|
Dear CIM friends,
It's party week, and we have been celebrating twenty years of handing down the tradition with tunes, party hats, treats and 20-year tchotchkes (yes, we made green CIM guitar picks). Everyone is invited to our community-wide birthday party this Sunday from 3:30-5:30pm, so bring your friends along. If you'd rather not mingle for two hours, you can peruse our wall of instructor photos & bios, do a self-guided tour of the CIM (or the whole Celtic Junction), or volunteer to set up/clean up, or face paint.
In other major news, welcome Margaret Snyder, CIM's new Event & Outreach Coordinator! Margaret will be working full time to support CIM's growing programs, plan events, and to foster volunteer engagement. Look out for updates about CIM's leadership development and strategic planning in the next few months, but the short story is that we are all staying at CIM, and positions/responsibilities are growing and shifting around to respond to CIM's significant growth since 2019.
There is no doubt that twenty years of teaching Irish music has had an incredibly positive impact on our local Irish community. It is truly remarkable what a group of committed musicians and volunteers can achieve when they are united by a shared mission, vision, and love for traditional Irish music and song. My heart is filled with gratitude for the spirit and dedication that you have shown since CIM was founded in 2004.
See you Sunday, and thanks for reading about everything going on this month.
Norah Rendell
Executive Artistic Director
Center for Irish Music
| |
|
HELP US CELEBRATE
20 YEARS OF HANDING DOWN THE TRADITION!
| |
You are invited to celebrate 20 years of handing down the tradition at the Center for Irish Music’s 20th birthday party hosted at the Celtic Junction Arts Center on Sunday October 6th from 3:30pm-5:30pm.
Throw on your CIM or MIM shirt and catch up with old CIM friends and meet new ones! All current and past board members, volunteers, students, donors, instructors and staff are encouraged to attend.
Fun for all ages, CIM’s 20th birthday party will feature live music from our Advanced Youth Ensemble, Open Sky Ensemble, and An Luan, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), cake, snacks, face painting, self-guided tours of our newly-renovated space and other activities.
Do you play Britches Full of Stitches (in G or A)? Bring your instruments! At 4:45pm, we will get our instruments out and play this classic tune together on video to create a momento to commemorate our 20th b-day.
Who: Everyone who has been a CIM student, volunteer, instructor, or supporter
What: Center for Irish Music’s 20th Birthday Party
When: Sunday, October 6th, 3:30pm-5:30pm
Where: Celtic Junction Arts Center, Studio 1
Wear: Your favorite CIM or MIM shirt
Why: For fun, to enjoy being together, hear beautiful music, recognize our leaders, and to create a video of our students playing Britches Full of Stitches!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We're looking for volunteers for setup and cleanup, children's activities, serving refreshments, and more. Email volunteer@centerforirishmusic.org with questions, or sign up using the button below!
| |
REGISTER NOW FOR FALL TERM CLASSES! | |
Fall Term is underway, but there's still time to register for these classes, starting in October and November! Classes with low enrollment are marked with ** | | |
|
SPROUTING SONGSTERS**
With Adrienne O'Shea
Mondays, 6:15-7:00pm | 10/7 - 12/2 | $123
For kids ages 8-10 (grade 2-4). This class for wee aspiring singers will introduce kids to Irish traditional songs in English and Irish Gaelic with singer, flute & piano player Adrienne O'Shea. Adrienne will emphasize learning by ear and how to use the voice in a traditional setting. Kids will have great fun as they bring the stories of these lovely old songs to life!
| | |
|
EASY WHISTLE TUNES FOR ADULTS
with Kate Wade
Thursdays, 6:30-7:30pm | 10/10-1/12 | $151
Kate will teach a lovely new whistle tune each week and introduce basic (optional) ornaments such as cuts and rolls. At the end of this course, you'll know a tune from every rhythm family! Each class will include some review of previously-learned tunes, so you will see your repertoire build each week. All budding whistle players who know at least 3 tunes are welcome to join Kate!
| | |
|
CEOL NA SIDHE: MUSIC OF THE FAE FOLK**
with Chad McAnally
Mondays, 7:00-8:00pm | 11/4-11/18 | $54
Folk belief in the Sidhe, or the Fairy people, was common throughout Irish history and made a lasting impact on Irish music and song. Join CIM Instructor Chad McAnally in learning some “otherworldly” music and its fascinating history. Open to all instruments and voices.
| | |
|
DADGAD GUITAR ACCOMPANIMENT
*Online Class*
with Dáithí Sproule
Thursdays, 7:30-8:30pm | 11/7-12/19 $108
From his long experience developing and using DADGAD guitar tuning playing with great groups such as Skara Brae, Trian, Altan and Fingal and individual greats such as Tommy Peoples, Liz Carroll, James Kelly and Paddy O’Brien, and even Dolly Parton, Dáithí has found DADGAD tuning to be a versatile avenue to interesting and beautiful guitar accompaniment. In this class he looks forward to providing insights and advice on how to get the most out of your guitar playing through exploring the tuning and guidance for left-hand and right-hand playing.
| |
|
The Center for Irish Music is looking for new board members this year, and next year as well! We are especially seeking individuals with experience in:
- Finance and accounting
- Development and fundraising
- Nonprofit management, risk management, or insurance
If you're interested in joining this fun, dynamic group of leaders, contact Norah Rendell at nrendell@centerforirishmusic.org.
| |
WELCOME NEW FIDDLE INSTRUCTOR EMILY DOYLE | |
Please join us in welcoming the CIM's newest fiddle instructor, Emily Doyle!
