Welcher has created a wholly-Celtic masterpiece in Minstrels of the Kells. Citing a good number of Irish classics, he covers the duality of the music - the soul-searing angst and mournfulness, and the toe-tapping reels and jigs that we know and love. This is a marvelous concert piece that was commissioned by the Big Twelve Band Directors Association. (An interesting option- Welcher provides a spot in the second movement for the addition of a “pub band” (Irish folk band) and a three-minute vamp).