The Ottawa Celtic Choir

An email from Ellen MacIssac (15 Sept 2008): Herewith the news regarding the Ottawa Celtic Choir. We are now a stand-alone entity. The choir's new home is at St. John the Evangelist Church, on the corner of Elgin and Somerset. Rehearsals are still on Tuesday evenings, from 7pm until 9pm in the chapel. We're extremely lucky to have scored this space - it's a wood paneled chapel with high ceilings, fantastic acoustics and a baby grand! The first rehearsal of the season will be next Tuesday, September 9th, 2008. When you arrive at St. John's, come in the door that opens onto Somerset street, not the big front doors on Elgin. I'll have unlocked the church, and will be there to direct you to the chapel, if need be. Waiting for you will be a Choirster's Guide and a music pack, with all the music we'll be rehearsing over the year. Logistics: Although the church has no parking lot of its own, there's lots of parking in the streets around Elgin street. There's also a municipal parking lot very nearby. There are a lot of buses going down Elgin, so getting there by public transportation shouldn't be a problem. For those who aren't clear on the details, this is a non-auditioned community choir, which sings the songs of the Celtic nations and the Celtic diaspora, in both English and in various Celtic languages. So, we sing songs in Irish, Scots, Welsh, Manx, etc., as well as in English. We sing songs from the west coast of Europe and the east coast of Canada. We sing in unison and in up to four parts. We sing both accompanied and unaccompanied songs. We will be doing performances this year, so I will be working a specific number of pieces up to performance levels. Although I distribute sheet music, reading it is NOT a prerequisite to joining the choir, nor is speaking one of the Celtic languages. All that gets explained during rehearsals. Please don't hesitate to contact me for more information. You can also ring me at 613-552-3964 if you prefer communication by telephone. Here's looking forward to an awesome year, and I hope to see you next Tuesday! All the best, Ellen (Updated in 2011: ellen at laughingbrook dot ca)

Teada - Ottawa Workshop Information

Email from Matt Pepin (15 Sept 2008): The Irish Canadian Cultural Centre ("St-Brigid's"), located at the corner of St. Patrick and Cumberland St, booked the Irish traditional group Teada in Monday (Sept 22nd), but due to a conflicting gig involving Oisin MacDiarmada (fiddle), they have had to re-schedule (date unknown). However, the rest of the band will be coming for the evening and are hoping to do some workshops. I was wondering if you could help put out the word. These lads are WONDERFUL players and are well worth sitting with for a hour and a half! DETAILS: -$25 for any one workshop -6pm start divided into two 45 mins with a quick break -Some type of recording device STRONGLY recommended!! -Since they aren't around very long, there will be one group for every workshop, which means that the guys will try to teach at the most popular proficiency level. --end-- Téada are: Oisín Mac Diarmada - fiddle (not appearing) Paul Finn - button accordion (last indicated not appearing) Damien Stenson - flutes Seán Mc Elwain - bouzouki/guitar Tristan Rosenstock - bodhrán Tommy Martin - uilleann pipes (now appearing for workshop) For what it's worth, I've been listening to Teada for a few years now, and these guys are incredible musicians, playing straight-ahead traditional Irish music to the highest standards with very tasteful ornamentation and a wonderfully broad selection of traditional tune types. No doubt the workshops would be well worth attending! For more info on Teada: http://www.teada.com/ Craig