Announcing the

ALTAN MASTER CLASS

and more…

If you received our first Email Blast introducing Festival performers for 2016, you know that our featured star band this year is ALTAN from Ireland.  On Thursday after our annual free Uptop Picnic and Ceili Gathering,  the band is offering a Master Class* for experienced players along the lines of the widely-heralded class provided by Carlos Nunez and his band in 2015.

Keep in mind – Altan is with us for Thursday and Friday, only.  Mark Your Calendars Now – you don’t want to miss a moment with this staggeringly talented, world-renowned band.   Meet Altan in person at Uptop.  Hear them at Thursday evening’s concert, “A Taste of Things to Come.”  Sign up to take part in their Friday classes and demos, and get your tickets for their big Friday night concert.   We’re expecting a sell-out!

*Special note:    The two-hour Altan Master Class takes place at Uptop after the Gathering and follows last year’s format.  The first hour features instruction by Altan band members on individual instruments – fiddle, guitar, bouzouki, and accordion – followed by a second hour where students join the band to play together.

Download the Registration Form here for “SPECIALS” and full details.

The Year of

SINGING AND SONG…

THE HIGH KINGS

and more

Another high-flying, top-of-the-charts band from Ireland will honor the Festival this year – THE HIGH KINGS!  Not only do they play a multitude of instruments, but man can they sing!

They are the hottest group on the Celtic circuit today.   The High Kings know all the traditional Irish pub favorites plus their repertoire encompasses a mighty selection of new songs, including their own compositions.   Their irresistible energy and soaring vocals will get you singing, too.

That’s what we want this year – to hear everyone singing, even folks who claim they can’t carry a tune, like our own Barb Yule.  We leave “performance” to the professional vocalists, but then there are the rest of us.

During this “Year of Singing and Song,” we will provide opportunities at every turn for singers of all levels to join in.  Never tried singing in a group or in public?  Now is your chance!  We’ll even have song sheets ready for you.

SINGING truly takes pride of place in the 2016 lineup.  Not only are we celebrating the return of Ireland’s beloved singer, Robbie O’Connell, but happily we also welcome back one of our favorite Scottish exports and troubadour extraordinaire, Ed Miller.  Altan’s Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, internationally-renowned Donegal fiddler and an exceptionally beautiful singer, will grace our concert halls and classrooms.  Those of you who were with us the two years we had FullSet will remember lovely singer, Teresa Horgan, who captivated every heart within earshot.  This year, Teresa returns with The Outside Track, yet another sought-after, young Celtic band making a splash on stage and in the charts.  Add to this mix Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey, and Darren Holden of The High Kings and you have a stellar roster of singers designed to thrill you in concert and rivet your attention during singing classes and demos.

We hope you’ll take advantage of this truly one-of a-kind opportunity to exercise the instrument that is uniquely your own.  Your voice, along with your mind and your heart, will be fully engaged.  That’s a promise.

So, all you singers and would-be singers check out our Singing Programs and Open-Singing Opportunities under SPECIALS on (found on the Registration Form here) and in our printed Festival program.

As an added plus, you can look forward to rollicking dual concerts Saturday night starting with The Outside Track and capped off by The High Kings.  Come, relax, and enjoy – but don’t get too comfy.  It’s a sure bet we’ll get you up and singing then, too!