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Irish Music and Dance in London (IMDL) are proud to present Return to London Town 2020 - London´s 22nd Annual Festival of Traditional Irish Music, Song and Dance - Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th October 2020 Virtually Streamed and Socially Distanced Festival Friday 23 October (Evening) 'Trad Cinema' Concert Screening at BFI IMAX Waterloo Featuring performances and short interviews by: Dervish/ Noreen O'Sullivan, Seán and Frankie Gavin with George Grasso/ Gatehouse This event will also available to stream/ rent worldwide to enjoy watching in the comfort of your own home Saturday 24 October (Daytime) Zoom (online) instrumental Workshops Intermediate to Advanced Level with tutors based in Ireland: 11am-1pm: Button Accordion Workshop with Shane Mitchell (Dervish) 11am-1pm: Piano Accordion Workshop with Martin Tourish (Altan) 2-4pm: Concertina Workshop with Jack Talty Saturday 24 October (Evening) 'Irish Night at Cadogan Hall' Live performance concert featuring: John and James Carty (album launch of 'The Wavy Bow')/ The London Lasses and Pete Quinn/ Le Chéile This event will also be available to stream/ rent worldwide to enjoy watching in the comfort of your own home Sunday 25 October (Daytime) Socially Distanced instrumental Workshops at Ashford Place Intermediate to Advanced Level 11am-1pm: Piano Accordion: Colette O’Leary 2-4pm: Concertina: Alex Kelly 2.30-4.30pm: Button Accordion: Cormac Murphy For more information see www.returntolondontown.org www.irishmusicinlondon.org

Hi, this event has been postponed because of Covid-19, we didn't decide when it will happen . Sorry, and stay safe! _________ Hi, My name is Mathilde, I'm french and I started playing the GC anglo concertina 2 yrs ago. I'm writing this first post to advertise about a concertina workshop, on May 2nd and 3rd. Aoife Kelly will be our teacher. Cassel Craic is a new irish music festival taking place in the city of Cassel, located in the north of France, near Belgium. 2020 will be the third edition. You can also take part to other music workshop or sessions. All informations on the website: http://www.casselcraic.fr/ Hope to meet you there mathilde

Tim Collins will be making a rare North American trip to teach and perform at Cascadia Irish Music Week in Olympia, Washington, July 21-27, 2019. Tim is one of Ireland's finest concertina players and a member of the Kilfenora Ceili Band, also an excellent teacher. Cascadia is a weeklong Irish music immersion experience with some of Ireland's best traditional musicians... classes, concerts, talks, and sessions, sessions, sessions. http://www.cascadiairish.org This year's teaching staff includes: Fiddle - Antoin MacGabhann, Randal Bays, Nathan Gourley Flute - Catherine McEvoy, Eamonn Cotter Concertina - Tim Collins Uilleann pipes - Mick O'Brien Guitar - Frank Kilkelly Accordion - Johnny Og Connolly Banjo - Pauline Conneely Dance - Mairead Casey Plus introductory classes in fiddle, whistle, pipes and concertina For more information or to sign up please visit http://www.cascadiairish.org

