Celtic music concert Nov. 4

October 26, 2006

Throughout the fall at Georgia Southern University, a number of lectures, discussions, workshops and concerts are focusing on the seven Celtic nations and the larger topic of regionalism among those nations.

The Seven Nations Series continues on Saturday, Nov. 4, when Laura Risk and Paddy League make a return visit with Kieran Jordan. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 4401 Country Club Road in Statesboro.

Risk is a California native who began playing Scottish fiddle music as a teenager. Her playing is expressive and versatile with a repertoire including driving reels, lilting jigs, melancholy Gaelic airs and elegant 18th century minuets. Her first solo CD was named one of The Boston Globe’s ‘Top 10 CDs of the Year.” She has also served as an instructor of fiddling at Wellesley College.

League, a drummer and guitarist, has a strong background in jazz, Latin and world percussion styles. His involvement in Irish music came through an interest in the Irish language. Upon falling in love with the music, he became involved in the Washington, D.C., area’s traditional music community. He is one of the most respected percussionists and bodhran teachers on the North American acoustic and traditional music circuit. Showcased on over 20 CDs, his innovative and exciting work with the bodhran blends Irish techniques and rhythms with those of other folk traditions.

Jordan is a percussive dancer whom The Boston Globe sees as ‘complement[ing] Irish step’s vivid high kicks and swiveling footwork with an uncharacteristically loose upper torso and a playfully theatrical use of the head and arms.” She works as a performer, teacher and choreographer of Irish dance and has performed as a solo step dancer in the United States, Canada, Sweden and Ireland.

Admission is free and reservations are not required. Tax-deductible donations are invited at this event to benefit the Eddie Ivie Scholarship for Study in Ireland. A reception in the church community room will follow the concert.

The events are sponsored by the Campus Life Enrichment Committee, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, Department of Communication Arts, Department of Foreign Languages, Department of History, Department of Music, Department of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Center for International Studies, Center for Irish Studies, Southern Coastal Humanities Consortium, John Humma Cinema Arts Program, European Union Certificate Program and the Religious Studies Program.

To learn more about the Seven Nations Series, go to http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/irish/celtic/