Len Graham teaching and performing in Midwest US in April
Ulster traditional singer Len Graham will be teaching and performing in the midwest for the next two weeks. Here is the schedule:
(Scroll down for more info about Len)
31 March: Chicago – WDCB Chicago, 90.9 FM, “Blarney on the Air” radio show, 7 p.m. with Shay Clark and Bill Margeson. Listen online: http://www.cod.edu/wdcb/wdcb_online.htm</a](http://www.cod.edu/wdcb/wdcb_online.htm">http://www.cod.edu/wdcb/wdcb_online.htm</a)> (not archived)
1 April: Kansas City 7:30 pm
Performance at Café &, 1811 W. 45th Street, Kansas City MO 64111
Contact: Eddie Delahunt (816) 531-8867 edelahunt@hotmail.com
3 April: Columbia, MO
Performance: Unity Center of Columbia, 1600 W. Broadway, Columbia MO 65203 Central MO Celtic Arts Assoc. www.moceltic.org 573-442-2048
4 April: Boonville MO
Big Muddy Folk Festival, Boonville, MO, 7 p.m.
http://bigmuddy.org/2008/</a](http://bigmuddy.org/2008/">http://bigmuddy.org/2008/</a)> phone: 1-888-588-1477
5 April: St. Louis
St. Louis Tionol http://www.tionol.org
song workshop 9 am – 4pm
Festival concert, 7 p.m. at Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Ave
7 April: Carbondale, IL,
Concert at SIU, Carbondale. Contact: Bryan Kelso Crow bcrow@siu.edu
8 April: Champaign IL
Piper’s Hut concert series, Champaign IL
www.pipers-hut.com/concerts/</a](http://www.pipers-hut.com/concerts/">www.pipers-hut.com/concerts/</a)>
Contact: Dean Karres pipers.hut@gmail.com
9 April: Chicago
Song workshops for Murphy-Roche Irish Music Club
www.murphyroche.com/</a](http://www.murphyroche.com/">www.murphyroche.com/</a)>
10 April: Chicago
Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago
www.irishamhc.com</a](http://www.irishamhc.com/">www.irishamhc.com</a)>
5:30 - 7 p.m.: Song workshop with Len Graham, $25. No reservation necessary.
8 p.m.: Concert, double-billing:
Len Graham, traditional singer
Micheál Ó Raghallaigh, concertina and accordion player
11 April: House concert in Madison WI, 7:30 p.m.
At Robin & Will’s
205 North Blackhawk Ave.
Madison, WI 53705
irishbox42@charter.net or phone (608)238-6932
http://slydogmadtown.blogspot.com/b]
12 April: St. Paul MN
Concert: Twin Cities Traditional Singers Club, St. Paul MN
St. Paul Conservatory of Music Recital Hall www.thespcm.org</a](http://www.thespcm.org/">www.thespcm.org</a)>
7:00 PM For info: www.singclub.org
13 April: St. Paul MN
Traditional singing workshop with Len Graham, 3 p.m.
www.singclub.org
About Len
A Song-Catcher’s Journey
Singer Len Graham offers traditional songs in English from the North of Ireland, with memories from a lifetime of collecting and singing. Len’s extensive repertory of songs covers the gamut of themes and human experience as portrayed in the old ballads, local songs, come-all-ye’s, lyric folksongs, music hall pieces; songs on politics, murder, love, emigration and more.
Ciaran Carson, poet and Professor of Poetry at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen’s University, Belfast wrote this:
‘By definition, any traditional singer is obliged to the past; but he assimilates the songs in the here-and-now, and re-makes them in his own voice, continually. Those who know Len Graham’s singing will recognise his artistry and the spontaneity of his voice; but there is no spontaneity without recollection. To be here, you must have been there; and Len has, many times.’
Len Graham is one of Ireland’s best known traditional singers who has gained an international reputation, not only for his inimitable singing style, but also for the breadth of his knowledge of Irish folk music.
Since coming to the fore in 1971 when he won the All-Ireland traditional singing competition, Len has appeared at numerous Irish and international folk, literary and storytelling festivals, as well as on radio and television programmes. He was a member of the traditional band Skylark for many years. In 1992 he was awarded the Seán O’Boyle Cultural Traditions Award, in recognition of his work in Ireland as a song collector and singer. In 2002, he was honored as the inaugural recipient of the TG4 (Irish language and culture television channel) National Music Award for Traditional Singer of the Year.
Len’s rich recording history spans over thirty years, with more than twenty highly acclaimed albums to his credit.