10th Anniversary Concert - it was beautiful

Driving the Cold Winter Away, for the 10th year in a row.

(photo: Mark Braun)

It was beautiful. Perfect, really. I couldn't have wished for or planned for or dreamed of a better anniversary concert.

Despite the fact that the temperature had dropped 40+ degrees in less than 24 hours. Despite the fact that the Tuesday before the concert I was diagnosed with "bronchitis that would have been pneumonia if you'd waited a day". Despite the fact that, as a result of the diagnosis and the loss of 4 pre-concert productive days, I had to cut two songs from the set list and forgot to arrange for an official photographer and nearly forgot to arrange for a videographer (videos coming soon) and forgot to arrange for ticket takers and CD sellers. Despite the fact that the dress I wanted to wear hadn't arrived by the Wednesday before the concert and I had not even a clue about shoes yet...

Yes, inspite of allll this, I'm so happy with how everything turned out.  The weather was frightfully blustery outside, but inside, the church was warm and cozy. The antibiotics worked in record time (so did all the over-the-counter remedies recommended by my wonderful pharmacist and the hot whiskey prescribed by my mother). No one noticed the two missing songs - in fact, the concert probably would have been too long with them. My friend Tim saved the day with the video, my Mom and Dad and friends stepped in to sell tickets and CDs (Dad would like you to know he sold FOUR CDs, all by himself), some audience members snapped iPhone photos and shared them with me.

The Second Half Dress. I hear it looked like a disco ball when I moved.

Awesome.

(photo: Freddy Madrigal) 

And my dress - it arrived and Mom altered it in record time. It was the first time a dress I wore at a concert got applause of its own. In the first half of the concert, I wore the legendary red ruffled dress that's featured on the cover of my All Hayle to the Days album to represent where I've been, all that I'd dreamed of, who I was when I started. And then after intermission, I changed into a short, silver-sequined, ultra-shiny number (with matching silver shoes, yes indeed) to say: "This is who I am now, and I'm loving being me!" People gasped when I walked out - applauded like they normally do, but then sparked up the applause just for the dress.

I haven't even talked about the music yet because, miraculously, every single song went off perfectly, without a hitch, without a vocal waver or a missed note or a missed cue or a slipped pedal (silver shoes = yay!). I have no idea how I did it, how my voice rang out so strong and clear, how my band followed me in my half-sick state, but we did it. And it was magical to be there performing and experiencing it all myself, to follow that path from the very beginnings, to perform the songs that meant "holiday concert" to me, many of which ended up on my All Hayle to the Days album. To move into my new compositions, to tell of my travels to Ireland, and Paris, then Ireland, Paris and Ireland and how they inspired the new me, the new music and art I make.

My good friends Ann and Sara, out of hiatus as Prima Vox.

On my "Fire & Ice" - oh, Paris memories.

Oh, those girls and our voices...

 

I'm a very happy harpist, a very grateful girl, grateful to everyone who performed with me, helped me, hauled harps and CDs and candelabra and music stands and harp benches and music bags and candles for me, made things happen behind the scenes, set up sound for me (Ann Rosenquist Fee, that would be you)...thank you.

Happy, happy, warm start to the winter season!

Holiday Concert Retrospective

As I've been preparing for the holiday concert on Saturday night, I've been going through the photo, video and recording archives from holiday concerts past. A 10th anniversary is a big deal, I've come to realize even more. That a fairly small community has embraced a strange and unique instrument like a harp, and a musician who's absolutely determined to do things herself, and her own way - it's a wonderful thing. I'm overwhelmed by the support and what it has meant to my artistic life.

Here are some of the images I found:

Holiday concert 2006. 

St. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church, Mankato.

I'd gone to Ireland for the first time that May, so the concert had me delving into 

Irish and Celtic Christmas carols and holiday music. Megan danced up there on that platform

 to "Christmas Day I'da Morning" and to the "Mistletoe Waltz" by Kathleen Loughnane.

I met Kathleen on my grant trip to Ireland in 2010, and she was thrilled that I'd been playing her song.

(Though that white jacket I wore made me kinda look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man...)

Holiday Concert 2008.

First Presbyterian Church, Mankato.

After holding concerts in the big and gorgeous Good Counsel Chapel and large spaces 

like St. Peter and Paul's church, I was looking for a more intimate environment.

