News

World Music Festival Celebrates Ireland and the Caribbean

By Desiree Chen   |   October 17, 2012

With concerts featuring such acclaimed performers as Grammy-nominated Irish fiddler Liz Carroll and “Paganini of the Steelpan” Liam Teague, Elmhurst College will celebrate the dynamic musical traditions of Ireland and the Caribbean during its second annual World Music Festival, from October 26 through October 28.

The Glen Ayre Trio and Liam Teague, with the Elmhurst Percussion Ensemble, will play a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 26, in the College's Mill Theatre.

The festival's main concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 27, in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel and will feature Liz Carroll, Liam Teague, internationally renowned vocalist Kathy Cowan, the Mullane Healy Godley Irish dancers, the Elmhurst Philharmonic Orchestra, Elmhurst Percussion Ensemble, Elmhurst Late Night Blues Vocal Ensemble and the Elmhurst Jazz Band. Tickets range from $10 to $18 and are available online. For more information, call (630) 617-3515.

Workshops in the Celtic, American and Swedish fiddling styles will be offered to Elmhurst College and high school musicians on Sunday, October 28, from noon to 3 p.m. in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel. A performance by Liz Carroll will be a part of the workshop. Register by sending an email to elmhurstcollegeorchestra@yahoo.com. The workshop fee is $10.

This festival is a Daniel Pearl Foundation “World Music Days” event.
 

About the Performers:

• Liz Carroll was born in Chicago of Irish parents. She is a junior and senior All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, and has toured as a solo artist and with the Greenfields of America, Trian, String Sisters, and as part of the duo Liz Carroll & John Doyle. Liz is a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship Award (1994). In 2009 she became the first Irish-American musician nominated for a Grammy. In March of 2009 she performed for President Obama during a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House, and in 2011 she became the first American-born composer to be honored with the Cumadóir TG4, Ireland's most significant traditional music prize.
• Liam Teague, hailed as the “Paganini of the Steelpan,” is an associate professor of music at Northern Illinois University and, along with Clifford Alexis, co-directs the Northern Illinois University Steelband. He has received many awards in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1995, Teague and the Chicago Sinfonietta gave the world premiere of Illinois composer Jan Bach’s “Concerto for Steelpan and Orchestra” at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall.
• Glen Ayre is a trio of professional musicians who play fiddle, flute and guitar. They champion the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland, as well as its American and Provincial derivatives.