The Celtic College workshops teach you new skills and hone the skills you have. Pick up valuable tips that will improve your playing — and maybe learn a new tune or two. Since they all take place at the same time and place, the hardest part might be choosing your favourite!
Please note: all classes are 90 minutes and take place at the same time.
When: Saturday July 6, 2024, from 10 – 11:30 am
Where: Almonte Old Town Hall
Cost: $25 per student
Payment via e-transfer to [email protected]
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE 2024 STAFF AND WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Register for the Celtic College
Register for the Celtic College
2024 Workshop Lineup
“Fiddle 101” with Julie Fitzgerald (beginner/intermediate)
Welcome to Fiddle 101! In this workshop, we will go over some basics of fiddle technique to help you get off to a great start on your fiddle-playing journey. We will also introduce a few popular Canadian/Celtic tunes to incorporate fiddle techniques so you can feel confident to take part in local sessions or other fun musical events!
“Ready on the Fiddle! – with Kerry Fitzgerald (intermediate/advanced)
Kerry will be teaching an original tune, “Ready”, off her solo album Fiddle Beatz. After learning the tune and suggested bowing, you will be shown accompaniment techniques on the fiddle, and together as a class, we will build an arrangement of the piece. This class will be taught by ear to encourage listening, and you have the option to receive sheet music by email afterwards. Emphasis is on fun and creativity! 😊
“Accompany Yourself” – with Graham Lindsey (intermediate)
If you’ve ever played mandolin alone, have you felt that the melody is missing something? Your next step could be to add other notes to fill out your sound. Graham figured out ways to do this in 2020-2022 when he couldn’t play with others, and you’ll be given the building blocks to do this in this workshop at Almonte Celtfest! You should know how to play some Celtic tunes (we will likely start with “Jim Ward’s Jig” (in the key of G) and “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” (key of D) for starters, and we will be focusing more on adding notes to tunes everyone may already know instead of learning a specific tune. This is intended for players who already know how to play several tunes and know their way around their instruments and who are looking to expand their self-accompaniment skills. Knowledge of theory is not necessary. Instruments that will work include mandolin, octave mandolin, tenor banjo (4-string, tuned like a mandolin), and even fiddle! We can work with mandola and cello, too (but you will be playing different strings).
“Introduction to Bodhran” – with Art Solomonian (beginner)
Art will teach you why the Bodhran is known as “the Heartbeat of Celtic Music”. Unlike drumming in most other genres, the Bodhran hides in the shadows of the tune, not so much keeping the rhythm but augmenting the sound of the other instruments. You will learn some of the history of the instrument, what to look for when buying one, and how to care for it. The bodhran is played with BOTH hands, and after you have learned how to strike the skin with the tipper, you will learn how to make it sing by using the other hand. We will learn how to play a basic jig pattern, and a basic reel. You will receive a copy of a workbook that will provide more information to help you as you go. Art has been playing the Bodhran for over twenty years. He has been a member of local bands including The Barley Shakers, Irons in the Fire, and Cratur. He can often be found at a local session. You will need your own instrument to take part in the workshop, but if you are curious and don’t yet own one, pick up a pizza box and a 9” piece of 3/4” dowel.
Meet the Instructors
Julie Fitzgerald is a 2-Time Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Ontario Open Stepdance Champion based in Toronto, ON. She grew up immersed in the Ottawa-Valley and Celtic styles, attending weekly fiddle competitions and jam sessions across Ontario. Julie has been able to share this unique Canadian music with audiences worldwide through performances, workshops and masterclasses. She currently tours with her siblings in the group ‘The Fitzgeralds’, performing a mix of original and traditional music as well as the Ottawa-Valley step dancing. They were nominated for the 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards for ‘Instrumental Group of the Year’, as well as the 2022 Ontario Folk Music Awards for their debut Christmas album ‘Christmas Across Canada’. She has toured North America, UK, Japan, Germany, Bahamas, Caribbean, and Switzerland. She has also performed in the fiddle and dance show ‘The Step Crew’ and all-female Irish group ‘Cherish the Ladies’. Julie has branched out to mix old traditions with newer arrangements and writing techniques, cumulating in her debut, all-original album Celtic Fiddle Arrangements. She received a Degree in Music from Humber College, and was the recipient of several awards including the Ron Collier Scholarship for Arranging, and New Venture Seed Fund for her entrepreneurial pursuits in the music and dance business. She created an Instructional Step Dance DVD and also launched the first ever Online Lessons site for Ottawa-Valley Step Dance.
Kerry Fitzgerald is a Canadian fiddler and step dancer, with musical roots in Ottawa Valley and Celtic fiddle traditions. On the competition scene, she is a Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Finalist and Ontario Step Dance Champion. Kerry is currently pushing the boundaries of Celtic music with her solo project, Fiddle Beatz, where she writes, arranges, and produces electronic arrangements of original fiddle compositions. She was awarded the FACTOR Canada Artist Development Grant in support of her debut, all original, Fiddle Beatz album. Her follow-up album, Bitz&Beatz earned her a 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award (CFMA) nomination for “Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year”. She also writes and performs with CFMA nominee, Shreem Celtic Remixing , with performances at the renowned Milwaukee Irish Fest, and Toronto’s Celtic Island Festival. Kerry tours internationally with her sibling band, The Fitzgeralds, with recent tours spanning North America, Ireland, UK, and Germany. Highlight performances include Milwaukee Irish Fest (US), Shrewsbury Folk Fest (UK), Mariposa Folk Fest (CA), Stan Rogers Folk Fest (CA), and Irish Folk Fest (DE). She was a featured choreographer and dancer in the group’s viral dance video with over 7 million views via Ireland’s Independent.ie. The band has three albums to their name, with nominations for the Ontario Folk Music Awards “ACTRA Recording Artist of the Year” and the CFMA Instrumental Group of the Year”. In addition, Kerry has toured with notable artists including Canada’s Natalie MacMaster, Leahy, The Stepcrew, Ireland’s Nathan Carter, and New York’s Cherish The Ladies.
Graham Lindsey writes inventive and dynamic Celtic tunes in a centuries-old tradition, and his energetic playing of mandolin, tenor banjo, guitar and more attract audiences and session players alike. His dynamic stage presence as a solo artist is only amplified when playing with other fine musicians, and the energy and joy they have on stage will spill out into the audience, leaving you smiling. His tunes are catchy and will be stuck in your ears for days. Graham has played across Canada and in Sweden too, and several of his tunes have been performed on the Peace Tower Carillon, 53 bells that ring out over Ottawa from Parliament Hill. His debut album “TradHead” (2019) was nominated in the Instrumental Solo Artist category at the Canadian Folk Music Awards (2020), and the first single, “Fractions” from his second album received the 2021 Songs From the Heart Instrumental Award from Folk Music Ontario.
Art Solomonian has been playing the Bodhran for over twenty years. He has been a member of local bands including The Barley Shakers. Irons in the Fire, and Cratur. He can often be found a local session.