I found it in First Presbyterian Church. The wooden interior, the rounded sanctuary, the domed ceiling

- they all brought the audience and the sound closer to me. 

That year, we performed Christmas lullabies - including one I composed, 

which you'll hear on Saturday night.

Holiday Concert 2009.

I'd just come back from Paris. I was reeling from all the art and inspiration and beauty and richness of the experience. I'd composed "Fire & Ice" while I was in Paris for harp and women's voices 

- my voice, Sara Buechmann's voice and Ann Fee's voice, to be specific.

This concert was the world premiere of that piece.

Since then, it's been performed by other choirs, which thrills me beyond thrilled.

Holiday Concert 2011.

It was a performance of the music from my very first recording, The Light and the Lady.

I wrote all about that experience here...

Revisiting that music was a beautiful experience, and the concert was as well.

Now, on to this year. My 10th anniversary concert. My band is ready, the special musical guests are prepped, the prizes are waiting for their recipients. The harps are sitting in the corner of the living room right now, under the lit evergreen garland, soaking in the quiet and the the unusual warmth of this day, sure to ring out in their beautiful way on Saturday night.

I hope to see you all there!

Now to figure out what I'm going to wear, once and for all...

Amy Kortuem's Celtic Band: history

 The view from behind my harp.

This scene makes me so very happy.

Harps tuned, chairs ready for the band, candles lit.

Waiting...waaaiiiiiiting...

The band and I have been rehearsing and rehearsing for the holiday concert coming up on November 24th. I love it when they come over. Somehow, the house knows it will soon be filled with music - it always feels warmer, the lights are brighter, the air is charged right before they arrive.

And then they show up with their instruments, all smiles.

Here, Martha (center) is showing us her binary counting skills...

Martha has been my partner in musical crime the longest, since 2003, when she played on my "The Harp Her Soul Required album". I remember being a little concerned about whether she, as a classically trained orchestral musician (her instrument is oboe), would feel comfortable playing Irish music. But when I put the music in front of her, all worries roared out the door. The woman can sight read like no one I've ever met and she added such finesse and feeling to the airs, jigs and songs. And she was all in for the adventure of performing for the first holiday concert later that year. Over the years, we've played in costume, in dusty old barns, at elementary schools, in high winds and heat, and she has been a joyful and generous presence at my side through it all.

Sam The Drummer (right) - called such because I have a cat named Sam, and it can lead to awkward moments if I mention in public that "Sam was crying outside my bedroom door all night" without distinguishing between Sam The Drummer and Sam The Cat - is the quiet, steady undercurrent of the entire band. He's been with me since that first holiday concert in 2003. A friend of a friend of a friend gave me his name, and when I called him I barely got out "I'm giving this concert and am wondering if you'd like to play percussion..." when he broke in with "I'll do it." And he has, ever since, keeping me on track and on the beat. He doesn't say much, but when he does, I listen and always follow his wise advice. And it's good he doesn't say much, because there are some pretty wild Behind the Scenes with Harpist Amy Kortuem stories he could tell...

And Marti (left). Sweet, gentle, deep thinking and positive Marti. She joined the band in 2006 for a St. Patrick's Day concert and has stuck with me since. She just recently shared how difficult it was for her to follow my rather "intuitive" (ahem) arrangements of music at first - the arrows, the stars, the who's playing which repeat, the A sections, the B sections, sometimes even the C sections, the difference between my interpretation of a descant and a harmony and a drone. But she got it, and she got it beautifully. Marti has brought her love for Irish music to the band and has shared her favorite pieces, all of which have become band favorites (have you heard her play "The Irish Washerwoman"? yeah, like that). 

I lucked out finding these incredible musicians. I lucked out even more that they've become good friends. We've grown together, experienced loss together, supported each other and celebrated milestones - like Sam The Drummer's wedding to the beautiful Jess, like the arrival of grandchildren for Martha and Marti, like my grants and travels.

I can't wait for you to hear what we've been practicing up. Please, please join us on November 24th!

To Drive the Cold Winter Away - a 10 year celebration

I really, really hope you can join me!

10 years ago, I had this crazy idea. 

It was August 2003. I'd just given a CD release concert for my album "The Harp Her Soul Required." I'd never given a concert before. 800 people came. And many of them said, "Do this again at Christmas - please!"

 So I did. 

