Folk musician Aubrey Atwater will teach a workshop on the Irish tinwhistle at the New Lebanon Library on Sunday, April 24 at 6 pm. Aubrey will teach a few simple Irish dance tunes and give tips on ornamentation and expression that she learned from her tinwhistle mentor, Phil Edmonds. [private]Aubrey will explain the instrument’s origins to create a deeper understanding of the music and its cultural history. This program is free and open to the public, although donations for the presenter are appreciated. Participants are encouraged to bring their own tinwhistles. If necessary, the library will have tinwhistles available for purchase for $10 each. Space is limited for this program – please contact the library at 518-794-8844 or email leb@taconic.net to sign up. This workshop is appropriate for school aged children, teens and adults.
Aubrey and her husband Elwood tour and perform as the husband and wife folk duo Atwater-Donnelly. Their many recordings receive international airplay. Highlights include airplay on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Fiona Ritchie’s “Thistle and Shamrock,” and the nationally syndicated “Midnight Special” out of Chicago. The duo has performed and researched traditional folk music and dance in Appalachia, the Ozarks, New England, and other key places in the United States, as well as Ireland, England and Prince Edward Island. They have performed with or shared festival billing with folk legends Jean Ritchie, Pete Seeger, and Doc Watson. Atwater~Donnelly have won Motif Magazine’s Music Awards in the following categories: “Best Local Folk Act” award in 2006, three awards in 2007: “Best Folk Act” for the Atwater~Donnelly Band, “Album of the Year” for “The Halfway Ground,” and “Best Female Vocalist” for Aubrey Atwater, which Aubrey won again in 2009.
For further information, call the library at (518) 794-8844. All are welcome and the event is free. The library is located at 550 State Route 20, 1/4 mile north of the yellow blinking light at the intersection of Routes 20/22.[/private]