Sunday’s “Irish Christmas in America” blended together traditional Irish music, the Christmas spirit, and facets of Irish culture into a memorable Christmas concert experience.

As the name suggests, “Irish Christmas” celebrates the culture, tradition and spirit of Christmas, but with an Irish twist. The show demonstrates its cultural heritage and pride through performing musical numbers using Irish instruments and lyrics. The audience reveled in stories about the Irish Christmas culture that gave the show a genuinely Celtic feel.

Flagstaff resident Cyndi Crawley, who had recently visited Ireland, said she genuinely enjoyed the concert’s atmosphere.

“It was really authentic and fun,” Crawley said. “What you saw up there was definitely the kind of thing you see going around in the clubs and stuff in Ireland.”

With all five musical acts hailing from different parts of Ireland, the show displayed a wide variety of musical talent. Already in its sixth year, the “Irish Christmas” tour boasts talents such as Seamus Begley on the accordion and Oisin Mac Diarmada on the fiddle. All the instrumentalists present showcased some of the best talent in their respective fields.

Nicole Ellis, a freshman photography major, said she was awed by the performers.

“I thought the music was great,” Ellis said. “The way they managed to make everything they played sound so pretty was amazing. The way they played their instruments so fast was really cool, too.”

Among the Irish Gaelic and instrumental pieces performed during the show, holiday favorites such as “Silent Night” were given the Emerald Isle treatment. Traditional Irish dancing was brought to the forefront of the show by dancer Brian Cunningham, whose sporadic appearances made the show surprising and spontaneous.

While “Irish Christmas” has various positive aspects, Flagstaff resident Debbie Hurst said she was disappointed by the lack of attendance at the Orpheum.

“It makes me kind of upset to see that the theater was so empty,” Hurst said. “Such a wonderful show should have a lot more people filling the seats. I wish more people would just pay attention to what’s going on here.”

In addition to the dancing and singing, breaks between performances made room for audience interaction and improvised comedic banter between the performers.

Throughout the show, narrator and bodhran (an Irish frame drum) player Tristan Rosenstock provided constant commentary about the Irish culture and Christmas customs. His clever narration and Ireland-based stories were accompanied by a certain brand of wit that was thoroughly enjoyable. The interesting aspects about Irish culture brought a fresh perspective to what seemed to be a one-dimensional music show.

“All I was really expecting was music,” Hurst said. “But the humor was great, and I really had a good time hearing all the stories from Ireland and learning about the Irish Christmas traditions.”