Saturday, November 6, 2010

Ceili!

Irish Ceili with live music by The Beggarmen at the Senior Center on Saturday, November 6 from 7 to 10 pm.

Come to the Center and enjoy the fall Ceili dance featuring live music by the Iowa City based Irish band The Beggarmen and dancing by the Ghrá na Gaeilge Irish Dancers. Caller Gerry Bade of the Quad Cities Ceili Club will lead dancers through the steps of the various ceili dances.

‘Ceili’ is an Irish Gaelic word used to describe a social gathering featuring music and dancing as well as story telling, poetry reading, and other activities. All experience levels from newcomers to experienced dancers and all ages are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Irish session this Sunday, October 24th!

Join us this Sunday at the Senior Center for an Irish session.

The Dutchers will not be in attendance this coming Sunday but the room is reserved and the session will still be taking place (if you show up!)

The sessions are the fourth Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm. 24 South Linn Street in Iowa City. All are welcome!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Irish session this Sunday, September 26!

Join us this Sunday at the Senior Center for an Irish session.

The sessions are the fourth Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm. 24 South Linn Street in Iowa City. All are welcome!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Fiddlers Showcase

I'm very honored to be in such good company tomorrow night. Here are the details from Marc Janssen:

Fiddlers Showcase, a preview of the Fiddlers Picnic

Confirmed performers will be Al Murphy, Guy Drollinger, Deb Hunemuller, Dave Hicks, Norbert Sarsfield, David Mehaffey, and Tara Dutcher. Keith Reins and I (Marc Janssen) will be on hand to provide some guitar backing.

Each player will have roughly 15 minutes to discuss their fiddling background, key influences, and play a few tunes. The time should allow each player to play 3-4 tunes to showcase that player's style and influences.

Saturday, September 18 at 7 pm
Uptown Bill's
NEW LOCATION: 730 South Dubuque Street in Iowa City

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Hootenanny 2010

Once a year, we have a hootenanny potluck where all my students, friends, and fellow musicians come together to play music, dance, share food, watch the kids scramble around on the rocks near the pond, and generally have a great time.

Several of my students attended and played in a traditional session. I was really proud of all of them.

Fiddling

Fiddling

Fiddling

I didn't get a picture of the food this year, nor did I get to eat very much of it due to all my flitting about. This is a real pity because these folks can cook.

The kids had a great time running around together and playing.

Pavilion

Play

Friends

I think even the ducks enjoyed the music, don't you? Isn't the one on the left there tapping his little webbed foot?

Friendly fowl

I took a terribly shaky and low quality video of some excellent and high quality music and dancing. It's a lot of work putting the hootenanny together but these twenty four seconds will show you what made it all worthwhile.

Friday, August 27, 2010

2 September Sessions to make up for missing August

You didn't receive a session reminder last week because I had it in my head that the session was this coming Sunday, April 29, when in reality April 22 was the fourth Sunday of the month. Joe was out of town last weekend so I wouldn't have been able to come anyway because our boys only do well at the session when both of us are there.

We missed our August session! I am so sorry. I can make it up to you, though! September will have two session opportunities: the Hootenanny Potluck on Saturday, September 11 and the regular session on Sunday, September 26.

Details:

3rd Annual Hootenanny Potluck
Saturday, September 11 beginning at 5 pm
North Ridge Pavilion
2250 Holiday Rd.
Coralville, Iowa

Bring a dish to pass and your instrument/s and dancing shoes. All ages are welcome. There is a wonderful park on site for the kids and plenty of covered space in case of rain.

We're trying to be as green as possible, so please bring tableware if you have some. Compostable plates and forks will be provided also. We did purchase the temporary alcohol permit and are now accepting keg requests!

Kids' Irish session begins at 6, Open session begins at 7.

All are welcome, please feel free to bring your friends!

Link to 2009 Hootenanny Pictures
Link to 2008 Hootenanny Pictures

September Session
Sunday, September 26 from 2 to 4 pm
Iowa City Senior Center
24 South Linn Street

Hope to see you there!!!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Busy weekend!

This morning (July 24), you can catch the Beggarmen at the Iowa City Farmer's Market (Chauncy Swan parking structure on Washington Street) from 9 to 11 am.

Then tonight, please come out and help us celebrate the release of our third CD A Soft Day, made possible by a grant from the Iowa Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. This event will be tonight (July 24) at the Mill (120 E Burlington in Iowa City) beginning at 7 pm. The concert will be immediately followed by a traditional Irish session so please bring your instruments!

Finally, Join us this Sunday (July 25) at the Senior Center for an Irish session.

The sessions are the fourth Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm. 24 South Linn Street. All are welcome!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Irish session this Sunday, June 27th

Join us this Sunday at the Senior Center for an Irish session.

The sessions are the fourth Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm. 24 South Linn Street. All are welcome!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Irish session this Sunday, May 23!

Join us this Sunday at the Senior Center for an Irish session.

The sessions are the fourth (not always the last!) Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm. 24 South Linn Street. All are welcome!

Friday, April 23, 2010

St. Louis Tionól 2010


We had a fantastic time at Tionól in St. Louis! We met some wonderful friends from all over the world... (click on the links to see the larger pictures)

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...connected with some friends from home...

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...proudly watched our students dive right in with the adults...

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...made music into the wee hours of the morning...

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...learned some new things (our amazing dancing friend Tré Champagne of the Ghrá na Gaeilge Irish dancers took her first bodhrán workshop)...