Emily has a background in classical violin and viola and has been playing fiddle since 2015. In addition to teaching lessons at CIM, Emily is a Teaching Artist for GTCYS's Harmony Program. Emily is passionate about building community through music and making music accessible and enjoyable for everyone. She enjoys working with students of all ages and levels but especially loves opening doors to music for young beginners.
Emily has a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of Puget Sound and an MA in Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London. She can be found playing at Irish sessions in the Twin Cities, as a member of MNá Fiddlers, and in the viola section of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, where she is also a Board Member.
| |
BRIAN MILLER HOSTING NEW IRISH MUSIC RADIO SHOW "THE SHAMROCK SHORE" | |
The Shamrock Shore will run from noon to 1pm every Saturday starting October 4th on 88.5 FM in the Twin Cities and online at jazz88.fm (the show will also be made available for 2 weeks after airing on jazz88.fm).
This new Irish music show takes up the time slot previously filled on Jazz88 by the long-running and beloved Celtic music show The Thistle and Shamrock which aired its final episode in September. The Shamrock Shore is a co-production of Jazz88 and Celtic Junction Arts Center.
| |
|
WORKING WITH TRADITIONAL MUSIC ARCHIVES
OCTOBER 22, 7-9 PM
| |
Come join musicians and archivists Christina Crowder (New Haven, CT), Brian Miller (St. Paul, MN) and Danny Diamond (Minneapolis, MN/Ireland) for a presentation and question and answer session on using traditional music archives in your musical practice. While all three musicians play in different cultural traditions, all three have spent time digging into and helping share music from early recordings and manuscript collections. We’ll hear a little from each presenter about the archives they are working with, how they are using them as inspiration for the present, and how they approach the process of making sense of and diving into large archival collections of music. Bring your questions, as there will also be time for questions from the audience!
This event is free to attend; a suggested donation of $5-$10 is welcome. This event is co-presented by Folk Will Save Us, Celtic Junction's McKiernan Library, and Center for Irish Music. This activity is supported in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. RSVP here
| |
|
SAVE THE DATE:
GIVE TO THE MAX DAY
NOVEMBER 21
| |
Save the date for Give to the Max Day, the "Great Minnesota Give Together".
Donations made on this day are eligible for $100,000+ in prize grants through Golden Ticket drawings and "Power Hours".
There will also be a special lunchtime session at the Scanlan Music Hall from 12-1pm, so mark your calendar!
| |
|
EXPANSION & IMPROVEMENT PROJECT COMPLETED! | |
|
We are thrilled to announce that our renovations came to completion this summer with the installation of led-lit outdoor signage and a permanent donor board outside the Scanlan Music Hall.
The Making Room for the Next Generation leasehold improvement project was made possible by support from 120 individuals and two generous STAR grants from the City of St. Paul. This grassroots support helped us to build a ramped handicap accessible entrance, a ground-level lobby, and new classrooms for our thriving Irish music programs.
To see it all in person, come to our birthday celebration this Sunday, October 6th. To continue supporting CIM’s mission, make a donation to our 2024-25 Annual Fund and save the date for Éigse CIM, A Gaela Event on February 22nd.
| |
|
SAVE THE DATE:
YOUTH ENSEMBLE HOLIDAY CONCERT
NOVEMBER 23, 3:00-5:00 PM
| Save the date for the annual Center for Irish Music's Youth Ensemble Holiday Concert, featuring award-winning musicians from our youth ensembles. Celebrate the beauty and variety that Irish traditional music offers including solos, duets and trios and large ensemble arrangements of reels, jigs, polkas and airs on fiddles, flutes, banjo, guitar, piano, harp and more. Additional details and ticket link coming soon! | |
|
UPCOMING CIM & COMMUNITY EVENTS
Parentheses indicate CIM instructors, students or staff members performing with a group
| |
|
SUNDAY, OCT. 6 | 3:30-5:30 PM
CIM 20th Birthday Celebration
Center for Irish Music
SATURDAY, OCT. 12 | 6:30-9:30 PM
Celtic Junction Fall Fundraiser with Seamus Egan
Celtic Junction Arts Center
THURSDAY-FRIDAY, OCT. 17-18
CIM Open for MEA
TUESDAY, OCT. 22 | 7:00-9:00 PM
Working with Traditional Music Archives: An evening of conversation on using archival material with Brian Miller, Danny Diamond & Christina Crowder
Celtic Junction Arts Center
| |
|
SUNDAY, OCT. 27 | 1:30-2:30 PM & 4-5 PM
MNá Fiddlers in Concert (Mary Vanorny, Rosa Wells, Mattie Ernst, Emily Doyle)
Students under 18, email Mary to reserve a FREE ticket to the 1:30pm show!
Center for Irish Music Scanlan Music Hall
THURSDAY, OCT. 31
CIM Closed for Halloween
FRIDAY, NOV. 1 | 6:30-9:00 PM
Samhain Céilí Dance featuring the Center for Irish Music Céilí Band
Celtic Junction Arts Center
SATURDAY, NOV. 2 | 7:30-9:30 PM
An Evening with Boiled in Lead (Todd Menton)
Celtic Junction Arts Center
| |
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE CIM! | |
The Center for Irish Music is a 501c3 nonprofit, and we depend on your support to continue passing down the tradition of Irish music and song. Please consider joining us as a volunteer or making a gift to the CIM today!
| | | |
|
This activity is made
possible by the voters of
Minnesota through
a Minnesota State Arts
Board Operating Support
grant, thanks to a
legislative appropriation
from the arts and
cultural heritage fund.
| |
| | | |
