A Short Review: Tara Players production of The Weir - 10 to 12 October 2013 - Directed by Margaret Harvey-O'Kelly

Tara Players - The Weir - Directed by Margaret Harvey-O'Kelly. Richcraft Theatre, Shenkman Arts Centre, Orleans.

Just in from a powerful production on this Conor McPhearson play. Set in a pub in rural Ireland, Margaret Harvey-O'Kelly has put together a strong cast with Michael Guest as "Jack" returning to the stage after 10 years. This pivotal role is a character that is found in every town and village in Ireland and Guest represents that character excellently. The cast, consisting of Guest, Bryan Morris, Mike Hefferenan, Lawrence Evenchick and Christina Kindl, bring us into the lives that McPhearson has created and through an evening of storytelling at the local pub, old stories and local legends are recounted, all revealing a vulnerability of the characters.

As a team, the 5 cast members interact seamlessly and comfortably portray the lives of their characters. The set is well designed and the lounge format for the audience, brings them into the pub as witnesses that happen to be there and overhearing and watching the unfolding evening. 

There are two more nights to catch this production. Curtain time is 7:30pm.
Links to ticket purchase are here:
http://taraplayers.ncf.ca/tickets.html


Review by: Austin Comerton, host of The Gaelic Hour
 

Lecture and Performance: A history of the harp in Scotland - 19 October 2013

 

There is an event coming up on Saturday, Oct. 19, 3pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church.  It is a lecture presentation with slides on a history of the harp in Scotland with performance of Scottish harp solos and duet repertoire. Harpist Kelly Aminian will be performing with me.  Admission is by donation.  The " House" is a place, " Tigh nan Teud" in Perthshire at the point where the highlands and lowlands meet, the heart or halfway point in Scotland. 

 

Best Wishes,

Mary Muckle

Concert: Susan Toman and Dawn Baily - 15 October 2013

Susan Toman is a Celtic harpist & harpsichordist from Montreal. She will be giving a concert in Ottawa, involving the soprano Dawn Bailey, and herself on Celtic harp & harpsichord. They have put together a unique program of Celtic & Baroque music, interspersed with poems & stories. This program was recorded back in April, and the duo toured the Maritimes with it in July.

Here are the details:
Date: Tuesday October 15 at 7:30pm
Location: Ottawa Mennonite Church, 1830 Kilborn
Suggested donation $15
Website: www.ensembleseraphina.com

11th Annual Whits End Irish Fiddle/Flute Weekend - 1-3 Nov 2013

Hi Everyone,

We are now accepting registrations for the 11th Annual Whits End Irish Fiddle/Flute Weekend. We’ll cap the number of registrants at 25. Once again, Patrick Ourceau will be teaching fiddle, and Brian Holleran flute. As in past years, in addition to the workshops, there will be evening sessions, a brilliant house concert, delicious meals prepared by Robin Macmillan and her kitchen crew, the rekindling of friendships, and the forging of new ones.

WHEN
November 1-3, 2013
We’ve had to move the event back a couple of weeks because Patrick is completely booked up in October.

WHERE
At Whits End, our country home between Orillia and Gravenhurst, 1&1/2 hours north of Toronto.

WORKSHOPS
Saturday from 10:00 to 5:00, with a 1 hour lunch break
Sunday from 10:00 to 12:00 or 1:00
The fiddle workshop will occur at Bayview-Wildwood Resort, the flute workshop in our home.

HOUSE CONCERT
Saturday night, starting around 8:00

MEALS
Friday evening finger foods
Saturday and Sunday breakfasts and lunches
Saturday supper
People with food allergies can notify Robin at a later date, once registration is completed

ACCOMMODATION
As before, we have booked space for everyone at the nearby Bayview-Wildwood Resort, on Sparrow Lake

FEE
$260 Canadian (all-inclusive), in cash. No advance payment is required; folks pay when they arrive. We ask for cash because we pay Patrick and Brian in cash, and I won’t have time to go to a bank to cash cheques. After the registration deadline, we ask people who cancel to reimburse us for the full fee, unless we can fill the vacancy. We don’t provide receipts for tax purposes.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE
Was...September 15, 2013, extended to.....call soon!

You can register by email (bcwhitman@rogers.com) or by phone ( 705-689-5248 )
Last year’s event was filmed, and a DVD documentary for each of that year’s participants was promised. I am still awaiting delivery of the DVDs, and will mail them to you when they arrive.

There won’t be any filming this year.

People typically arrive for the weekend mid-to late Friday afternoon, or early evening. Inevitably, there are sessions Friday night, and Saturday night after the House concert.  

Once again, Christie, Robin  and I are looking forward to sharing this joyous weekend with returning friends and with folks who are attending for the first time.

Please spread the word with your session friends.

All the best,
Bill Whitman

Northern Lights Harp Fest - 4-6 October 2013

The Northern Lights Harp Fest is just around the corner. While the festival is not an Irish festival, the harp is the national instrument of Ireland! The festival is chock a block with practical and musical workshops for all harpists, and concerts are to be held on Friday and Saturday nights.

Some of the practical workshops that stood out for me (a non-harpist!) are:

• IMPROVING SKILLS FOR PLAYING ON THE HARP BY MEMORY AND BY EAR (very practical for Irish music)
• HOW TO GET OUT AND GIG (we need more gigs!)
• ALWAYS LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE! - THE ART AND SCIENCE OF CREATING AND GIVING A STELLAR PERFORMANCE (better gigs!)
• LEVERS AND BUZZES AND BUMPS, OH MY! HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR CELTIC HARP (keeping you instrument in top shape!)

A little on the Irish side, the local ensemble Acacia Lyra are performing for the Saturday night concert. Go check it out!

 

 

Omemee Legion Celtic Music Sessions

UPDATED 4 Oct 2013:

Unfortunately, due to a recent Legion Executive Committee decision the session  will not be hosted at the Legion. Stay tuned....


Original post:

The Omemee Legion (Branch 497) is hosting Celtic music sessions every Sunday from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm, starting October 6, 2013. This is an OPEN HOUSE - FREE ADMISSION, and ALL MUSICIANS AND FANS WELCOME.

The Legion is located at 46 King Street East in Omemee.

For more information contact:
Gerry Mitchell (705) 799-5008


ps - Where is Omemee? About 25 minutes drive west of Peterborough, so if you're in the area on a Sunday, drop in!
pps - WHAT is an Omemee? In 1857 the community was renamed Omemee, a Mississauga word meaning pigeon. The name reflects the Omemee (Pigeon) Indians, a sub-tribe of the Mississaugas, who had once hunted in the area.