Monday 21 November 2016

The Dance Exchange - Fri 25 Nov 2016


A fun evening of traditional dancing from the regions of Brittany, Burgundy and Scotland coming up.


Sunday 20 November 2016

Cape Breton musical talent returns for Christmas 2016


Two upcoming concerts deserve mention.

The Barra McNeils are performing An East Coast Christmas on Friday Dec 9 at the Centrepointe Theatre at 7:30 PM. Tickets and info here.  Get them soon. Not a lot left. This is an annual show in Ottawa and it is very popular. (Note, I have one B.N. cd, The Traditional Album, it came out a long time ago, and if you could wear out a cd, I would have worn it out a long time ago, simply fantastic).

Natalie McMaster and Donnell Leahy, both extraordinary musicians and performers, present A Celtic Family Christmas on Dec 21 at 8PM at the National Arts Centre, Tickets here. It is very nearly sold out (confirming, I don't need to heavily promo artists on this blog that have the might of the NAC marketing machine behind them). This will be a great concert.


Thursday 17 November 2016

"My Name is Emily" at the European Union Film Festival - Friday 18 Nov 2016


A reminder that the Embassy of Ireland presents My Name is Emily at the European Union Film Festival in Ottawa this coming Friday, November 18, 8:35 pm at Carleton University's River Building Theatre.

After the death of his wife, Robert, a best-selling author, suffers a mental breakdown and is institutionalized, leaving his daughter Emily in foster care. On her side, Emily begins to suspect that something is really wrong when she doesn’t receive her father’s annual birthday card. Accompanied by her shy classmate Arden, Emily embarks on a road trip to free her father from his psychiatric hospital in the north of Ireland. The journey will take both Emily and Arden to unexpected places.

Link:
http://www.cfi-icf.ca/index.php?option=com_cfi&task=showscreening&id=1180&Itemid=1664


Wednesday 16 November 2016

Celtic Christmas Concerts by Hibernia - 2 and 3 Dec 2016


There are two upcoming Celtic Christmas concerts with the group Hibernia (Susan Toman, harp; Ellen MacIsaac, singer) with special guest piper/whistle Ross Davison (of The Trousers).

Friday Dec 2 - Hibernia (harp, voice, pipes/whistle), "Strike the Harp," Celtic Music for Christmas. Metcalfe United Church, 2677 8th Line Rd, Metcalfe ON.
Tickets $20 at the door or on Eventbrite here: www.eventbrite.com/e/strike-the-harp-tickets-28951744447

Saturday Dec 3 - Hibernia (harp, voice, pipes/whistle), "Strike the Harp," Celtic Music for Christmas. Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar, Ottawa ON.
Tickets $20 at the door or on Eventbrite here: www.eventbrite.com/e/strike-the-harp-tickets-29411200693

Hibernia is a duo of harp and voice, specializing in the repertoire of Ireland and Scotland, in Gaelic and in English. Their website is www.hiberniamusic.com.


In the House and Friends of the House - Concert listings (25-26 Nov 2016)


Thanks to Graham Crate for providing this information. As many of you may know, Graham is a tremendous supporter of folk musicians from local and abroad. Get on his mailing list.


IN THE HOUSE

Saturday Nov 26:  Tiger Island Trio, 7PM
IN THE HOUSE (contact Graham for Ottawa address) presents the Tiger Island Trio, 7PM.  This Ottawa Valley Trio featuring Dennis Harrington & Randy Foster on fiddle and Sherryl Fitzpatrick on piano, will delve into the rich heritage of Old Time Fiddling of Don Messer, Graham Townsend, Ward Allen, Andy Dejarlis, Ivan Hicks and Calvin Vollrath to name a few.  They will perform some of their own original compositions, highlighting beautiful harmony and, featuring the strong vocals of Randy Foster, they will resurrect great songs from Mac Beattie, Faron Young, Ray Price, Hank Williams and Bobby Helms. Joining them on their performances are the Foster Brothers (Randy's twin brother Doug and younger brother Keith) who showcase their natural ability to sing beautiful harmonies to the old standards. https://www.facebook.com/tigerislandtrio/

Tickets are $20 each and are available from Graham and Suzanne at gcrate@rogers.com.


