December 13
Friend of CIM and talented local musician Laura MacKenzie will be bringing her Celtic Holiday show to the Hopkins Center for the Arts at 8pm TONIGHT. Mention your CIM student status when you call their box office at 952-979-1111 and you will get discounted tickets for $12!
December 13-30
Sean Egan is providing music for In the Heart of the Beast puppet Theatre's Winter Dreams, a puppet show for all ages.
December 14
The Two Tap Trio will be at The Dubliner Pub, 9:30pm-12:30am at the corner of Vandalia and University in St. Paul.
December 15
Apply now for financial aid for Spring term! Applications are due on Thursday. Information and the application forms are available at our website.
December 16
The Celtic Junction Christmas Ceili is from 7-10pm and features dance calling by Mike Whalen and music by The Twin Cities Ceili Band!
The Two Tap Trio will be at The Sunshine Kitchen and Moonshine Lounge in Brainerd. 8-11pm.
December 17
The Two Tap Trio will be at Brigid's Cross Irish Pub in Bemidji, 8pm-12am.
December 18
Charlie Heymann will lead his 2nd Annual Yuletide Sing at The Celtic Junction from 4:30-6pm. Admission is $5 (CIM students free)
December 19 - January 1
CIM is on break for two weeks for the holidays. Classes resume on Monday, January 2.
January 7
Join The Two Tap Trio in concert at The Celtic Junction at 8pm! Don't miss this fabulous evening of traditional Irish music from 3 of CIM's talented instructors!
February 25, 2012
Save the date for �igse 2012! Our 4th annual fundraiser and instructor concert is not to be missed! More details to come.
June 14-17, 2012
Save the date for our Minnesota Irish Music Weekend! After a much-needed year off, we are very excited to present a new and improved incarnation of our beloved Young Irish Musicians Weekend for all ages! Children and youth will still have their own independent programs with visiting Irish musicians, but due to popular demand we will be expanding the adult programming for the weekend.
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FUNDRAISING VOLUNTEERS REQUESTED
As our fundraising efforts gain momentum, we could use some help with writing thank you cards, tracking donor benefits, etc. If you are interested, please contact Lisa Forrette, CIM Fundraising Director.
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CHECK OUT AND LISTEN TO OUR SESSION TUNES & COMMON REPERTOIRE PAGE!
This is a valuable learning tool for ALL of our students! We encourage you to visit this site often. The site has both slow and fast recordings of some of the most commonly taught songs at CIM. Along with the recordings is the sheet music for the tune. Thanks to Brian Miller and Shawn McBurnie for working hard to get this information available to our students! To access this page, click here.
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The Center For Irish Music is on Facebook!
As of Dec. 12, we have 1,476 Fans! WOW! 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!
And tell your friends, too!
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CIM has a LinkedIn group and we encourage CIM members to contact each other via this social networking site.
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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
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DECEMBER 2011
Happy Holidays
from all of us at CIM!
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An inspiring day of music...
Thank you to all of our students and families for making our Fall recitals and potluck celebrations a resounding success! We had a lively afternoon filled with beautifully-sung songs, well-played traditional tunes, laughter, and yummy treats. It brings all of us at the Center for Irish Music such joy and satisfaction to see our students' musicianship develop and improve with every recital. The tradition here in the Twin Cities is certainly in good hands. (Scroll down to the end of this column for select photos from the recitals. A more complete photo album of the event can be viewed at our Facebook page.)
Current students, please be reminded that we have 4 more weeks of instruction in this Fall term. Classes continue this week, Dec. 12-18, then take two weeks off for the holidays. There are then three more full weeks of classes before the term ends on January 22.
We would also like to make a very important announcement that after three years of volunteering as CIM's Administrator, Emily Flagstad will now be the Managing Director here at the CIM. The Managing Director role has developed naturally out of Emily's intimate knowledge of the school and her exceptional skills in networking, outreach and community organization. For the next year, Emily's energy will be focused in these areas including the newsletter, CIM events, developing more outreach programming, as well as continuing to be a core volunteer staff person and major support for the school during periods when Norah is on tour.
Thank you Emily for everything you do for the school. We wouldn't be where we are without you!
With that, all of us at the Center for Irish Music would like to wish you all the best for the holiday season. Take care of one another and don't forget to gather your friends together to make some music over the break.
--Norah Rendell, Executive Director
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Welcome to our new home at The Celtic Junction!
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The hallway of our new space, still under construction
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We are excited to announce that we have moved into our new, beautiful home at The Celtic Junction! Wtih the help of some very generous volunteers, all of our furniture, musical instruments, and supplies were moved from the north east end of the building to the newly renovated, built-just-for- us space at the south end of the building. Our new classrooms are large, bright with natural light, and sound proof for improved lessons! Come visit us in our new space soon. We look forward to giving you a tour!
A special thank you to our team of dedicated volunteers:
Siobhan Dugan Pat McCormick Emily Flagstad Rachel Mann D�ith� Floody Todd Menton Dylan Hatch Brian Miller Flora Klein Jeanne Morales Tom Klein Cormac O'Se Emma Liu & kids Natalie O'Shea Mike Lynch Norah Rendell Nik Tranby
REQUEST FOR DONATION OF FURNITURE AND SUPPLIES As our square footage grows, so too does our furniture and supply needs! If you have any of the following items that are in really good shape that you are interested in donating to CIM, please let us know.
- Large lockable metal filing cabinets
- Foldable 8' round tables
- Medium-sized wooden children's chairs (for 6-10 year olds), armless
- Supply cabinets
- Heavy-duty shelving units (for instrument storage)
- L-shaped desks
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Holiday Gift Ideas
CIM GIFT CERTIFICATES
Still looking for that perfect gift for your loved one? Look no further! Gift certificates for lessons or classes at CIM are a wonderful way to get your music-lover involved at CIM. Our gift certificates are available in any amount and are redeemable for up to one year after the date of purchase. Contact Emily to discuss details and to purchase.
CIM INSTRUCTOR & BAND CDS
We have in stock at CIM many of the cds that our talented instructors have produced on their own or with their bands. You can peruse our instructors' cds by clicking on the Bands and Websites link on our web page. They make perfect stocking stuffers!
**If you are looking for a cd of Christmas music, New Folk Records has just released a recording that CIM instructor Todd Menton worked on a few years ago titled A New England Christmas. Todd brings his superb talents on the tin whistle and bodhr�n to this recording, headed by local musician John Wright. This delightful collection of folk and Celtic instrumentals will add a traditional Irish touch to your holiday celebrations. To order, contact New Folk Records.
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IMDA Grant Opportunity!
The Irish Music & Dance Association offers educational grants to help students of any age to pursue an interest in the traditional arts of Ireland. Over the years many of their grants have gone to musicians. The CIM encourages all of its students to apply. Applications are available for IMDA Educational Grants. The application deadline is April 15, 2012. Applications and info. are available on the IMDA website.
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Fall Recital Photos
These photos from The Center for Irish Music's recitals on Sunday are a poor substitute for having been there, but even if only a tiny portion of the passion that these students have for their music comes through, you can imagine the emotional impact they had while performing. Thank you to all of our student musicians!
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