CIM logo with black background 

Dedicated to handing down traditional Irish music to the next generation of musicians in our community. 
 
 
In This Issue:
Patrick Ball concert
New WIND club
Financial Aid deadline
IMDA Honors Paddy O'Brien
Norah Rendell and Natalie O'Shea to produce a show for Steppingstone Theatre
Upcoming Events

CELTIC HARP AND STORY CONCERT
FEATURING PATRICK BALL
 

 

MN Feis logo


October 8, 2010, 8 p.m.
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis,
3400 Dupont Ave. S.,
Minneapolis 55408
 
Tickets: $20 adults; $15 for 60+; $10 for under 16 years of age
Tickets available at:
Homestead Pickin' Parlor,
6625 Penn Ave., S. Richfield;
Irish on Grand, 1124 Grand Ave., St. Paul, and at the door night of performance
 
Patrick Ball is one of the premier Celtic harp players in the world and a captivating spoken word artist. He has recorded nine instrumental and three spoken word albums which have sold well over one-half million copies internationally and won national awards in both the music and spoken word categories.  He has been awarded grants for his work by the Zellerbach Family Fund and the California Arts Council and is the recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association.
Patrick Ball is a rare artist, for in playing the ancient, legendary brass-strung harp of Ireland with its crystalline, bell-like voice and performing marvelous tales of wit and enchantment, he not only brings new life to two cherished traditions, but blends them in concert to create "a richly theatrical and hauntingly beautiful performance."

NEW!  The WIND Club
 

CALLING ALL WIND-INSTRUMENT PLAYERS


Join our new, FREE club!  The Wind Club is all about the music and history of the Irish flute, tin whistle and fife.


It is OPEN TO ALL CURRENT CIM MEMBERS of ALL levels and ALL instruments.


We will meet once a month for about an hour.  CIM teachers and students alike will participate and present materials on: wind players, styles & regions, flute/ whistle/fife history & current events,
recordings, and anything on the topic of Irish wind instrument music.  We will also all learn a tune together based on the subject we talk about.

 

Dates and Times:
November 10, Wednesday, 7:30-8:30pm
December 1, Wednesday, 7:30-8:30pm

The Wind Club poster

Chad McAnally to open for Inside Ireland film...

2010 U.S. National Scottish Harp Champion Chad McAnally will open the Seventh Annual Travel and Adventure Film program "Inside Ireland" on Thursday, October 21st at 3:00 p.m. at the Richard G. Hardy Performing Arts Center at Cambridge-Isanti High School in Cambridge. He will also play during the "Irish Supper" from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the high school cafeteria. McAnally, who has played harp professionally for over 20 years, is a composer, teaches harp at the Center for Irish Music and has done several recordings. He is active in the TwinCities traditional music scene, where he plays in the band Rumgumption. Hearing Chad play beloved Irish melodic, haunting and rousing ballads, jigs, and reels is like stepping back in time to the days when harpers roamed the Irish countryside.  Following Chad, filmmaker Clint Denn will show and narrate live his circle tour film ofthe green isle called "Inside Ireland" at 3:30 p.m. See everything from quaint Irish villages to the rugged coast and from prehistoric sites to the beautiful green countryside.  After the film, enjoy an authentic Irish Supper.  Supper tickets must be purchased by Thursday, OCTOBER 14TH.  Purchase tickets for this program from Cambridge-Isanti CommunityEducation online at www.cambridge.k12.mn.us , by phone at 763-689-6189, or at the office at 625B Main St. N. in Cambridge. 
Financial Aid Deadline  

Mark your calendars!  The deadline to submit applications to receive financial aid for the CIM Winter term is Wednesday, December 15th.  Our financial aid policies and applications can be downloaded at our website at: http://www.centerforirishmusic. org/policies-and-forms/financial-aid/
The  Center For Irish Music is on Facebook!
 

Facebook page

As of October 5, we have 1,092 Fans!  Become a fan of the Center for Irish Music on Facebook to share ideas, keep up-to-date on current CIM events, and share your love of Irish music with the larger Irish community! 
  LinkedIn logo 
 
CIM has a LinkedIn group and we encourage CIM members to contact each other via this social networking site!
 
As always, we welcome your feedback and comments.  Please feel free to contact us at any time at:
 
The Center for Irish Music
@The Celtic Junction
836 Prior Avenue North
St. Paul, MN  55104
651-815-0083
 

October 2010

 
Our Fall term gets underway...
 
The enthusiasm and energy at the Center for Irish Music has been contagious lately!  Or so it seems, since our common space and lesson studios are alive with conversation, wonderful music, and lots of new faces.  As we head further into Fall term here at CIM, it is event time!  Take a few minutes to check out all the great events happening this month and next. 

We'd especially like to invite you to our first FAMILY SESSION of the term.  Family sessions are for all past and present CIM students and are a great way to share tunes, learn a few new ones, and see what your fellow students are working on.  Sessions are a good introduction to playing with others in a casual, fun environment.  Join us this Sunday, October 10th, in the CIM common space from 2-3:30pm. 
Irish on Grand Celebrates 20 Years!
Irish on Grand is having a week long 20th anniversary celebration from October 3rd through October 9th with a big Irish Party on Saturday, October 9th.