Lewes Saturday Folk Club Workshop No 269 SANDRA KERR CONCERTINA & SONG WORKSHOP (any system) www.sandrakerr.net Places £35 (2 under-25-year-olds £17) Sunday 23rd. June 2019 10.45 a.m. - 4.45 p.m. Elephant & Castle White Hill Lewes BN7 2DJ Sandra Kerr has long been a brilliant & influential singer & player of the English concertina, since with her days with Ewan MacColl's Critics Group. A versatile musician with a fine, expressive voice, she is also an accomplished songwriter & has been a core tutor on the Newcastle University Traditional Music degree course. Sandra has recorded with many fine performers including her daughter Nancy Kerr & James Fagan. She also co-wrote the music for the children's TV series Bagpuss. The workshop will focus on creative accompaniment for the voice using any concertina system, & also a short session on the tunes Sandra recorded with Vic Gammon on the highly entertaining CD Early Scottish Ragtime. Some music will be sent in advance. ON SATURDAY EVENING 22 JUNE SANDRA KERR PERFORMS AT LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB (£9; advance tickets available from from http://www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/LAFC/WS269book.html) Provisional Timetable 10.45 Registration & coffee; please order lunch at the bar (refreshments not included) 11.00 Creative accompaniment: After a warm-up designed specifically for concertina players, Sandra will demonstrate some of the ways she uses the instrument on traditional & contemporary songs, de-constructing them, & helping you to achieve something similar. 12.30 Lunch 13.30 Your accompaniments: after a brief play through some tunes (Northumbrian - dots supplied) to warm up, we'll listen to some of your accompaniments, & look at ways of developing them or doing something different - or of starting from scratch on an agreed piece. 15.00 Tea/coffee break 15.15 To finish the day, we'll play some catchy & unusual tunes (identified by Vic Gammon as 'Early Scottish Ragtime'...!) & see if we can make them swing! 16.45 Finish N.B. Booking is recommended as numbers are limited. Maps, music & accommodation lists will be sent in advance. SANDRA KERR CONCERTINA & SONG WORKSHOP (any system) Sunday 23rd. June 2019 BOOKING FORM I would like to attend the workshop. I enclose a cheque for £35.00 (refreshments not included). Email first for youth rate. Name: Address: Instrument: No. of tickets for Saturday 22nd. June evening performance (£9 each, include SAE for these): Telephone: E-mail address: Tick for map: Tick for accommodation list: Please make cheques payable to Lewes Saturday Folk Club and send with this booking form to: Valmai Goodyear, 20, St. John's Terrace, LEWES, East Sussex BN7 2DL 01273 476757 valmaigoodyear[at]aol[dot] www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/

If your New Year's resolution is to play more concertina... ...then join us for the concertina workshops at the Old Pal music festival in Palestine, TX! What: A music festival full of workshops, concerts, jamming, friendship and above all FUN! Who: We are excited to welcome Jody Kruskal back as our instructor this year! Jody specializes in old-time music and will be offering classes both at beginner and advanced levels, making this a great experience for concertinists of all levels. When: The festival will open with a concert on the evening of Thursday, March 22 and run all day Friday-Saturday on the 23rd and 24th. Where: The Museum for East Texas Culture located at 400 Micheaux Street, Palestine TX Workshops, sessions, concerts: Workshops are offered for many old time instruments as well as singing (including Sacred Harp). The concertina workshops will be on Friday and Saturday, and will include: · Beginning the concertina, with Jody Kruskal: two sessions · Intermediate/advanced concertina, with Jody Kruskal: focus on chorded style, two sessions · Master Class, with Jody; one session. · Irish tunes, with Dan Worrall and Erica Braverman. Revisit tunes from Ann Kirrane’s workshop last year, and learn some new tunes from the north Clare repertoire. One session. Sessions, mostly featuring old-time and old-timey music, occur at all hours of day and evening. Musicians with various instruments (including Appalachian and hammered dulcimers, fiddles, banjos, etc.) are very welcoming and the sessions are accessible to all. This has always been the main strength of Old Pal. Concerts occur every day at lunchtime and in the evening. Jody will be one of a myriad performers, in a homey turn of the (last) century former auditorium. Important info: Learn more about Jody and his music at https://www.jodykruskal.com/. Please visit the Old Pal website at http://www.oldpalmusic.com/Home.html to learn more about the festival and this year's performers. Find more information on lodging and activities in Palestine here http://www.visitpalestine.com/. You can also search the concertina.net forums for the word “Palestine” for reports of workshops in previous years. This is our fourteenth year of concertina workshops at this great festival! PLEASE NOTE that there is a charge of $35.00 in addition to the festival admission price for all participants in the concertina workshops. This fee helps our instructors to cover their travel costs. We want to hear from you! To help make this a great festival for everyone, we want your input! Please reply to this post or email danworrall@msn.com or eabraverman@gmail.com with the following information to assist us in meeting your needs or to ask us any questions you may have. 1) Are you planning to attend this year's festival (either definitely or tentatively)? 2) Are you more interested in attending beginner or intermediate/advanced level workshops? If you have questions about which level you should register for, please let us know and we can assist you! 3) Would you be interested in participating in a group masterclass with Jody? Thank you and we hope to see you at Old Pal!