 November 2003. Standing ovation.

I gathered up my favorite holiday music, researched some new pieces, arranged them all in Amy ways, invited my good friend Martha Lindberg and my new friend Sam Lawrence to perform with me, and set the date: the Saturday after Thanksgiving to create a warm welcome to the season. To avoid the Christmas music deluge that begins December 1. To set a feeling of calm, beauty and thoughtfulness in peoples' minds early, in hopes that it would linger and sustain them throughout the rest of the holidays.

I called it "To Drive the Cold Winter Away" after a traditional old song of that title. The lyrics are wonderful and hilarious and they talk about creating warmth for and with each other, being neighborly, being forgiving, making merry. That song became the centerpiece for each concert. 

And the theme inspired me to create warmth in other ways. Every year I've held free will offerings and given a portion of the proceeds to VINE Faith in Action. It's an organization close to my heart. Pam Determan, the organization's founder, was my religion teacher in junior high. And VINE helps people like my beloved neighbor Ethel remain independent in their homes. 

Now, 10 years later, I'm looking back on all those concerts. All that music, all that art, all that warmth. An addition to the band: Marti Ryan. Such good memories. And from the comments and emails and letters and calls I receive from people who have attended, I know that using my talents in this way is making a real difference to people.

And this is the year I'm celebrating it all. With favorite music from each year, special guests performing with me, accompaniment from my fearless (and patient and good-humored and adventurous) band, my original music. And some brand new music I'm putting the finishing touches on. A world premiere, for my 10th year.

There will be drawings for prizes, too. It'll be fun! Check out all the details on my website (click here.)

Stay tuned for more updates, more memories. And please mark your calendars. I so hope you can celebrate with me.

And I want to hear YOUR memories, too! Leave them in a comment to this post along with your email address, and I'll send you a never-before released MP3 of a song I've recorded. And I might even share your memory during the concert...

A harpist at the Faribault County Fair

It's county fair time again. Time for blue ribbons, gigantic farm machinery displays, agricultural exhibits, livestock judging. And harpists. Because everybody thinks "harpists" when they think "county fair" - right?

 Especially big guys like this longhorn steer. 

He had the best seat in the house - just 15 feet from the stage. 

Longhorn steers looooove harp music.

Harp music makes them soooooooooo sleepy. 

"I think I'll just lay my...horns...down and take a nap," this guy is thinking.

The Faribault County Fair has been working hard for several years to secure grant funding for a "Festival of the Arts Day" - and the Celtic Band and I we so honored to have been chosen as featured performers. We were scheduled to play right after the Good Time Band from Albert Lea (they were singing "The Wabash Cannonball" when we got there and, of course, I'm still singing it in my head...) After us, there were going to be dancers and then The Singing Slovenes from Duluth. Quite a varied line-up.

Harpist Amy Kortuem and her Celtic Band had a great crowd.

They clapped especially loudly when the longhorn steer punctuated my emotional Irish love songs

and the band's rollicking jigs with well-timed bellows.

"She stepped away from me and she moved through the fair..." I sang.

"Mrrrrrooooooooooooooaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" said the longhorn steer.

Then the sweet and talented Megan Maloney did some Irish step dancing, to eveyone's delight.

Harpist fashion tip - these shoes, while really cute, are the wrong shoes to wear to the fair.

You could turn your ankle on the uneven ground and nearly spill your cheese curds.

And that would be a tragedy beyond measure.

We played my "Five-Dollar Goat and Chickens in the Yard" jig/slip jig set to end the show. The farmers in the crowd loved the story behind the jigs, but cautioned me that goats usually eat everything EXCEPT what you want them to eat.

Sir Loin (seriously, that was his name, according to the sign on his pen) was still looking

dreamy and relaxed when I packed up the harp and left.

Maybe my next composition should be "The Longhorn Lullaby?"
Stay tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuned...

Windiest gig EVER

WOW. Not only was it hot, not only was I barely over my jet lag, but it was soooo windy on Sunday at the Arts by the River event. The wind buffeted the microphones, knocked over our music stands, carried our music northward over the river and up onto the prairie.

Check out the wild hair! You'd think this was Ireland...

 

The bet use of clothespins - to keep your music from blowing into the next county.

(And check out those arm muscles - all from hauling luggage in Ireland!)

