MIM: Minnesota Irish Music Weekend, June 14-17, 2012

[tommykleen]

A new event, The Minnesota Irish Music Weekend will be held June 14-17, in St. Paul, Minnesota USA.
This unique festival is presented by the Center for Irish Music (in collaboration with the Great Northern Irish Pipers' Club) pairing world-class traditional Irish musicians and teachers with youth and adult learners for a weekend of workshops, lectures and a rare and virtuosic concert on Saturday night.

This event is unique in its mission to provide traditional Irish music programming for all ages and abilities, from a beginner program for children ages 7-11 (taught by Center for Irish Music instructors), to a full three-day youth music course (all Irish instruments) and a wide variety of 80-minute workshops for adults on uilleann pipes, flute, piano, Irish accompaniment, Irish harp, fiddle and more, all led by visiting artists:
Harry Bradley (Belfast) - flute, uilleann pipes
Felix Dolan (New York) - piano
Jesse Smith (Baltimore/Dublin) - fiddle
Devin Shepherd (Chicago) - fiddle
Eileen Gannon (St. Louis) - Irish harp

The weekend will also feature some interesting events for Irish music aficionados such as a lecture on the music of the famous Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman (who emigrated to New York in 1914 eventually making over 80 of the most influential recordings of Irish traditional music of the century). You won't want to miss a fascinating interview –by local musician and scholar Dáithí Sproule– of New York pianist Felix Dolan on the history of the Irish music scene in New York. Felix Dolan recorded a tribute album to Michael Coleman with Andy McGann and Joe Burke and will have many interesting stories to tell about famous Irish American musicians from the NY area.

See you in St. Paul in June!