This article is from page 33 of the 2008-09-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 33 JPG
ASPIRING musicians and perform- ers can learn from the best at the Chord Festival in Ennis this week.
A diverse and eclectic programme of live concerts and exhibitions is peppered with a series of workshops that begin on Saturday.
At last year’s Chord Festival, audi- ences were wowed by the flamenco guitar playing of Rafael and mes- meric flamenco dance style of Lola Rueda – both artists are back this year – but with a twist, they will be teaching their individual skills in a series of workshops – to which places are very limited.
Starting at llam, Lola will take a class – open to six to 10 year olds – who are invited to dress in “flamenco style’ if the mood takes them. This workshop will run until 12.30pm. In the afternoon from 2 to 3.30pm Lola
will run an all-ages flamenco dance workshop.
At similar times Rafael, an accom- plished teacher as well as working musician, will host flamenco guitar workshops. The morning session 1s targeted at beginners to intermediate level, while the afternoon workshop is geared towards moderately accom- plished guitar players upwards. All workshops take place at Glor and are ogee eel Oe Oe
At 5pm on Saturday at the Temple Gate Hotel, Rafael and Lola will join forces to perform a free “Flamenco Guitar, Song and Dance Show’, for one hour.
The festival will be officially launched at 6.30pm on Friday, Sep- tember 5 at the opening of Wallpa- per – a group exhibition featuring nationally established, plus locally emerging contemporary artists. The show features a wide range of
mediums from silkscreen to spray- paint/stencil, photography, paint and sculpture.
Wallpaper will take place at No. 7, O’Connell Street, close to The Square and will run from 6.30pm on Friday through to Sunday afternoon. Admission is free.
Later on Friday night, Brazillian band the Sonia Esquivel Trio, take Glor by storm. Sonia will explore the Brazilian musical tradition perform- ing a mixture of samba, bossa nova, choro and other Brazilian rhythms
The evening concludes at Chord- Festival HQ (Upstairs at Brogan’s on O’Connell Street), when, starting at 9.30pm, a series of live acts will take to the stage .
This ‘Homegrown’ event is, as the name suggests a showcase for the best and most promising music acts from County Clare, including Ver- tigo Smyth and Gargotha Sun. A DJ
set will follow until 1.30am. Admis- sion is £10.
The highlights on Saturday include performances by acclaimed Dublin band the Jimmy Cake and an ac- claimed one man travelogue from fiddle player Aindrias de Staic.
Later in the night the festival will reconvene upstairs in Brogans for it’s Festival Club, which will run until Pelee Tee
Sunday will see the festival wind down with a relaxed Family Day at Temple Gate Hotel. From 12.30 to 2pm, there will be live music and face painting.
Weather permitting the event will be held in the courtyard outside the Temple Gate (in front of the Muse- um), otherwise it will move indoors. This event is free.
For a full festival line-up of times and prices go to www.chordfestival. com.