FRIENDS OF THE HOUSE

Friday Nov 25:   Stéphanie Lépine, 7:30 - 11:00pm
The Ottawa Traditional Fiddle and Folk Art Society presents Stéphanie Lépine, performing at our November party at the Montgomery Legion at 330 Kent Street.  Stéphanie has mesmerized audiences while playing with bands like La Galvaude and Norouet and last May, released her first solo album entitled, La Grande Ligne. With this album, Stéphanie subtly leads us in the twists and turns of the repertoire from the popular Quebec violinists, from Isidore Soucy to Jos Bouchard, including J.O. LaMadeleine and Édouard Richard." http://otffas.weebly.com/    https://www.facebook.com/OTFFAS/

Members are free, guests are $8 (at the door).  Become a member for $60 annually, and join us for all 10 of our monthly parties.  We will follow our normal agenda of a jam session at 7:30 (bring your fiddle), individual performances by our members, a special performance by Stéphanie Lépine, and our evening snack.


Saturday Nov 26: Stephanie Lepine Workshop
Stéphanie will be teaching a 2-hour fiddle workshop where she will be teaching a Québecois tune. In the tune, she will be teaching technique in addition to the slight nuances that create the Quebecois sound. The workshop is open to Intermediate-Advanced players. Cost is $25.00/person. Contact Sherryl to register: sherryl.fitzpatrick@rogers.com


Saturday Nov 26:  Branches of Silver, 7:30pm
Beth and Jennifer (contacts below for south of Ottawa address) present Branches of Silver, a trio of young professional musicians from Ottawa Ontario. Emily Yarascavitch (fiddle, voice, step dance) is a former Canadian Junior Fiddle Champion, and Kyle Burghout (fiddle) is the 2015 Eastern North American Irish Fiddle Champion. Together, they are the 2015 Canadian Duet Fiddle Champions, and have also won the duet fiddle class at the prestigious Pembroke Fiddle Competition. Anthony Vial has studied piano accompaniment with Denis Lanctot for several years, and is quickly becoming an in-demand accompanist in the Ottawa area, playing with musicians including Shane Cook, Wendy MacIsaac, and Denis Lanctot. As a trio, Branches of Silver have toured around Ontario and Quebec, and released their debut EP in the summer of 2015. Having individually performed in Canada, the USA, Jamaica, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and more, Kyle, Emily, and Anthony bring a wealth of performing experience to the stage. They are not to be missed.

BYOB, Feel free to bring a snack to share. LIMITED SEATING! Reserve your seats now by contacting jenniferhood.mail.gmail.com OR cbsession@cbsession.com.


Please note that the shows mentioned in this list are friends of the IN THE HOUSE concert series and it's organizers, and we hope to help raise their profiles as we think they are truly deserving of our intention.  It is not the intention of IN THE HOUSE to manage and distribute concert listings on any regular basis, but will continue to advertise single shows for both IN THE HOUSE and FRIENDS OF THE HOUSE.

Tuesday 8 November 2016

Kickstarter for "Ontario Traditional Music Library"


THE ONTARIO TRADITIONAL MUSIC LIBRARY

See here for all information on this Kickstarter campaign (ending soon!)

We are looking for a few angels to help launch a free online collection of traditional and historical songs and tunes from the province of Ontario, Canada. Much of the initial offering of material is comprised of Ontario music that Ian Bell has collected and learned from a wide range of sources over the past four decades.

The project's current collaborators include a mix of longtime folk musicians many with a museum background. These include Bill Nesbitt, Anne Lederman, Mac Swackhammer, Saskia Tomkins and Brad McEwen. As well, the library invites contributions of suitable content from the public.


Concert of Irish Traditional Music - Wed 9 Nov 2016




Concert: William Woodson and Eric McDonald and The Trousers - Thurs 17 Nov 2016



Small piper/guitar powerhouse William Woodson and Eric McDonald are coming to Ottawa and sharing the stage with The Trousers (Ross Davison and Karson McKeown)

Lots of fiddling, piping, guitar playing and tunes to fill your boots with.

Thursday, November 17 at 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Tickets- $20 at the door ($10 for students)

Don't miss this one of a kind event!

Brigid's well will also be open for drinks and the like.

Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts
310 St Patrick St, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5K5

Monday 7 November 2016

My Name is Emily - European Union Film Festival, Ottawa, Friday 18 November 2016


The Embassy of Ireland presents My Name is Emily at the European Union Film Festival in Ottawa on Friday, November 18, 8:35 pm at Carleton University's River Building Theatre.

After the death of his wife, Robert, a best-selling author, suffers a mental breakdown and is institutionalized, leaving his daughter Emily in foster care. On her side, Emily begins to suspect that something is really wrong when she doesn't receive her father's annual birthday card. Accompanied by her shy classmate Arden, Emily embarks on a road trip to free her father from his psychiatric hospital in the north of Ireland. The journey will take both Emily and Arden to unexpected places.

http://www.cfi-icf.ca/index.php?option=com_cfi&task=showscreening&id=1180&Itemid=1664

TICKETS
CFI Members, seniors (65+), students: $9.00 Requires valid ID.
Non-members / General Admission: $13.00

Carleton Students and Staff FREE! Requires Carleton ID. Rush line only.

Festival Passes: 5-Film Passport: $40.00 CFI Members only. You must present your Membership card at the door.

VENUE
River Building Theatre, Carleton University, 3rd Floor (Theatre), 2nd Floor (Box Office)

How to get there:
• Walk to campus from Hog's Back or Old Ottawa South (20 min)
• Bike along the Rideau Canal and park in front
• Take the OTrain to Europe! directly from the Transitway
• Ride OCTranso on the #4 or #7
• Drive and park on campus

Parking
Fridays: FREE at Parking Garage P-9 (Level 1 only)
Arrive early! Spaces are limited.
$8.00 flat rate evening at other pay-and-display lots/levels

Theatre: The Trial of Pádraig Pearse - 10 Nov 2916


The Thomas D’Arcy McGee Summer School, in association with Newpoint Players, Ireland, and St Brigid’s Irish Centre, Ottawa, is staging a rehearsed reading of Anthony Russell’s new play The Trial of Pádraig Pearse. It examines the case for and against Pearse proceeding with the Easter Rising.

In this ‘Court Of History’ Pearse is defended by John Mitchell (1815 - 1875), a physical force republican and former Young Ireland comrade of Thomas D’Arcy McGee. The prosecution is presented by D’Arcy McGee, the Irish rebel, Canadian patriot and Founding Father of Canadian Confederation, who will suggest the 1916 Rising was undemocratic and unnecessary. The tension between the acerbic prosecutor and the loquacious defender makes for riveting drama, interspersed by comic and ironic relief.


Pádraig Pearse was found innocent of charges of treason against the Irish people at a special sitting of the Carlingford Assizes in Carlingford at the Thomas D’Arcy McGee Summer School in Carlingford, Co Louth in August. The majority innocent verdict of 33 to 28 (the narrow margin raising eyebrows in some quarters) found defense lawyer John Mitchel’s persuasive arguments to outweigh those of prosecutor Thomas D’Arcy McGee.

D’Arcy McGee is adamant that the jury was rigged and has lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court of History for a retrial. The good people of Ottawa have offered to stage the Trial there from 1-5 November. Other communities in Montréal, Ottawa, Newry, Armagh, Omeath, Belfast and Dublin have also offered to enlist a balanced jury for a retrial.

A superbly engaging dimension to the play sees the audience debate the issues in the play as jurors in the jury room. This facilitates a participative role for the audience enabling them to deliberate on the issues as presented by prosecution and defense, as well as voting on the final outcome.

The musical dimension to the theme, based around the motif of Óro Se do Bheatha Bhaile (verses of which Pearse wrote, and which he reputedly whistled on his way to the stonebreakers’ yard) will be provided by Gerry O’Connor, fiddle player with the Irish Rovers, and Donal O’Hanlon, guitar and songs.

Where and When
St. Brigid's, Ottawa on Nov. 10 at 7pm.
Tickets will be $20 per ticket or $25 on the night. .

Production Team
Playwright; Anthony Russell
Producer and Director; Donal O’Hanlon
Musical Director; Gerry O’Connor
Project Manager; Tommy Fegan
https://www.facebook.com/trialofpadraigpearse/