Concert this Saturday, March 4 - Liz Carroll & John Doyle
7:00 p.m., Unity Center of Columbia, 1600 W. Broadway
(show begins at 7, doors open at 6:30) 
Last Friday, Liz Carroll was featured on NPR's "All Things Considered." You can listen to the interview here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5232287

"There is no better tandem in Irish traditional music today." - Wall Street Journal, about Liz Carroll and John Doyle

Liz Carroll is universally recognized as one of the greatest Irish fiddlers playing today. Born in Chicago of Irish immigrant parents, Liz astounded the Irish music world in 1975 when she won the senior All-Ireland fiddling championship at the age of eighteen. In a genre noted for its virtuosic musicians, she is widely admired for her diverse repertoire, her dazzling original compositions and her unique and carefully crafted playing style. Liz has recorded numerous albums and performed all over the United States and Europe. In 1994 she was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts for her contributions to traditional Irish music in America.

A native of Dublin, John Doyle emigrated to New York City a decade ago, and while still a teenager, joined the ground-breaking group Chanting House, which also featured future legends Seamus Egan and Eileen Ivers.   Immediately taking the metropolitan area by storm, in short order John found himself the most sought after accompanist in the country. An exponent of the "Drop-D" style tuning, his unique, percussive style, combined with his innovative use of an unusually heavy sixth string, has resulted in critics marveling at what they simultaneously describe as a rhythm, bass and percussion section all rolled into one.  In 1995 he reunited with Seamus Egan to become the rhythmic genius behind Solas, which was instantly hailed as the greatest Irish traditional band to ever emerge from North America. Their first three albumsreceived unparalleled acclaim, each one winning the NAIRD award as Traditional Album(s) of the Year. 

John's solo album "Wayward Son"  was named the Celtic Connections Album of the Year award for 2005.

John's father, Sean Doyle, is also a well known singer. He released an album in 2003 called "The Light and the Half-Light".

www.lizcarroll.com

Membership Drive

It's the time of year when we ask Celtic music lovers to show their appreciation for the concert events, ongoing activities and summer arts program that we've been providing by paying your membership dues.

If you've paid in the past, you probably received a letter and renewal form in the mail this week.  Please consider bringing the form with you to the concert Saturday to pay dues at the same time.

If you have never paid dues to CMCAA, please consider doing so. 
Annual membership dues are $20 for a family, $12 for an individual or $8 for a student or senior.

Why pay?  CMCAA is 100% volunteer run organization.  We try very hard to keep our overhead expenses very low (this newsletter is an example -- it only goes out by e-mail and web) so that all our resources can go toward bringing great Celtic music opportunities to you.   We also keep our advertising and other administrative costs to a bare minimum because it is important to us to keep our events and programs very accessible.  Our concert ticket prices are very reasonable, and that doesn't happen by accident.  For the past five years we have brought music instructors from Ireland to provide opportunities to learn Irish traditional music and dance from authentic, first-hand sources who grew up immersed in traditional music.  There is no substitute for learning Irish music from an Irish person who grew up with it in their house from birth.  It's a great opportunity for those who participate, but it is an expensive and very labor intensive program.   Membership dues form the base fund for all of these programs and events, and the "cushion" we depend on in in order to plan and book events into the future so that we can be sure we'll be able to meet our expenses. 

Need another reason?  If you join or renew before the concert on Saturday, your name will be entered into a drawing for a Celtic CD at intermission.
(You do not have to be present to win - you can pay your dues online at the web site or mail them in using the form on the web.)

Friday, March 10 - Irish concert AND folk dancing!

What: Concert with Cherish the Ladies, prsented by Lincoln University
            followed by Irish social dancing and reception sponsored by CMCAA
When: Friday, March 10.  Concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Richardson Auditorium, 710 E. Dunklin St.,   Lincoln University Campus, Jefferson City / Tickets: $15/$12 or $5 for students.  Available online or at the door. http://w3.lincolnu.edu/~sita/
There is a campus map of LU here: http://www.lincolnu.edu/files/CAMPUS-MAP.pdf

Cherish the Ladies has been among the principle traditional Irish bands to introduce the world to Irish music-dance and goodwill. Founded in 1983 by Mick Moloney and Joanie Madden, their 1985 recording "The Back Door" was selected by the Library of Congress as "Best Folk Album of the Year." They have shared the stage with many notable performers such as Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, Joan Baez and the Clancy Brothers. The New York Times hailed their music as "passionate, tender and rambunctious. They expand the annals of Irish music in America." The musicians will be joined on stage by traditional Irish dancers.

(Pre)-St. Patrick's Day Celebration -- concert, jam session & socializing
Saturday, March 11, 7 p.m.
Location: The Chez Coffeehouse, 100 Hitt Street Columbia.
The evening starts with a concert with Tim Langen (fiddle) and Jesse Langen (guitar), followed by a jam session and socializing. All musicians are invited to participate.    This is relaxed and very family-friendly event.   Bring your favorite green food or beverage to share!

