First gig of 2024 in Mayo venue will be a very special one

The first gig of 2024 in Ballina Arts Centre will be a very special one indeed as Christine Tobin presents new arrangements of Leonard Cohen songs as well as choice originals and other favourites. The gig, for which Christine will be joined by Phil Robson, is entitled A Thousand Kisses Deep, and will take place on Saturday, January 20, commencing at 8 p.m.

In her own writing, Christine Tobin specializes in idiosyncratic, highly musical poetic vignettes with a strong sense of story, so it’s no surprise that she weaves magic with the profound, sensual songs of Cohen, and in her musical settings of WB Yeats and contemporary Irish poet Paul Muldoon. She has chosen Cohen’s songs from his early 1960s albums through to his 2001 release, Ten New Songs.

Having been an integral part of both the New York and London scenes for many years, Christine is now based in northwest Roscommon. Her unique, rich sound was described by The Guardian as ‘Tobin’s 24 carat voice’. Her expressive range acknowledges finely acquired jazz, folk and 20th century European art song influences.

Christine can be junkyard blues philosopher, snappy beat seductress, a conduit for exquisite zen-like harmonies, or reflective Americana. MOJO Music Magazine said of her: “Christine Tobin really transcends glib genre-fiction… Everything is shot through with an unmistakable refinement, free-spirited earthiness and giddy romanticism, this singer-songwriter is in a field of one.”

A Thousand Kisses Deep won a prestigious Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe and the album received rave reviews.

In 2012 she won a BASCA British Composer Award for her settings of WB Yeats, and in 2014 she was awarded Jazz Vocalist of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Earlier in her career Christine was named best vocalist at the BBC Jazz Awards.

Tickets for the show cost €18/€16 and can be booked online here. Find out more at ballinaartscentre.com.