The Piper's Hut Concert Series

2008

Kieran O'Hare

http://www.kieranohare.com

Location

Channing-Murray Foundation
1209 West Oregon
Urbana, IL

Tickets
$15	Adult
$10	School Teacher or Staff
$5	Student or Senior
FREE	Children 12 or under

Concert Time: 8pm. Doors open at 7pm.

Kieran O'Hare is a highly respected and sought-after performer on the uilleann pipes, concert flute, and tinwhistle. He was born into a musical Irish-American family, and he began to play at home while in his early teens. Kieran moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1991, where he received a degree in Modern History from Trinity College, Dublin. He now resides in Chicago, with his wife, the fiddler Liz Knowles.

In 1994, Kieran received the honor of being the first American-born player of Irish music invited to perform in the annual 'Ace and Deuce of Piping' concert, held in Ireland's National Concert Hall. Since then, he has made countless appearances at festivals and concerts in North America, Japan, and Europe. Among the many artists with whom Kieran has performed, toured or recorded are Chicago fiddler Liz Carroll; Celtic and early music performers Ensemble Galilei; the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; Bonnie Raitt; The Paul Winter Consort; Josh Groban, and Don Henley.

Kieran has worked extensively in designing music for the stage, and is in great demand as a teacher of Irish music. In 2002, Kieran appeared in a musical role in the Sam Mendes film Road to Perdition. In 2006/2007, Kieran was the featured uilleann pipes and tin whistle player on Broadway for the new musical The Pirate Queen, written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, and produced by John McColgan and Moya Doherty of Riverdance. In 2007-8, Kieran will be seen as a featured performer on the PBS special presentation “Celtic Origins” with the Irish choral group ANÚNA. Most recently, in March 2008, Kieran was the featured uilleann piper for the US premiere of Irish composer Shaun Davey’s “Relief of Derry” symphony, at Chicago’s Symphony Center.

Chulrua

www.chulrua.com

Location

TBA

Tickets
$15	Adult
$10	School Teacher or Staff
$5	Student or Senior
FREE	Children 12 or under

CONCERT TIME: 8pm. Doors should open at about 7:15pm.

Chulrua (pronounced cool-ROO-ah), translates from the Irish as "red back," and was the name and distinguishing feature of the favorite wolfhound belonging to ancient Irish hero Fionn MacCumhaill. It is also the name of an internationally acclaimed trio of some of the most respected and unique exponents of Irish traditional music.

Button accordion icon Paddy O'Brien has accumulated a veritable hoard of rare versions of tunes and stories gleaned from more than forty years of patiently seeking out and spending time with older musicians throughout Ireland. A native of County Offaly in the Midlands of Ireland, he is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant to record and annotate 500 dance tunes (a small fraction of his repertoire), and is revered by aficionados worldwide.

Dale Russ started playing the fiddle in 1973 when first moving to Washington State from his native Connecticut. Although self-taught - and 100% Slovak - In 1990 he was invited to perform at the first Boston College Irish Music Festival "My Love is in America" featuring 16 of the finest Irish fiddle players living in the States. The concert was recorded and released by Green Linnet Records and won an award from the Smithsonian Institute as "Traditional Recording of the Year". His playing is known for its balance of power and elegance.

For twenty years, Tipperary man Pat Egan has developed his own powerfully emotive style of guitar accompaniment and vocal delivery. He has chosen to feather his nest with some wonderful but little-known songs, old and new, that fit into both traditional and contemporary contexts.

The Kane Sisters

http://www.thekanesisters.com

Location

Channing-Murray Foundation
1209 West Oregon
Urbana, IL

Tickets
$15	Adult
$10	School Teacher or Staff
$5	Student or Senior
FREE	Children 12 or under

Together Liz and Yvonne Kane create a highly exciting and vibrant sound. These sisters come from Dawros on the outskirts of Letterfrack, a village in Connemara along the West coast of Ireland. With a musical tradition on both sides of the family, it was only natural for the girls to play music. Their grandfather, fiddle player Jimmy Mullen, has been a leading figure on the traditional music scene in Connemara for over 50 years and it was his enthusiasm that encouraged the sisters to learn to play the fiddle.

They began learning music from both their grandfather Jimmy Mullen and South Sligo musician and teacher, Mary Finn McCrudden. Along with the recordings of the Rainey brothers, their grandfather and Mary were an early influence on their music. The Raineys were travelling fiddle players who visited Letterfrack and the surrounding areas in the 1950s.

Music very soon became an integral part of their everyday lives and holidays were spent attending summer schools in Tubbercurry and Drumshanbo. Liz was interested in competition unlike Yvonne who disliked the tense atmosphere. In 1992, Liz won the Fiddler of Dooney in Sligo and went on to win the All-Ireland senior fiddle and duet title as well as the Fiddler of Oriel in 1995. She returned to Monaghan the following year and regained the Fiddler of Oriel title.

Yvonne and Liz consider their style to be heavily influenced by South Sligo fiddle playing, the music of East Galway and in particular the fiddle playing and compositions of Paddy Fahey. In recent years, the sisters have been privileged to meet and play with Paddy whose music plays a central role in their repertoire. The recordings of Michael Coleman, Hughie Gillespie, Andy McGann and Kathleen Collins have also made an impact on their music.

Liz studied music at University College Cork and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree and a Higher Diploma in Education. Yvonne moved to Galway and began playing music fulltime. After finishing in Cork, Liz returned to Galway and they both shared a house with musician, Sharon Shannon. The following year, they joined her band as part of 'Sharon Shannon and The Woodchoppers'. For the next three years, the band took them all over the world to promote the release of the album 'The Diamond Mountain Sessions'.

Norah Rendell and Brian Miller

Location

TBA

TBA

TBA

Matt and Shannon Heaton

www.eatsrecords.com

Location

TBA