Showcase Performances at the Windup Space, 1-5pm FREE admission
http://www.thewindupspace.com/
In conjuction with the Baltimore Irish Trad Fest 2012, there will be FREE performances all afternoon featuring some stellar musicians and dancers from Ireland, and around the mid-Atlantic U.S. from 1-5pm at the popular venue, The Windup Space,
Here's the expanded line-up - Now added are Brock Napierkowski on fiddle and Rob Pinkerton on bodhran - Featuring instrumentals, songs and dance (bios are below):
MC: Kerrin Kampa
1pm - Dan Isaacson, uilleann pipes, flute and bouzouki, Brock Napierkowski on fiddle.
and Robert Pinkerton on bodhran (with Kelly Smit, Sean-nos dance)
2pm - The Duffy School of Irish Dance
3pm - Pat Egan, Irish ballads
4pm - The Bog Band
Performer bios:
Pat Egan
Pat Egan is highly regarded as one of the leading singers/guitar players in traditional Irish music. His guitar backing displays a rare sensitivity and impeccable rhythm which manages to be tasteful yet driving and uplifting. Pat is equally admired for his smooth, lyrical vocals, honest delivery and repertoire of storied songs.
Originally from County Tipperary, Pat now resides in Baltimore, Maryland. While growing up in his native County Tipperary, Patrick loved the music so much that he used to take his guitar on the back of a horse and cart to school every week to get lessons from his school teacher, Phil Kelly. He would also trudge across fields and farmland with his guitar just to get a song from local singer John Norton. Luckily, there were lots of singers and guitarists in his home parish and one of the first musicians he ever heard playing traditional Irish music was his neighbor – uilleann piper Michael Cooney with whom, along with Paddy O’Brien, he would later go on to form the band Chulrua. He recorded a song on the famed Music at Matt Molloy's while living in Westport, Co. Mayo. In 2007 Pat received a Maryland State Arts Council award as a Maryland Traditions Master Ballad Singer and recently released a recording entitled Fiddle Tunes and Ballads with Virginia fiddler Alex Caton in 2011.
Dan Isaacson
Dan Isaacson plays the concert flute, uilleann pipes, bouzouki, and tin whistle. A relative new-comer to Baltimore, he began studying Irish traditional music in Boston, where he learned from some of the most esteemed musicians in the tradition. Incorporating their many musical dialects into his own playing, he developed a style that is tradition-steeped but thoroughly individual. Music has been composed for him by Tommy Peoples and Billy McComiskey, two if his most influential mentors, and he has produced and played on three recordings which get airplay in several countries.
Kelly Smit
Kelly Smit has been teaching and performing Sean Nós dance for over five
years. A “musician’s dancer”, her dancing is infused with a musicality that is
well appreciated by fellow performers. Kelly has a diverse dance background,
including ballet, jazz, and modern dance, Lithuanian folk dance, competitive
ballroom styles, and Argentine Tango. As a Sean Nós dancer, Kelly has
learned from, performed with, and shared steps with dancers in multiple cities
across the US (including one memorable tour in Kauai, HI), and in Ireland in
Tralee, Ros Muc, Ennis, Kilfenora, and Galway. Her unique style has been
showcased at venues on both the East and West Coasts, and she is a regular
performer at Festivals and Percussive Dance Showcases. Most recently
she was a featured dancer on the album Dan Isaacson's Simple System. In
additional to collaborating with local dancers to choreograph pieces for regional
performances, Kelly teaches weekly Sean Nós Dance classes in Baltimore at J.
Patrick's Irish Pub in Baltimore.
The Bog Band
The Bog Band is a talented group of young adults with a passion for Irish music and dance. The band leader is Pete Moss (aka Mitch Fanning), a strings teacher at the Washington Waldorf School. Fiddles are the focus, but the band also includes a variety of other instruments including flute, guitar, bodhran, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and cello. Most of the members are middle/high school or college students living in the Greater Washington D.C. area. The Bog Band is in it's 6th year, and while they are young, the Bogs are accomplished Irish musicians and dancers. Members have competed, and placed at a variety of local, regional and international competitions.
The Bog Band has performed to great reviews at events and festivals throughout the Baltimore/Washington area including: Potomac Celtic Festival, The Folklore Society of Greater Washington, Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre, The DC Mayor's Awards Gala, Montgomery County Arts Council events, ShamRock Fest, The Glen Echo Irish Festival, EuroNight, MetroPerforms! and the Embassy of Ireland.
The Bog Band has also helped raise thousands of dollars by concertizing for a number of charities and public interest groups, most notably Justice for Children and The McKenna Center.
They have produced two CD'S: "Got Bog?", a studio album, and "On Their Own Turf", a live session recording that captures the excitement and enthusiasm these musicians bring to their performances. A third CD, "Our Voyage with Brendan" is a celebration of the band's work with legendary Irish fiddler Brendan Mulvihill. The Voyage project is currently in post-production and will be available in early 2011.
Duffy School of Irish Dance
Located in the heart of Gaithersburg, MD, the Duffy School of Irish Dance prides itself on individual attention for each student. Our dance classes are both challenging and nurturing, and our goal is to make each dancer the best that he or she can be. With classes ranging in difficulty from beginner to champion, we are able to focus on the specific needs of each student. We are celebrating our 5th year in existence, and currently have 5 regional medal holders.
Don't miss it!
