Cafe Buzz
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Welcome to the Cafe Buzz! We started the "Buzz" section here at the Celtic Café as a means of sharing some of the news and information posted to our associated mail lists, which are devoted mostly (but not exclusively) to Irish dance and Celtic music. For more detailed information, and to join in the discussion about "anything Celtic," please sign up for our main list, large and very international: Celtic Cafe Yahoo Group Got any "newsy tidbits"? E-mail us via the Contact Form. |
It can't get much better than this... an opportunity to learn Irish dance from some of the very best Irish dancers in the world, and in southern France, at that!
Joanne Doyle, Breandan de Gallai, Dearhbla Lennon and Ronan McCormack from Riverdance will be teaching a week-long workshop from July 7th to 13th, and Joanne and Ronan will be teaching a specialized grades preparation workshop before that in May, which is organized with the An Coimisiun.
Get all the details at the official website.
Fans of Irish theatre: don't miss Juno! Not the Academy-Award winning film, but the 1959 musical based on Sean O'Casey's 1924 classic Juno and the Paycock. Encores!, the acclaimed program celebrating rarely-heard "concert versions" of American composers and lyricists is presenting Juno with music by Marc Blitzstein (The Cradle Will Rock) and book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof). The 1959 adaptation of O'Casey's masterpiece about a hardworking Irish family caught up in the confrontation between the Irish Republican Army and the British in 1920s Dublin had only 16 performances for its Broadway run.
Encores! series present just 5 "concert performances," at New York City Center, but the series has such a great rep (and history of Broadway transfers) that tickets sell fast and the press cover each show. Originally directed by Jose Ferrer and starring Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas, the production may have lacked that touch o' the Irish. The Encores! director is steeped in Irish theatre and idiom:Garry Hynes, founder of Ireland's Druid theatre Company, which brought its sold out production "Druid-Synge" to Lincoln Center last year, the first woman ever to win a Tony Award for Directing (for Martin McDonagh's Beauty Queen of Leenane in 1998. The A-list company includes Tony-Award winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza) as Juno Boyle and Dermot Crowley, who appeared in Conor McPherson's The Weir and Brian Friel's Translations on Broadway, as Joxer Boyle.
CelticCafe will post our review after the weekend but don't wait for that to recommend the show. Get your tickets now—if any are left!
Here's a link to a preview at Broadwayworld.com …
It's a good season for Irish theatre in New York City: Gwen Orel reviews two superb Irish plays.
Both plays concern redemption -- Conor McPherson's Seafarer presents some sympathy for the devil, and a strong hope of salvation. In its own way, Abbie Spallen's Pumpgirl does the same, although the possibility of salvation is rockier and costlier and not available to everyone. Neither should be missed.
Exciting news! The amazingly gorgeous and superbly talented Méav Ní Mhaolchatha will be back in the U.S. for some very special solo concerts on the East Coast in December. From her website: "Méav is best known as the tall blonde in Celtic Woman 'who adds delicious wriggles to her soprano renditions of traditional tunes' (New York Times). She is equally at home singing classic Irish airs and lilting cheeky fast songs.
Méav has left Celtic Woman to focus on her solo career. Now, with a multi-talented band of three Irish musicians, Méav is sharing her blend of classic songs, seasonal favorites and the stories behind the melodies in a performance that promises to be magical. She is thrilled to be performing these intimate solo concerts across the East coast of the United States this December just as Celtic Woman’s new Christmas PBS special is being aired. Her band combines Irish drumming, wooden flute, violin, guitar, keyboard and haunting vocal harmonies to create a warm and traditional Irish musical atmosphere. This is a rare opportunity to hear Méav’s stunning live renditions of Silent Night and the timeless Danny Boy. The tour starts on December 12th in the prestigious Nokia Theatre on Times Square in the heart of New York. Méav is currently based in Ireland so catch her here while you can."
Click on the image above for a stunningly lovely photo of the woman behind the ethereal voice.
Meav's official fan club is sponsoring a lottery contest for round-trip airfare and a concert ticket to a fan, so hurry on over to celticmeav.com and check that out. YOU could be the lucky winner!
