June 2015

On May 27-29, the Irish Ambassador to the US, Anne Anderson and Vice Consul General, Nicholas Michael visited the Twin Cities.  The Celtic Junction hosted a lovely reception featuring music by the CIM

Members of the CIM's Advanced Youth Ensemble with Irish Ambassador  Anne Anderson at a reception on May 27th.

Grúpa Ceoil (Advanced Youth Ensemble), O'Shea Irish dancers, Chad McAnally, the Brian Boru pipe band, and session tunes from Emma Fitzgerald, Ryan Behnke, Ryan Johnson, and Rosa Wells.  Board member Greg Padden  and I, along with many of the Twin Cities' Irish community, attended a luncheon put on by the Minnesota International Center in the IDS tower on May 28th.  Finally, Natalie, Cormac, Brian and I attended a press conference and mini-exhibition at the Minnesota History Center with Senator Amy Klobuchar, Mayor Chris Coleman, and Adam Scher (senior curator of the MHS).

May 31st was our day of Spring recitals.  CIM students, families, instructors, staff and board members enjoyed over four hours of performances of gorgeous Irish music over three recitals!  Well done! 

Enjoy reading through this dense newsletter, and I look forward to seeing you this summer.

CELTIC CUTIES (Ages 2-4)  Meets on Friday mornings from 9:15-10:00am for 5 weeks:  June 19, 26, July 10, 17 & 24.

SINGING SWEETIES (Ages 4-6)  Meets on Friday mornings from 10:15-11:00am for 5 weeks: June 19, 26, July 10, 17 & 24.

IRISH GAELIC SONGS FOR YOUNG SINGERS (Ages 10-14)  Meets on Tuesday evenings from 6-7pm for 8 weeks starting June 23rd.  No class on July 28th.  

SUMMER PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE (Ages 11-18 intermediate-advanced) - Meets on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 4:45-6:15pm on June 17, 18, July 8, 9, 15, 16, 29, 30, August 5, 6.  This class will be cancelled by June 12th if enrollment does not increase.

Young Adult Ensemble	Learning Trad Songs in English & Irish
Irish Pub Songs	Introduction to Bodhran
Beginning Irish Language	Open Sky Ensemble
Singing Irish Gaelic Songs	An Luan Ensemble

SUMMER CAMPS

Each summer, the CIM plans a selection of fun, creative, physically active, and educational music camps that cater to new and experienced students alike. With a central location at the Celtic Junction, near to the beautiful Newell Park, many CIM camps include a daily jaunt outside to relax in the fresh summer air.

For ages 8-12.  Taught by Mattie Ernst.  Camp meets daily from 1pm-3pm, July 13th-17th.  Tuition:  $114.00

 EXPLORING IRISH INSTRUMENTS  

For ages 4-7.  Taught by music teacher and flautist, Becca Michaelson. Camp meets daily from 9am-12pm, August 10th-14th.  Tuition:  $149.00

 

PLAYING TOGETHER-AN INTRODUCTION TO ENSEMBLE PLAYING 
For ages 8-12.  Taught by Norah Rendell.  Camp meets daily from 9:30-11:30am, August 24th-28th.  Tuition:  $114.00

 

For complete information about each of these camps and to register, please visit our website.

An Impressive Number of CIM Students Qualified to Compete at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in August!

The Midwest Fleadh Cheoil (pronounced 'flah kee-ohl') is the regional traditional Irish music competition put on annually by the international Irish music organization called Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.  Congratulations to the talented musicians who competed at the Midwest Regional Fleadh in Cincinnati this year!  This year, the Center for Irish Music sent eleven students ages 10-17 and three young adults - Ryan Behnke, Michal Sinak, and Rosa Wells - to compete in 38 different competitions.  Of the 38 competitions, 30 of them placed in the top three!  We are proud to announce that this year, EVERY musician who travelled to Cincinnati placed in the top three in at least one competition. Instructors, Brian Miller, Norah Rendell, and Rosa Wells went along on the trip to play with the accompaniment students, support families, and lead group competition rehearsals.  All in all, it was a very successful trip!  All of the students, parents and instructors had a wonderful time getting to know one another better as we enjoyed tunes on the bus, meals (and cupcakes) together and many good chats throughout the weekend. You can view all of the results here. THANK YOU to our donors who supported this trip through donations to the Travel Fund.  We would not have been able to make this life-changing, music-affirming trip a priority for our students without your generous support.

We have uploaded an album full of more great photos documenting our trip to the fleadh on our Facebook page.  Click here to view them easily.