But we persevered despite the elements. The band carried on without me when the wind nearly knocked over the harp. Three times. During those minutes when I listened to them play along I started wondering if they needed me at all. Like, would they get ideas about breaking out on their own, without a harpist? 

When I posed the question, they all shouted "NO!!" So did a couple of nice people in the audience. 

Awwww...

It must be time for a Riverfront Park performance

The Celtic Band and I will be at Riverfront Park in Mankato to perform during the Arts by the River event on Sunday, June 10, at 2:00 p.m.

Of course we are. I mean, I just got home from Ireland and I'm jet lagged. And it's going to  be 90+ degrees on Sunday. Where else would we be performing? Here's the history:

2010: Just back from Ireland and jet lagged.

 

At our 2010 performance, I'd just come from a Minnesota State Arts Board trip to attend two harp festivals in Ireland. I was full of music and ideas and the band and I even debuted a couple of new songs I'd written on the Emerald Isle. I don't remember a moment of the performance - that's how jet lagged I was. But I hear it was lovely and that my babbling, incoherent commentary was..."charming."

2011: Hotter than...

Last year the crowd was big and friendly and responsive - people even danced improvised Irish jigs - despite the oppressive heat and humidity.

So yes, it's all coming together, people. The stars (and the temperature and the post-vacation stupor) are aligned. Riverfront Park is a great place to spend a day and a wonderful venue for music. So slather on your sunscreen and bring your hat and come out Sunday to hear us play some Irish favorites, my original music and perhaps even a brand new song or two (depending on if I can make sense of all the notes floating around in my very confused, time-challenged brain). There'll also be great art and yummy summertime refreshments available!

I survived the "back from the dead" St. Patrick's Day gig

I wasn't sure if the luck of the Irish would be with me. After posting a few days ago about having lived through a variety of viruses this winter and coming back from the dead...I got whopped with an influenza strain that left me feverish and coughing in alarming fashion. Right before St. Patrick's Day. So sick of being sick. So not sure if I would make it to the Wine Cafe to play, let alone be able to play the entire time.

So I rested. Drank hot whiskey (honey, lemon, Jameson, hot water, mug, ahhhh). Slept and slept. Got Tamiflu (that stuff is a miracle).

I made it.

I even sang.

Martha and Sam from my Celtic Band joined me on a few songs.

I was happy. Very, very, very happy.

It was strange, not giving an Irish concert this year. I felt like I should have been hauling harps and music and CDs and tickets and cleaning my house and baking Guinness chocolate cake to serve at the after party. I should have been advertising and promoting and writing news releases and being on the radio. Instead, it was this lovely evening. A lovely crowd, just like an Irish pub.

After I was done, I drank a little more hot whiskey, danced a quick Irish reel to "Pinball Wizard" performed by Fish Frye and then I went home and crashed my Irish self on the couch and spent some time snuggling with some Irish cats.

(Photos by Joe Tougas and Ann Rosenquist Fee)

Concert Video: Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming

A last-minute set list change. And I'm so glad I included it.

A rose in winter.

(one more video coming...stop back!)

Concert Video: Blessed Be That Maid Marie

This is one of my favorite pieces from The Light and the Lady. I love how it sounds in this arrangement I made for my band for the concert - they take it back to its medieval roots so well!

A lot of notes for the harp. 

Each one a joy to play.

(still more videos coming!)

Concert Video: A Virgin Most Pure

I've always loved how this song sounds on The Light and the Lady, solo harp. I couldn't imagine making it better with an arrangement for my band. But when we played it together for the first time, I yelled "Pretty!" out loud. And I kept saying it, every time we played it.

The band teased me that I'd say it out loud without thinking during the concert. Did I? See for yourself...

Pretty. Very, very pretty.

(more videos coming later this week!)

Concert video: Of the Father's Love Begotten

It was the first and last song I included on my recording The Light and the Lady - inspired by the alpha-omega, source-ending lyrics. So I just HAD to begin this concert with it.

The recording is solo harp in Good Counsel Chapel. I was really wanting to mimic that big sound, that ring, that mystery at this concert. So I added some special surprises played from the balcony (played by my wonderful band)...

It was magical.

(stay tuned for more videos this week!)

