the role of a sailor leaving on his latest sea voyage and soprano Elena Mullins Bailey as his beloved left back home. With musical selections grouped under headings like “Saying Farewells”; “Working by Day”; and “Tall Tales”, audiences will experience the sailor’s ocean adventure through music perfectly suited to each facet of his story.  

Artistic Director Debra Nagy explained, “I really want audiences to experience a kind of three-dimensionality to the seaman’s life. Sailors might be known for their drinking, boasting, and bluster but they also face constant danger and live with the loneliness that comes from leaving loved ones for long stretches of time. So, in addition to work songs, drinking songs, and tales of pirates and mermaids, we return several times during the program to sweet, refined music like Purcell’s famous ballad “If love’s a sweet passion” that conjures images of the sailor’s faithful lass.”

Introducing Seán Dagher: A Unique and Talented Artist

Seán Dagher makes his Les Délices debut with The Mermaid. A charismatic and experienced performer, LD is thrilled to partner with Dagher to bring the sea shanties he loves to Northeast Ohio audiences. A popular online figurehead for maritime folk music, his renditions of sea shanties and other songs from the Assassin’s Creed games have been streamed some 70 million times. Dagher’s own Shanty of the Week video series receives thousands of views a week and has a loyal following the world over. Nagy added, “I’m super excited to work with Seán on this program. He’s a fabulous musician and storyteller and his singing voice can be both gritty and incredibly sweet.”

In addition to performing with the ensemble in April, Dagher joins Les Délices for a series of outreach and special events March 6-9, 2025, culminating in two free, family-friendly community sing-alongs in Akron (March 8th) and Cleveland (March 9th). Those interested can pre-register for these free events at this link. You can learn more about our “Shanty Week” on our website.

EVENT DETAILS:
The Mermaid (April 25-27, 2025)
Les Délices sets sail in this program of folk songs, fiddle tunes, sea shanties, and more!

Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30 pm 
Knight Stage at Akron Civic Theater
182 South Main Street, Akron

Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 4:00 pm 
A pre-concert talk with WCLV’s John Mills, Debra Nagy, and Seàn Dagher will begin at 3:15 pm
Heights Theater
2781 Euclid Heights Boulevard, Cleveland Heights

Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 4:00 pm
A pre-concert talk with WCLV’s John Mills, Debra Nagy, and Seàn Dagher will begin at 3:15 pm
West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church
20401 Hilliard Boulevard, Rocky River

Streaming Online May 23 – June 8, 2025 on the LD virtual platform. Individuals can pre-order access at this link: https://lesdelices.vhx.tv/products/the-mermaid

Single tickets ($10/$28/$45) for live performances are on sale now: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=246047