Brothers Tim and Jesse Langen learned traditional music from their Canadian grandfather who was a great fiddler. Tim branched off into Irish music while in college in Boston and Chicago, playing with some well known musicians on the scene, including Liz Carroll, Dennis Cahill, John Williams, Larry Nugent, Tim Britton and others. He has been in Columbia for several years now, where he is a professor at MU, and teaches fiddle and plays music for ceili dances and other occasions as time allows. Jesse Langen is currently pursuing a doctorate of music in guitar performance at Northwestern University.  As a classical guitarist, he performs regularly in the Chicago area and elsewhere in the country, and occasionally in Europe. In 2002 he was a featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  With encouragement from Tim and friend and Irish musician John Williams, Jesse has been rediscovering traditional music in recent years and now is avid to play whenever the opportunity allows.

Suggested donation at the door: $10 / $8 CMCAA members, kids 16 & under attend free.

Celtic Book Club News
Next meeting for the Celtic-themed CMCAA book club is
MONDAY, MARCH 27, 6:00 pm, Cherry Street Artisan

News from Erin Clair, book club organizer...
In March, we'll be heading to Scotland by reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped.  This historical adventure novel, published in 1886, is set amid the Jacobite troubles of Scotland.  Kidnapped is among Stevenson's best known works, along with Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  A Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of the novel was recently featured on PBS.  I hope you enjoy it!

Also, look for an article about the Celtic Book Group in the April edition of Columbia Home Magazine!

Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped.  Editions are available at any bookstore.  I recommend the Penguin Classics edition, as it contains the original serial illustrations as well as background information.

For more info, see http://moceltic.org/book-club.html or contact Erin Clair, eccvwf@mizzou.edu

March 28 - 31 Two important events in St. Louis

Tionol -- Irish music workshops
The St Louis Tionol and Mississippi River Celtic Festival features a full day of music workshops with master musicians, music sessions and a huge concert featuring all the musician-instructors.

Featured instructors this year includeGed Foley (begining fiddle), John Carty (advanced fiddle), Tommy Martin and Michael Cooney teaching Uilleann pipes, John Skelton teaching flute, and Albert Alfonso will teach bodhran repair,  construction and manufacture.

Tionol schedule and list of workshops/performers: www.tionol.org

Irish Immersion Weekend

Craic, Ceol agus Caint will be in abundance in St. Louis the weekend of March 31, April 1 and 2.  Tionól and Cumann na Gaeilge have combined with Oideas Gael, County Donegal, Ireland, to hold an Irish Language Immersion Weekend in conjunction with Tionól 2006.   Attendees will study Irish with native speakers Friday evening, all day Saturday and half-day Sunday.   They will be able to join the céili and the concert Friday and Saturday evenings.  And, of course, there will be plenty of craic all around.

The price of the weekend is $175 which includes language classes, admission to both the céili at Schlafley's Taproom and the concert at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and a sit-down dinner Saturday and farewell lunch Sunday with the other language students and faculty.

Irish immersion weekend information: WWW.CNAGSTL.ORG

Concert Announcement - Chulrua, May 21
7:00 p.m., Unity Center of Columbia

About Chulrua:
Button accordion player Paddy O'Brien, a native of County Offaly, is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant to record and annotate 500 dance tunes (a small fraction of his repertoire), and is revered by lovers of Irish traditional music around the world. Paddy has the ability to distill the essence of Ireland, and pour out a full measure through his accordion. Patrick Ourceau, a fiddler of rare talent and sophistication, cut his teeth in sessions in his native Paris, but eventually was drawn to the musical dialects of Clare and East Galway.. The intertwining of button accordion and fiddle is arguably the loveliest sound in Irish traditional music. It is perfectly complimented by the deft and delicate guitar playing of Tipperary native Pat Egan.  His smooth baritone does full justice to these well chosen songs. Listen to Chulrua, and you’ll think you’ve traveled to Ireland, or heaven; it is really much the same thing.

Local and Regional Celtic Events Calendar

Note --  There is a new web site for all things Irish in St. Louis:
http://www.irishinstlouis.com/index2.html

Irish set dancing occurs at two locations in Columbia every week, one group meets on Tuesday evenings and the other meets on Wednesday evenings.  You can contact Kat Difoxfire 573-214-2102 or Rune Sharp 573-875-4836 for more information.

Irish music slow jam occurs every Wednesday evening from 7:30 - 9. Contact Sherry Borcherding at borcherdings@health.missouri.edu  for more information.

All local and regional events that I hear about get posted on the web calendar here:
http://moceltic.org/calendar.html

It's updated frequently, so please check often. If you hear of an event, send me a note, because I might not already know! kakers@moceltic.org

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