FYI. Forwarded to me by Susanne Ward:
Welcome to the Tom Standeven - Liz Anderson Sean Nos Tionol. Both Tom and Liz spent much of there lives , loving, learning and teaching Irish music of the old style, we’re here to carry on.
In Philadelphia in the 50’s , Tom essentially taught himself the Irish language, song, history and several instruments including the then nearly extinct Uillean pipes. There was no internet to learn from then, a letter from overseas was an event, and a long distance call was “too dear"to even consider. Yet, when the folk revival was just starting , Tom was winning the highest piping award of the Irish at the Oireachtas. Without listing all of the other languages, instruments and musical traditions this working man mastered, it would be fair to say that what he did was impossible.
Because of people like Tom there are more people making pipes now, then there were playing them, and more people playing them now then even knew what they were, when Tom started out. Besides playing, Tom’s greatest joy was passing along the traditions that he had learned, along with knowledge Tom gave away an untold number of instruments, full sets of pipes, fiddles and flutes, with only one proviso " Keep playing!”
Liz Anderson Ni’ Creehan came from a family that didn’t need a folk revival; they were the ones being discovered. As Liz’s family grew up she began devoting more of her phenomenal energy to the local Irish scene. She didn’t rank herself as a musician, but many times I heard her play tune after tune on the whistle from childhood memory, and every one a lovely tune that is all but unknown now. Liz sometimes would put down the whistle and join the dancers at the ceili, where she seemed to know every set and step. There are some nice old Irish songs being sung around the area now, and Liz is the source. Nothing pleased her more than to speak and sing the Irish language, and in this her and Tom were most alike. Liz loved to hear Irish music played the old way, and she constantly had her ear out for people who “had it.” Through several years of debilitating disease, and right along to an end she saw coming, she never stopped or slowed her efforts to connect teacher’s of the old style with likely students.
WHAT
FINAL SCHEDULE
Friday June 23rd
6:00pm till 8:00 food, all night music
Free barbecue, potluck and sessions, the Philadelphia Ceili Group will be holding their regular 4th Friday Ceili in the Barry Room
Saturday June 24th
10:00 - 11:45 Classes
David Power - Uillean Pipes
Willy Kelly - Fiddle
Ciaran Somers- Flute
12:00 - 1:00
Lunch ($5.00)
Philly Sandwiches- The Best!
1:00 - 2:45 Irish Singing Workshop- Fluent Irish speaker Tom Cahill and Oireachtas and Joe Heaney award winner Deirdre Bonner will lead a demonstration of Irish language singing. I hope everyone will avail themselves of this opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the deep connection of Irish songs and tunes, that was such a major focus of Tom Standeven and Liz Anderson. This will be free to everyone who is taking any other class, and open to the public for a suggested donation of $10.00.
3:00- 4:45 Classes
David Power - Uillean Pipes
Willy Kelly - Fiddle
Mike Rafferty - Flute
4:30 - 6:30
Dinner ($8.00)
John’s Surprise ( good stuff)
7:30 - 10:15 Concert
7:30- 8:00 Joe Vesey,
8:15 - 10:15 David Power, Willy Kelly, Mike Rafferty, Ciaran Somers
COST
One Class - $25.00
Two Classes - $45.00
Two Classes, Concert, Lunch & Dinner - $70.00
Concert - $22.00 advance $25.00 at door
WHERE
All events will be held at the Philadelphia Irish Center, also called the Commodore Barry Club, which is located at the intersection of Carpenter and Emlen Streets in the Germantown section of the city (6815 Emlen Street zip19144). There is a free parking garage at the building which should hold most of us, the latecomers will enjoy inconvenient street parking. The building is across the street from the Carpenter-Emlen station of the R6 Chestnut Hill local commuter train.
REGISTRATION and CONTACT
Please make up your own registration letter and mail check payable to:
John Donnelly
3818 Sharp Street
Philadelphia, PA 19127
or contact Donnelly_386@msn.com <mailto:Donnelly_386@msn.com>
Lodging
Lodging may be available from:
Pam B&B
muze@erols.com <mailto:muze@erols.com>
(215) 842-1040
Katie Schultz Hotel
Ace Conference Center
katie.schultz@ace-ina.com <mailto:katie.schultz@ace-ina.com>
(610) 940-4781
General Lafayette Inn
646 Germantown Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
(610) 941-0600
Doubletree Inn
640 W. Germantown Pike
Plymouth Meeting, PA
(610)834-8300
