Lowell Folklife Series continues Traditional Irish Music and Dance

Date: May 12, 2011
Contact: Maggie Holtzberg, 978.275.1719
Contact: Phil Lupsiewicz, 978-275-1705

Irish music and dance traditions are alive and well in New England. This exciting evening of solo, duet, and group performances, plus special guest appearances, will reveal the cultural history and shared languages which these artists express, preserve, and pass on. This free concert will take place Saturday, June 4^th at 8:00 p.m. at the Merrimack Repertory, 50 Merrimack Street, in downtown Lowell.

Fiddle player Laurel Martin and step dancers Kieran Jordan and Kevin Doyle are masters of their art, and each is a recipient of 2010 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants. This allows them to provide a year of one-on-one teaching to three talented apprentices. This concert presents a unique opportunity for collaboration, as teachers and students come together to present the results of their apprenticeships and insight into their teaching methods.

Funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Westford resident Laurel Martin and her student Natalya Kay Trudeau will perform traditional Irish fiddle music, and Dorchester resident Kieran Jordan and her apprentice Emerald Rae will present traditional Irish dance. Joining them from Rhode Island is Kevin Doyle and his dance student Nicole Leblanc of Connecticut, who are funded in a similar grant from the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.

This free program is part of the Lowell Folklife Series and is sponsored by Lowell National Historical Park. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Contact Maggie Holtzberg 978.275.1719 for more information.