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...played some new tunes...

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...told the stories of our lives...

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...somebody played in his first Irish session at McGurk's Tavern...

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...did a little sightseeing (the Arch!)...

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...blended right in with the best of them...

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...made time for a little nonmusical fun...

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...and stopped for fireworks on the way home (what, didn't you?)

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I was very lucky to take a class with one of my fiddle heroes, John McEvoy of Dublin and two of my students took a class with young Irish fiddle dynamo Oisín Mac Diarmada. I can't recommend this musical event more highly. It was a fantastic weekend.

We are already looking forward to Tionól 2011!

Irish session this Sunday, April 25

Join us this Sunday at the Senior Center for an Irish session.

The sessions have moved to the last Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm. 24 South Linn Street. All are welcome!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Irish session this Sunday, March 28!

Join us this Sunday at the Senior Center for an Irish session.

The sessions have moved to the last Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm. 24 South Linn Street. All are welcome!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Ceili!

Our first Iowa City ceili was a rousing success!

Music by the Beggarmen, step dancing by the Ghrá na Gaeilge Irish dancers, calling by Gerry Bade of the Quad Cities Ceili Club. We had over one hundred people in attendance and many traveled from the Quad Cities, Fairfield and further to attend. We plan to have another ceili at the Center sometime this fall.




Friday, February 26, 2010

Irish session this Sunday, February 28

Please join us on Sunday afternoon from 2 to 4 pm for an Irish session. Scroll down for details! Let me know if you have any questions.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Irish Sessions, new day!

We had a wonderful time at the Irish session last Sunday. We have lots of space in the Assembly Room at the Center and, in addition to fiddles, guitars, flutes, whistles, uilleann pipes, washtub bass, and bodhrán, we were very lucky to be joined by the Ghrá na Gaeilge Irish dancers for some of the tunes. We also loved having so much space and access to a beautiful grand piano for some Cape Breton-esque accompaniment by Keith.

Please note that the sessions are moving to the last Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm beginning on February 28.

The Center (formerly known as the Senior Center) is located at 24 South Linn Street in Iowa City. Contact Tara with any questions. Hope to see you all there!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Something for the little ones...

I'm very excited to be joining the Kindermusik staff at West Music this semester for two toddler classes on Friday mornings. It's very likely that my fiddle and mandolin will be making an appearance in class this semester!

On Saturday, February 6 from 10 to 11 am, there will be a Kindermusik open house at West Music in Coralville. The open house is an opportunity to meet the teachers, explore the music room, have some snacks together, and sign up for the semester. Spread the word to all the musical toddlers in your life.

Irish Seisiún and Beggarmen at Trinity

Please join us this Sunday, February 7, from 2 to 4 pm in the Assembly Room of the Center in Iowa City (24 South Linn Street) for an Irish session. All are welcome to play, dance, or just listen.

The Beggarmen are also performing a concert at 4:30 that afternoon at Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City (320 East College Street) to celebrate the re-dedication of the chapel now that the LEED certified renovations are complete.

For more information about both events, contact Tara Dutcher.


Friday, January 15, 2010

Beggarmen concert to support Haiti

Please join us on Saturday, January 23rd at 7 pm at Uptown Bill's small Mall for a benefit concert to support aid efforts in Haiti.

There is no cover charge but freewill donations are accepted. 100% of the proceeds will go to aid efforts in Haiti via the International Red Cross.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Tionól 2010 Registration Now Open!

We are very lucky here in Iowa City to be in relatively close proximity to a Irish traditional music weekend workshop that is unmatched across the country. Every April, musicians gather from all over the world to St. Louis to learn from the masters of Irish traditional music.

Teachers this year include Oisín Mac Diarmada, John McEvoy, John Wynne, Paul Smyth, Mary Mac Namara, Mirella Murray, Leo Rickard, Tom Clarke, Michael Cooney, John Skelton, Kathleen Conneely, Darren Maloney, Patsy O'Brien, Grainne Hambly, Roger Landes, Brian Hart, Mark Stone, Chris Weddle, not to mention the Beggarmen's own Keith Reins who is widely regarded as one of the top Irish traditional guitarists in the United States.

Please visit the Tionól website and consider registering for a workshop. Older children are welcome along with adults. Tionól is always an enriching and fun weekend that inspires me as a teacher and a musician throughout the year. Let me know if you have any questions that I can answer about this wonderful musical experience.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Lessons Resume Today!

Hello Cavan Fiddlers!

Lessons resume today in the studio. It's been a lovely and relaxing break, now it's time to play some 'chewns'!

I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you. Stay warm today and please please please don't leave your fiddle in the car for any length of time!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Join us for an Irish Seisiún at the Center!

From the trusty Wikipedia definition:
Irish traditional music sessions are mostly-informal gatherings at which people play Irish traditional music. The Irish language word for "session" is seisiún...

The "Field Guide to the Irish Music Session" defines a session as:
...a gathering of Irish traditional musicians for the purpose of celebrating their common interest in the music by playing it together in a relaxed, informal setting, while in the process generally beefing up the mystical cultural mantra that hums along uninterruptedly beneath all manifestations of Irishness worldwide.
Join us the first Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 pm in the Assembly Room of the Center in Iowa City (24 South Linn Street). All are welcome to play, dance, or just listen. For more information, contact Tara Dutcher

Irish sessions at the Center begin Sunday, February 7, 2010.