The concert was wonderful

It was an amazing evening. Really. The music was so lovely thanks to all the help from my ensemble and to Ann and Sara of Prima Vox fame. The crowd was warm and responsive. Many more people came this year than last to benefit VINE Faith in Action. We truly drove the cold winter away, if only for a few hours. A precious, beautiful few hours.

 Afterward, I kicked off my shoes, took the flower from my hair 

and enjoyed some mulled wine at my house 

with the generous people who helped make everything happen. 

I promise I'll post some video excerpts of the concert for you to enjoy. So stay tuned! But for the next few days I'll be resting and reorganizing, letting my thoughts unravel, creating a clear slate in preparation for the rest of December's performances.

However, I will give you this sneak peek at the dress I finally decided on wearing...

Rich, red and ruffly. A crowd-pleaser.

 And the flower.

 I want to wear a flower in my hair

every single day until spring comes.

What do you think - do you dare me?

It all comes together

There have been last-minute set list adjustments (several).

There have been total mind-changes about what I'm going to wear (at least 5 times).

There have been major and minor artistic panic attacks about how in the world this concert is going to come together.

And then these wonderful, talented, generous

and very, very, very patient people come over

and the music makes it all better.

My band. Marti the violinist. Martha the recorder/whistle player. Sam The Drummer. They have such musical intelligence and sensitivity, and I'm so honored that they share it with me. Tonight they sat through one of those set list adjustments and gave great advice (the homemade rose liqueur I plied them with helped, no doubt).

We're ready for the concert. We had our usual fits and starts tonight at rehearsal, as happens right before a performance. But we laughed through them, tried them again, worked them out.

 Then we toasted ourselves and the music with some

homemade rose liqueur I made at midsummer.

Heart-warming.

The band is helping me bring new life to the music I first recorded in 1999 and haven't played since. They're helping me express who I am now through the music choices I made 11 years ago for that recording. Full circle, kind of.

I sent the band into the chilly, damp November night with wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving, and then I came back inside, lit some candles and sat for my own run-through of the music.

Harry, he's a good leg-warmer while I rehearse.

Though he's taken to yeowling whenever I sing lately...

Only 4 more days to go and the concert will be here. I have a few more details to take care of, my outfit to finalize (red ruffles or black lace?...) and of course 4 more rehearsing sessions.

And then I'll bring this music onto the stage and out to you. I can't wait.

The Five-Dollar Goat and Chickens in the Yard...in action!

Last year I wrote these jigs, The Five-Dollar Goat and Chickens in the Yard, in protest of North Mankato's "no livestock" policy. (Really, what harm would a goat and a few chickens in my backyard do?)

The band and I played the jigs TWICE during our performance at Riverfront Park last week, just to drive the point home. Unfortunately, I think my protest was mostly ignored by the media and the North Mankato City Council. OK, it was totally ignored. Actually, they had no idea it ever happened.

I was going to let it rest until I saw my friend Carol of the Paris Breakfasts Blog post her adorable painting of a client's goats in front of the grand tea salon Laduree in Paris. Scroll to the bottom of her blog post to see the goats in action. Goats. At Laduree!!!

It reminded me that it was probably high time to post this video of my barnyard jigs being performed at our St. Patrick's concert in March. Here goes:

Take that, no livestock policy.

P.S. want to see YOUR livestock or pet in a painting at Laduree? Contact Carol here!

Down by the riverside

The mild summer air cooled slightly from the stormy heat of the day and a soft breeze floated off the river. People brought chairs, umbrellas, picnics and refreshments and set up on the Kasota stone steps of the amphitheater.

And the Celtic Band and I 

filled the evening with music.

It's the second time we've been part of the Riverfront Park Concert Series. And I remember much more of this year's performance. Last year, I had just stepped off a plane from spending three weeks studying harp in Ireland. I was jet lagged, to say the very least. I was overloaded with music and new knowledge and experiences I just couldn't even process yet. People told me the performance was wonderful, my commentary was witty and sweet, the band was rock solid and the night was perfect. I'm glad. I wish I could remember it myself.

This year we played new music and more new music that sprang forth as a result of that Ireland trip. We played some old favorites. Children danced - some of the best dancing EVER at any of my performances. People laughed, clapped, soaked up the late evening sun and let the music float over them.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

I love my band and how they make my music come alive.

After we were done playing, some people lingered and wanted to hear more Ireland stories. Some wanted to buy CDs to take the sounds of the night home with them. Some little ones wanted to touch the harp and talk about what it's like to be a harpist. I obliged. 

