Musician Kevin Dooley was going to perform with his daughter Deirdre and their friend Susan Sweeney Hermon (harpist with Acacia Lyra, whom you heard a couple of months ago in the shop), but sadly he got called away at short notice to a family funeral in Ireland. Susan and I spoke about this, and she kindly put out a call to the Irish music community around Ottawa, encountering a tumultuous response of willingness to fill the space left by Kevin’s unforeseen absence.
So we do still have an event, and on a scale never before witnessed at Gaia Java, so the competition for seats may be even more vigorous than normal! In terms of musicians it seems we will have:
- Dierdre Dooley, percussion
- Steve Renahan, vocals, mandolin, bodhran
- Pat Donnelly, vocals, guitar, fiddle
- Scott Donnelly, vocals, accordion, whistles
- Brendan Ryan, vocals, mandolin
- Jes Alexant, whistles
- Aharon Zohar, accordion
- Susan Sweeney Hermon, vocals, Celtic Harp, bodhran
We are anticipating around eight musicians – a small orchestra! The evening will be an exciting exploration of many dimensions of Irish and Celtic traditional music – small ensembles or the massed forces, and plenty of opportunities for the audience to tap their toes and join in the singing.
Come along and experience the spirit of one of the richest traditions of folk music emanating from Europe, and meet some great local exponents of it. No entry charge for purchasing customers, but remember the best seats go first, and we put out a ‘donations’ jar so that appreciative customers can contribute to the well-being of the marvellous musicians who come to entertain us.
See more details at www.gaiajava.ca where you can also review the listing of upcoming music night performers over the next couple of months.
Next week’s planned performance of the ‘Crumble Quartet’ will be postponed to the New Year while Mary (their viola player) repairs her broken finger. Meanwhile the wonderful West Ottawa Ladies Chorus are coming in for ‘Sing with Christmas Carollers at Gaia Java’; an evening of sing-along Christmas music (including your requests) and a preview of their upcoming Christmas concert, for which we have tickets on sale in the shop.