Irish music has been around as long as almost any genre, and is as loved today as it was centuries ago. Spend some time with Barry Wiesenfeld, Brian Conway and Sheila Noonan as they explore and perform this glorious art. In the olde days in Ireland, instrumentals were written and performed on traditional instruments like the fiddle and the tin whistle. In recent generations, and with Irish culture making its mark in the new world, Irish American Folk Music was born. We’ll speak of the fascinating background of the art form, tell related and sometimes personal stories, and perform some of this wonderful music.
Barry Wiesenfeld is an internationally recognized award-winning musician, a published author and is on the music faculty of SUNY and Ramapo College. He has accompanied Grammy-, Tony- and RMI- winning artists, performed on three continents and has played on numerous recordings, radio and TV.
Brian Conway, premier Irish-American fiddler, performs with a skill, grace and force that are steeped in tradition but distinctively his own. Well-known in the Irish/Celtic community, Conway has won numerous All-Ireland fiddling competitions, and has been called one of the best fiddlers of his generation.
Singer/songwriter Sheila Noonan was raised in a home filled with music, and that music is in her genes. She’s the daughter of renowned Irish accordionist, the late Paddy Noonan, and has been on stages both in the U.S. and internationally since she was a young girl. Sheila continues to entertain - with her own band, as a freelance vocalist, and now, joining her colleagues Barry and Brian in bringing Irish music and its history to new audiences.
Funded by a generous gift to the AWPL Foundation
by
Glenn P. and Susan D. Dickes