Exciting Announcement: In appreciation of the support from their loyal customers, Irish on Grand will offer 20% off all products and free drawings for a variety of wonderful prizes throughout the week of October 3rd through October 9th!

For more information and a list of all the performers at the tent party, go to Irish on Grand's website
IMDA Honors Paddy O'Brien
 Friday, October 29th at The Celtic Junction
 
Bua, summer 2010
Paddy O'Brien is regarded by serious players and collectors of Irish traditional music as one of the tradition's most important repositories; in a career that spans nearly forty years, he has collected more than 3,000 compositions-jigs, reels, hornpipes, airs, and marches, including many rare and unusual tunes.  His collection, all the more remarkable because it is stored in his head, is the result of many years of careful listening, diligent practice, and sharing tunes with people for the sake of the music itself.  

A product of County Offaly in the midlands of Ireland, Paddy traveled the countryside as a young man to spend time with older players, absorbing music and the accompanying oral tradition. Since the mid-1980s Paddy has toured with a number of different artists. Paddy currently tours and records with Irish traditional trio Chulrua.  

Paddy O'Brien is, by dint of nationality, experience, and talent, one of the leading authorities on Irish music, both as a scholar and as a traditional musician. His recognition as an authentic primary source for tunes was demonstrated when his music was selected for inclusion in Breandán Breathnach's Ceol Rince na hÉireann, the foremost scholarly work on the tradition. His mastery of the two-row button accordion was also acknowledged through prestigious awards: he was named Oireachtas champion four times, and All-Ireland senior accordion champion in 1975.

For many devotees of Irish music, Paddy O'Brien is the embodiment of the living tradition, one who understands and communicates the essence of Gaelic culture, going beyond technique to the spirit that drives the music. Paddy O'Brien captures the creativity, honesty, and enthusiasm that great traditional music is all about.
 
 
Article reprinted with permission from the IMDA

 Get Up Your Irish:
A Celebration in Music & Dance
created by Norah Rendell & Natalie O'Shea
March 11-20, 2011 
 
Echoes of issues that immigrants face today are found in this story of the immigrant experience from 100 years ago.  The music & dance of Ireland tell the story of Irish immigration to Minnesota.  Featuring young musicians from the Center for Irish Music, dancers from O'Shea Irish Dance, and members of the Two Tap Trio.
 
Get Up Your Irish is the story of a young boy's journey from Ireland to a new home in Saint Paul.  Painted with the stereotype of the combative Irishman, this young hero finds the courage to face conflicts with his fists down, and to unite his community.  Packed with toe-tapping dance numbers accompanied by fiddle, flute and guitar, this show will have your class singing for days!
 
This is Stepping Stone's best selling show so far, so book your tickets now.

Get up your Irish

For more information and to buy tickets, visit Steppingstone Theatre's website.
Upcoming Events
 
 
Friday, October 8
Celtic Harp and Story Concert featuring Patrick Ball. 8pm at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis.  Details in column at left.
 
Saturday, October 9
Celebrate Irish on Grand's 20th Anniversary at a tent party from 10am-6pm at Irish on Grand in St. Paul.  Details in story above.
 
The HiBs with Patsy O'Brien in concert at 7pm at Language Sprout, 844 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul.  Limited seating!  Tickets are $15 and are available by calling Kate Dowling 612-669-3013 or thehibs@comcast.net.
 
Sunday, October 10
CIM  Family Session from 2-3:30pm in the CIM common space.  Host is Cory Froehlich.  All students are invited!

Saturday, October 16
Third Saturday ceili at The Celtic Junction, 7 - 10pm.  Dance music is courtesy of the Twin Cities Ceili Band, featuring CIM instructors Tom Lockney and Cory Froelich. Mike Whalen will teach and call the dances. $5 per person, $20 maximum per family.  For more info., see http://www.lomamor.org/ 
  
Thursday, October 21
Chad McAnally opens for Inside Ireland film at 3pm.  For tickets and event details, see column at left.
 
Friday, October 22
Paddy O'Brien in Concert with Dale Russ and Brian Miller.  More details can be found at The Celtic Junction website.

Saturday, October 23
Macalester Pipe Band

. 7:30 p.m., Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, Macalester College Campus, St. Paul. Traditional Scottish and Irish bagpipe and drum music with dancing by the Hart School of Highland Dance. Tickets $10 (Macalester students free); more info at 651-387-6142 or macpipeband.com.
  
Friday, October 29
IMDA Honors Paddy O'Brien, 7pm at The Celtic Junction.  Tickets are $5 at the door.  More details above and at The Celtic Junction website.

Saturday, November 6

The Great Northern Irish Pipers' Club and the Irish Music and Dance Association are sponsoring their third Open Mic Night at Celtic Junction!  Night