Celebrate Irish Music with Eileen Ivers at Ferst Center March 12

ATLANTA –The Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech presents Celtic fiddle virtuoso Eileen Ivers in concert on Friday, March 12, at 8 p.m. at the Georgia Tech venue. Eileen Ivers—founding member of Cherish the Ladies, original Riverdance star, and lifelong traveler of Ireland’s musical paths—brings to light the riveting world of Irish stories and sounds, ones that will amaze even the most seasoned travelers through immigrant history. Tickets are available for $32 and $42 at the Ferst Center Box Office at 404-894-9600 and at www.ferstcenter.org. Children's tickets are available for $20.

Ivers and her ensemble of 13 musicians and dancers will perform a new multimedia concert, Beyond the Bog Road. The images, sounds, and tales of Irish immigrants’ desperate and daring journeys to and in America come together in Ivers’ stunning technique, unique artistry, and deep Irish-American roots.

The story of Irish immigrants in America is one of brilliant transformation from desperate refugees to major cultural forces. It is the story of a musical people who knew how to kindle even the damp earth and make it sing. “Irish music integrated with other North American music to form the root of everything from bluegrass to country,” explains Ivers. “This was one of the richest cross-fertilizations of folk music styles anywhere. And it’s still bearing fruit.”

Ivers has lived and breathed this cross-fertilization and its musical outgrowths from birth. She grew up in the Bronx, the daughter of Irish immigrants, raised on the music of her parents’ homeland. With a talent for mathematics—a field in which she pursued post-graduate studies—Ivers learned how to combine heart and passion with incredible technical precision. Her prowess with the fiddle won her not only nine All-Ireland Fiddle Championships, but also the admiration of musicians from Sting to The Chieftains to the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, among her many affiliations.

Beyond the Bog Road delves into the Irish experience’s impact on the New World and how it intertwined with African and Native American cultures, with Francophone and Appalachian music and dance. Ivers brings together a gorgeous array of traditions from her family and her heritage, cherished airs, jigs, reels, and songs, as well as original compositions. She unites tunes from her father’s West Irish village to her father-in-law’s poetic memories of the “wakes” that honored departing immigrants, most of whom never saw their homelands again.

Ivers also pays tribute to the success of later generations of Irish descendents, humorously recounted on Vaudeville stages and revived with Ivers’ characteristic warmth. She also honors the continued expansion of the Irish diaspora, the post-war movement of people who brought her parents to New York, and its vivacious musical worlds, as the living traditions of new travelers have enriched and been enriched by jazz, African, and global sounds. Ticket and Performance Information: Tickets are available for $32 and $42. Children's tickets are $20. Please call the Ferst Center for the Arts Box Office at 404-894-9600 for ticket information and directions (349 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30032-0468) or visit www.ferstcenter.org.

OTHER INFORMATION:

About the Ferst Center for the Arts
The Ferst Center for the Arts is a part of the Georgia Institute of Technology and is located in the heart of the Georgia Tech campus. Named after Georgia Tech alumnus Robert Ferst, the mission of the Ferst Center is to enhance the education of Tech students and to serve as a bridge to the greater Atlanta community by offering a showcase of some of the most highly-acclaimed talent from around the world. Funding is provided in part by contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations, the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly, and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Major corporate support is provided by the Coca-Cola Company and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For ticket information call 404-894-9600 or visit www.ferstcenter.org.

Media Contact: Sara Warner, 404-385-4219 | Publish Date: 03.10.10 | Back to home |