Steve…sorry I missed meeting you…I went to the ‘College’ before the festival…following is a brief account which some new to this sort of thing might appreciate…just my perceptions of a fine affair…
I was at ‘Celtic College’ which is a summer music program that precedes the Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich. It was for me truly am amazing experience…sort of Celtic music immersion for four days and five nights.
There were people there from all over Canada and the US.
The staff formed a great gatherings of top class Celtic players . Apparently they come back year after year , not for the money they are paid, but each because the others come and they have the opportunity to make music together. Listening to them at sessions …WOW…I will likely never hear such session music again unless I go back there…which I will for sure!
There were, amongst many others…
Tony McManus from Scotland, touted as the world’s top Celtic guitar player, and a very funny fellow to boot. He did a piece, I believe it was called something like ‘Dirge for the Bagpipes’ and I swear you could hear the pipes in his guitar playing! It blew me away. I have since come unblown lol. I bought his CD.
Nancy Kerr from England with James Fagan, part of the famous Aussie ‘Fagan family’…maybe some of you Aussies know of him. As a couple and apart they are fantastic…I took a harmony singing class from them…fabulous! And two of the nicest people you could meet. I bought their CD.
Brian Pickell…considered to be the best writers of fiddle tunes in Canada.
I bought his CD.
Sean Keane from Ireland..apparently a leading singer in Ireland of traditional music…he also sings other genres too. A brilliant wit to boot. I bought 2 of his Cds.
Archie Fisher from Scotland…he was teaching songwriting…I wish I had been in his class just for the lyrics part…a brilliant fellow and another great wit…he was to do a workshop on the weekend with Bobby Watt. (Note how I am attracted to the witty ones!). He didn’t have a CD, more the shame, or I would have bought it.
Patrick Orceau and Gearoid hAllmhurain..Patrick is an outstanding fiddler and Gearoid not only plays concertina (they have CDs together) but he teaches Gaelic and the history of Irish music..those in his classes raved about him. I bought their CD.
(By now you will have figured that I blew the bank on new CDs!)
The Irish band Providence…four of them were teaching here.
The list could go on and on…what was really neat was that the staff folk were, to a person, totally down to earth and willing to spend time with the students. I was particularly fond of Patrick Orceau and Sean Keane..they are what are referred to in Ireland as ‘gaes men’…that is particularly fun, engaging and witty people to be with.
The days were fantastic ( I am fast running out of superlatives here). I went to whistle classes with Loretto Reid, (from County Sligo by way of Toronto) and Troy Bannon (what a sweetie!) of Providence. Both were very fine teachers as well as great musicians. I plan to take classes with Loretto back in Toronto…she plays in a different style than my current teacher and I think I can now benefit by being exposed to both styles. She taught me how to do the gentlest vibratto…I am so thrilled with it I just keep doing it. Loretto, apparently, is a friend and cohort of a fellow named Thomas O’Riordan who now lives in Indiana. He is one of the worlds best whistlemakers and there is two year wait for his whistles. I had put my name on the waiting list, but since Mr. O’Riordon is now about 74 years old, he would not promise me that I would ever get a whistle. But he did say that he had sent along four whistles to Loretto which would be for sale. I GOT ONE!!! I am thrilled to pieces, I fell in love with it with the first note I played. It has a wonderful bell-like quality that my words cannot describe. Now I just have to learn to do it justice! I also took a Celidh dancing class…each class was worth one soaked T shirt,glad I took plenty with me. And just to make the days even better, they had a group of Irish cooks who catered…fabulous food in the cafeteria.
But it was the evenings that blew me away, (and from those I am still not quite unblown) . Each evening three or four of the teaching staff would put on a concert…just think…concerts by top Celtic players every night…then following that there were sessions (slow and fast) singing gatherings, and ceilidhs. Also further sessions in the pub down the road. The energy was pervasive…one would have to be dead in the soul not to get caught up in it.
I have rambled on enough…I came back exhausted…but energized, inspired , and high as a kite.
I cannot recommend this experience enough to anyone who loves Celtic music…and it is not just music..there is cooking, crafts…all kinds of things. And all for $ 375 Cdn…an amazing value.
I am now listening to one of the 8 CDs I bought…and it is so great because they are all from people I met and came to like. This is so special.