Meav's website: Meav.com
'Tis the Season... and what better way to enjoy the holidays than with Celtic music! The multitude of Eileen Ivers fans here at the Celtic Cafe will be delighted to know that Compass Records has just released Eileen's "An Nollaig: An Irish Christmas" -- and it's a knock-out! Here's a bit of what Eileen has to say about this terrific holiday CD:
"I suppose so many of the traditions of ‘an Irish Christmas’ have been handed down to my sister, Maureen, and me through our Irish born parents, Annie and John. Apart from the gift of faith that they nourished and helped strengthen in us both, the tradition of family was also an important one. Neither of my folks had many material things as they grew up in large families in County Mayo, in the west of Ireland. Family and friends were at the core of Christmas festivities. The modest Christmas present of an orange and several balloons was shared by my mom and her nine brothers and sisters-a memory which she mentioned quite frequently as we were growing up! My father often recalls how he and his siblings celebrated the Wren Day or St. Stephen’s Day, the day after Christmas.
Just like ornaments on a Christmas tree, the tunes on this recording have been lovingly passed down through the generations as well. Some are hundreds of years old - some are new.
May we all continue to treasure the old traditions and welcome the new ones. Nollaig shona daoibh - Merry Christmas to you and your families." – Eileen Ivers
Go to Eileen's website to hear some great samples of the music, and get the dates of her very busy touring schedule. Be sure to check out Compass Records' own website, as they have what is probably the best collection of Celtic music out there!
Exciting news about Anúna, longtime favorites of the Celtic Café community!
"Anuna: Celtic Origins" has been soundscanned at number one this week in the Nielsen Soundscan World Music Charts.
We first fell in love with Anuna when they were the original vocal group featured in “Riverdance” and since forming in 1987, they have achieved tremendous European success and international acclaim.
“Celtic Origins,” Anuna’s Public Television concert special, airs nationally in August and September as part of the tv stations’ pledge drives -- see http://www.elevationgrp.com/anuna/broadcast_information.html for dates and times.
Click on the image above for a special feature by Anuna member Patrick Hughes, about how the group came to this place, and what it is that makes the music appealing to fans worldwide.
Members of the group are currently traveling the United States for in-store appearances at Borders bookstores, and Anuna will return in the fall for a full-fledged concert tour starting Oct. 3.
Borders appearances:
http://www.elevationgrp.com/anuna/appearances.html
North American fall tour listing of cities and dates:
http://www.elevationgrp.com/anuna/appearances.html#na
Keep up with the news at Anuna’s website (www.anuna.ie) and especially through their News Update page: http://www.anuna.ie/news_update.html where you can find some very nice photos taken at Borders appearances. Check out the music immediately at Anuna’s MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/anuna -- we promise you’ll be entranced!
The ground-breaking Irish dance company Solas An Lae is making their New York City debut at Peter Norton Symphony Space on June 14th at 8pm. The show, a "veritable multi-media tour de force", is directed by Patrick Brown, and choreographed by Deirdre Lowry and Ellen Verdibello.
Hailed by critics as “the new breed of Irish dance”, Solas An Lae's mission is to break free from the status quo of the Irish dance world . . . through inventive and dynamic choreography, the use of archival and abstract imagery projected onto and behind the performers, and a musical score of unsuspecting urgency.
Louise Dunphy of Celtic Crossings, WMUA 91.1 FM, says, "They took my breath away and held me spellbound. Fabulous dancers, athletes and entertainers . . . a true delight."
Solas An Lae is transforming Irish dance through impassioned experimentation and a daring sense of individuality, bringing forth a performance of beauty, originality, and power. With this vibrant dance company on the rise, now is the time to catch them for one night under the bright lights of Broadway!
The immensely talented Joel Hanna (Riverdance, Dancing on Dangerous Ground, Fire of Dance) has teamed up with Mike Schulster (Tap Dogs, Fire of Dance) in exciting new show, Revolution! The show will open at the Joyce Theatre in New York City on September 24, 2007.
Click on the image to learn more, and watch this space for further coverage -- we'll be bringing you plenty of information as opening approaches!
"Revolution redefines the theatrical experience for the MTV generation. Driven by the power of rock, Revolution is a sweaty, sultry mix of live music, multi-media, and some of the world's best Irish and tap dancing. Creators Mike Schulster and Joel Hanna are joined on stage by a live rock band and a 10-person ensemble direct from Broadway."
Cafe Buzz