UPDATED, Nov 24: Childsplay ended its 33 years of touring with a series of farewell concerts.

Bob ChildsChilds

 Its artistic director is Bob Childs, an Arlington violin maker for more than 40 years. He lived in five separate foster homes in his early years and went on to make violins to give voice to that disruptive experience through his instruments.

The concerts in Cambridge -- held at 3 and 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, at Sanders Theatre, Harvard Square -- included special guests Aoife O'Donovan and Liz Carroll.

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This final tour is to be made into a film for American public television.

A news release for "Childsplay: Fiddlers, Fiddles and Fiddlemaker," with singers Karan Casey and O’Donovan, describes it as an unparalleled fiddle supergroup embarking on its final tour ever this November after performing in Europe and the United States.

"Childsplay" features the collective voice of more than a dozen violins, all made by Childs, along with an all‐star supporting cast from the
United States and abroad. The group has performed before hundreds of thousands of fiddle‐music lovers, recorded seven albums, produced a widely viewed PBS documentary film and inspired musicians around the world with its unique spirit and ensemble signature sound.

It is the only touring band featuring the voices of violins all made by the same violin maker. In the same way that there is a familial tone to the voices of a family that sings together, Childsplay has evolved a signature sound that is based on original compositions and arrangements and powerful singing surrounded by multilayered harmonies.

Among the artists featured in Childsplay are all‐Ireland fiddle champion (Sheila Falls), two National Scottish Fiddle champions (Hanneke Cassel and Katie McNally), Boston Symphony violinist Bonnie Bewick, superstar vocalists Casey and O’Donovan, from Pilobolus dancer Molly Gawler and National Endowment for the Arts and National Heritage fellow, dancer Kevin Doyle.

This news obituary was published Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, and updated Nov. 24, to add a new photo.