This festival is held every year in Port Townsend, WA, and brings tradition-bearers from all over the US, and beyond, for a week of workshops, band labs, tutorials, jamming, etc. It's a great festival, including for non-fiddlers. This year, the band RéVeillons from Quebec will be on staff, including David Berthiaume on English concertina. There will also be a concertina tutorial, tutor is Janet Dows on anglo. (Tutorials can emphasize repertoire or technique, depending on who attends.) http://centrum.org/festival-of-american-fiddle-tunes-the-workshop/

Lewes Saturday Folk Club (a not-for-profit organisation) workshop 227 ROB HARBRON CONCERTINA WORKSHOP http://robertharbron.com/ Saturday 10th. September 2016 10.45 a.m.- 4.45 p.m. Places £35 (£17 for two under 25-year olds) The Dorset, 22 Malling St, Lewes BN7 2RD The other members of Leveret, Andy Cutting (melodeon) and Sam Sweeney (fiddle) are also leading all-day workshops today. Rob is a composer, producer & one of the country's best players of English concertina. He is known for his work with Leveret, Sam Sweeney's Made In The Great War project, The Full English, Fay Hield & The Hurricane Party, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings, Kerr Fagan Harbron, Emma Reid, Fieldfare, & The Royal Shakespeare Company. Rob's workshop will explore various elements and techniques with the aim of helping each attendee develop their own personal style of playing. He will cover aspects of technique that will help all players get the most from their instrument, including teaching some little-known tunes and some of the stylistic elements that can make those tunes work, as well as exploring chords and harmony. The workshop is focused on the English system but open to players of all systems. ROB HARBRON performs with LEVERET at THE ELEPHANT & CASTLE IN THE EVENING (£12; advance tickets available from the address at end of this post) ROB HARBRON CONCERTINA WORKSHOP Saturday 10th. September 2016 Provisional Timetable 10.45 Registration & coffee; order lunch (refreshments not included). 11.00 Basics - effective use of bellows, fingers, dynamics, phrasing and more 12.30 Lunch 13.30 Tunes - a few newly-rediscovered dance tunes and some techniques to play them well 15.00 Tea/coffee break 15.15 Chords - some techniques for beginning or improving chordal playing, and some ways of adding chords and harmony to tunes 16.45 Finish N.B. Booking is recommended as numbers are limited. Music, maps & accommodation lists will be sent in advance. ROB HARBRON CONCERTINA WORKSHOP Saturday 10th. September 2016 BOOKING FORM I enclose a cheque for £35.00 (email first for under-25 rate) for workshop fees (refreshments not included). Name: Address: Concertina system: No. of tickets for evening performance (£12 each, include SAE for these): Telephone: E-mail address: Tick for map: Tick for accommodation list: Please make cheques payable to Lewes Saturday Folk Club and send with this booking form to: Valmai Goodyear, 20, St. John's Terrace, LEWES, East Sussex BN7 2DL Tel. (01273) 476757 valmaigoodyear@aol.com www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org

On the 22nd and 23rd of September, the Irish concertina legends Cormac Begley (Co. Kerry) and Jack Talty (Co.Clare) can be heard in two intimate, all-acoustic, concerts in The Netherlands and Belgium. The weekend after that, on the 24th and 25th of September, they give a two-day workshop where they will be teaching tunes, technique, interpretation and many other aspects of Irish traditional concertina playing. The location of the concert on the 22nd of September is Baarn, which is very close to the city of Utrecht. The Friday after that they will be playing in Mechelen, Belgium. The workshop is located in Oud-Beijerland which is near Rotterdam and about 70 minutes drive from Schiphol Airport. Please feel free to share this information; there is still a place available for the workshop and we welcome international guests! All information can be found at https://www.irishtradmusic.nl

Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham, on tour from the UK, present an evening concert of English ballads, songs, and music in Montague Center, MA, on June 18, 2016. Their wide-ranging repertoire leans towards Derbyshire dialect and maritime. Between them, they play English, duet, and Anglo concertinas, and they are known for their striking a capella harmony as well. The afternoon workshop, "Playing by Ear: the How and the Why" is appropriate for all English and duet concertinas, and for Anglo concertinas in C/G or G/D. Participants should have a handle on playing the instrument, as this is not a lesson in how to play, as such. Sponsored by The Button Box, in Sunderland, MA. For more information and to register for the workshop, see http://www.buttonbox.com/kendrick.html or contact The Button Box.

Cormac Begley and Jack Talty are teaching a week-long residential concertina course in west-Kerry between from the 6th to 10th of April. Classes will be held under Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula and will include four hours of classes per day (2 hours with Jack and myself), evening activities, food (breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening snack) and accommodation for 5 nights. If you're interested in attending please email cormacbegley@gmail.com. Day schedule: 9am: Breakfast 10am - 12 noon: Workshop 1 Break 12.30 - 1.30pm: Lunch 2.00 - 4.00pm: Workshop 2 Break 6pm: Dinner 8/9pm: Evening activity (concerts, sessions, etc) Costs: Accommodation: 20 euros x 5 = 100 euros Food: 30 euros x 5 = 150 euros Workshops: 4 hours x 5 days x 20 euros = 400 euros Activities: 1 hour (minimum) x 4 days x 20 euros = 80 euros Total: 730 euros Our price for the week range from 500-600 euros. The price is 500 euros for those willing to share rooms.

Hello all, Just a heads up that Gearóid will be down in the DC area giving concertina workshops and lectures as part of the 10th annual Musical Arts and Dance (aka MAD) Week hosted by the local CCE group. Its our favorite music week because the classes are small, the people friendly, teachers accessible, everything in one location. There are still spaces available. See link below! http://ccepotomac.org/MADWeek/cce-madweekhome.html All the best, Cecilia http://www.CelticCrossings.com http://DrGearoid.com

Hi all My how time flies! I'm here once again to do a bit of missionary work. Happily I am once again running both Absolute Beginners and Improvers Melodeon workshops every afternoon from Monday 4th Aug to Friday 8th Aug at Sidmouth Folk Week. Both series will be progressive, so very advisable to start at the beginning. They are at a new venue this year, The Kingswood Room at the Devoran and Kingswood Hotel on the Esplanade. There are two Absolute Beginners workshops, just so I can fit them all in: Workshop I: 16:15 - 17:00 Workshop II: 17:15 - 18:00 No need to be able to read music, but you will need access to a D/G melodeon though, thanks to Spinningpath Arts CIC, I shall have a banks of about 12 melodeons available for those who would like to try out the melodeon, but don't have access to one. They shall be allocated by means of a lottery, forms for which will be available from the Box Office on The Ham. SO it's an ideal opportunity to find out what "those people" have been on about! The Improvers Workshops (if you are already a closet member of "those people") is where we look at different techniques and sneaky stuff for showing off. They are at 14:45 - 16:00 each day. Again music reading is not necessary, but you will need access to a D/G melodeon and be able to play a few tunes with simple bass accompaniment. So there we are, tell the world! You never know, someone might be interested ... Ed:-)