And then it was time to pack up the harp

and take it, and the harpist, back to the air conditioning.

As much as I talk about and complain about and dread the heat and humidity of the Minnesota summers, I love how the harp sings in the moist air. The ring is more mellow, the sound fuller, rounder. The strings are so grippy and satisfying to pull. Summertime music-making at its best.

Photos by Dick Chambers

Images from "Song of Ireland"

My photographer friend Rick just gave me these photos he took during my "Songs of Ireland" concert in March. (Rick is wonderful. He works for free tickets and for his tip, he got to buy me dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and watch me almost die from the hot green sauce. Yeah.) Rick photographed me for my "All Hayle to the Days" and "The Month of January" CDs. He has the patience for my antics and giggling and constant do-overs (priceless). And I love his work.

The scene is set. 

(I'm glad somebody remembered to light the candles!)

The Celtic Band.

Mom says she always gets nervous when 

I pick up the microphone to introduce songs. 

I have been known to tell some stories about her from the stage...

Megan dances up a storm -

those are her hard shoes for the hornpipe.

Ann and Sara joined me to sing "Ave."

(Speaking of shoes, theirs stole the show!)

And this is my favorite photo from the night.

This is how I FEEL when I play.

I had no idea I LOOKED that way, too.

The concert was beautiful. I loved every moment - and it all went so fast. I'm still working on getting some video techy-ed up to share with you!

Photos compliments of Rick Apitz, Shayds of Color, New Ulm

Grand finale for Irish Season 2011

What a season it was. I played straight through from March 8th until March 20th. It was wonderful, getting to pour out all my new music for audiences.

 And for myself, honestly. 

I feel like I was able to somehow, in some small way, wrap up my experiences in Ireland last summer by just playing that music. And playing it. And playing it. It's permanently a part of me now, I know it so intimately.

The last performance of the season was playing with the Celtic Band opening an MNSU Mankato Performance Series concert for Craicmore from Los Angeles.

 We chose our favorites and soared through them.

"She Moved Through the Fair"
- the saddest, most beautiful Irish love song. Ever.
It wouldn't be Irish Season without singing it one more time.

Nobody makes an Irish whistle soar like Martha.

 Sam. The heartbeat of the band.

Marti, making her violin sing.

They make my music come alive. I love my band.

I'm working on getting photos and videos from our "Songs of Ireland" concert ready to post - stay tuned for more music and images from Irish Season 2011!

(Thanks to Yvonne Cariveau for so taking these photos so stealthily and so well!)

Dancing to the beat of 150 drummers

Marti, my friend and the amazing violinist who plays in my Celtic Band, is an elementary school music teacher. Last week, she invited us and Megan the Irish Step Dancer to perform for her students at Jefferson Elementary School, and we all jumped (Megan highest) at the chance to introduce the young people to our music.

The students loved it.

We loved it.

Everyone was so well behaved. The students all sat "on their pockets" and listened to the music, watched the dancing and even clapped along while we played. Sam the Drummer earned his drumming stripes that day by being able to keep beat for the band with the "help" of 150 students all clapping a different rhythm. It was hilarious fun.

I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I played.

They were such a wiggling, happy band of children.

Marti emailed today with a thank you from her students. She said they loved my "hark" and Sam's "bo-ron." One little girl wanted to be Megan Maloney. And they loved seeing the woman they know as Mrs. Ryan break into a wild Irish jig like a rock star, and they were very impressed that she was in a band. 

So much fun. We're thinking that next year we'll all take a day off and go on a tour of elementary schools to share our music. Mrs. Ryan said she'd get right on that with her connections!

What a great way to kick off 

the St. Patrick's music season!

"Songs of Ireland" concert March 12

Posters are up — it's official!

The band and I will be performing music I learned while on my Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant trip last summer, plus some brand new pieces I've composed will have their debut at the concert. Megan Maloney, Irish step dancer extraordinaire, will join us again.

It will be a fun night filled with music and inspiration — I hope you can join me!

P.S. You can read all about my Ireland experiences here...
How I knew I was in Ireland
Harp Camp
Studying with famous harpists
The Rose of An Grianan
Willie Week
A Gig at The Old Ground
Time for reflection
The harpist in Ireland
A last wish in Ireland