Lewes Saturday Folk Club Workshop No 199 JODY KRUSKAL US OLD-TIME & VINTAGE MUSIC for all concertina systems www.jodykruskal.com Saturday 15th. November 2014 10.45 a.m.- 4.45 p.m. Places £35 Elephant & Castle White Hill Lewes BN7 2DJ Direct from Brooklyn NY, Jody is a master of the unruly Anglo concertina, squeezing out vintage US tunes & songs that are hilarious, gritty & true - about train wrecks, wrecked marriages, Death Row convicts, lonesome lovers, heroes, losers, braggarts & idlers, often with strong bluesy flavours & fine choruses. The workshop will present a few American old-time songs & tunes for learning, simple techniques to get that American sound & develop elements of style & accompaniment. Also, participants are asked to prepare a song or tune of their choice (it doesn’t have to be American) to present to the group. Some music will be sent out in advance. JODY KRUSKAL PERFORMS AT LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB IN THE EVENING (£7; advance tickets available from address at the end of this post and from the club website) Provisional Timetable 10.45 Registration & coffee; order lunch (refreshments not included) 11.00 Learn a few American old-time tunes that sound great on any squeezebox. 12.30 Lunch 13.30 American style & accompaniment techniques that fit the new tunes we’ve learned. 15.00 Tea/coffee 15.15 - 16.45 Everyone gets a chance to present a tune or song for creative comments & suggestions. N.B. Booking is recommended as numbers are limited. Maps & accommodation lists will be sent on request. JODY KRUSKAL US OLD-TIME & VINTAGE MUSIC for all concertina systems Saturday 15th. November 2014 BOOKING FORM I enclose a cheque for £35.00 for workshop fees (refreshments not included). Name: Address: Concertina system: No. of tickets for evening performance (£7 each, include SAE for these): Telephone: E-mail address: Tick for map: Tick for accommodation list: Please make cheques payable to Lewes Saturday Folk Club and send with this booking form to: Valmai Goodyear, 20, St. John's Terrace, LEWES, East Sussex BN7 2DL Tel. (01273) 476757 valmaigoodyear@aol.com www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/

Hello all! In a rare public appearance since disappearing into academia with his latest university Chair of Irish Studies in Canada, Clare concertina champion, author and Irish cultural historian Gearóid ÓhAllmhuráin will be joining the 2014 faculty of MAD Week. http://www.DrGearoid.com MAD Week is an annual school for the traditional arts convened every July, with multiple tracks of classes for all ages and skill levels in song, dance and instrumental instruction. MAD Week is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the East Coast's premier clinic weeks for learning the traditional arts. Gearóid joins a stellar cast of Irish musicians including Brian Conway, Rose Conway, Kevin Crawford, Cillian Vallely, Myron Bretholz, Josh Dukes, Linda Hickman, superb sean-nós dancers and many more. This is one of our favorite weeks and conveniently located in the DC area. Please consider joining us and thank you for spreading the word! Cecilia http://www.ccepotomac.org/cce-madweek.html (2014 MADweek) http://www.ccepotomac.org/cce-madweekclass.html (2013 MADweek) http://www.ccepotomac.org/www/MADWeek_standalone.html MAD Week 2014 Monday, July 07, 2014 10:00 AM - Friday, July 11, 2014 4:00 PM (Eastern Time) Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church (301) 493-8300 9601 Cedar Lane Bethesda, Maryland 20814 United States Map and Directions

Padraig Rynne will be teaching this summer (June 30 - July 4) at Acadia Trad School in Bar Harbor Maine http://acadiatradschool.com/. Padraig is a 5-time All-Ireland Concertina Champion. If two people sign up together for concertina class and tell us that you heard about this offer at concertina.net, we'll give both people 1/2 off the price admission (regular price for the week is $480). Email info@acadiatradschool.com and tell us that you heard about it here to request the discount.

Registration for the 2013 Northeast Concertina Workshop in Greenfield, MA, USA, is now open. You can check out the details, including this year's instructors and class topics, at http://www.buttonbox.com/NCW.html The date is Saturday, April 13, and we're once again at the Four Rivers Charter School for the workshop and All Souls Unitarian Church for the evening concert. Both venues have worked well, and we're very glad to be returning this year. Feel free to call or e-mail The Button Box if you have questions. We hope to see you in April!