O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat
Teaching Traditional Irish Music
Joseph Beckey comes from a choral tradition until discovering Irish music at a pub in 2008. One of the musicians taught a class “Traditional Songs In Harmony” at the Center for Irish Music in St. Paul, MN. After that, he was hooked. He has taken numerous song classes as well as learning to play mandolin, guitar, bouzouki and bodhrán. Soon after learning his first chords, Joseph was … [Read more...] about Joseph Beckey
Workshop – Pub Songs Sing-Along
A Washington, DC native, Angela Botzer has played traditional Irish music on the fiddle in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia area since the early 1980’s. She was a member of the DC-based bands Sodabread, and The Hedgerows, and has played for numerous ceilis and contradances. Angela has also had performances at the Irish Embassy in Washington, DC. When living in Oklahoma City, OK, she … [Read more...] about Angela Botzer
Workshop – The North Wind | Lead Moderate Session
Janis Deane, M.Ed., CCC-SLP is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist and has more than 30 years of experience working with patients who have voice disorders, swallowing disorders, chronic cough and vocal cord dysfunction, and those requiring voice restoration following total laryngectomy. Janis is a classically trained singer, but also an avid instrumentalist. She has played Irish … [Read more...] about Janis Deane
Former Instructor – Whistle, Flute | Workshop – Vocal Health for Singers | Guest Concert Performer
2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
Guitarist Paul Dryer is no stranger to diverse music styles. Over the past 40 years, Paul has played in jazz, bluegrass, rock and gospel bands and numerous vocal groups. Originally from Kentucky, Paul has lived in the Dallas area since the early 1960's. He also plays mandolin, banjo, harmonica, whistle and Irish flute with the Dallas band 5 Second Rule, and … [Read more...] about Paul Dryer
Workshop – Playing Irish Music on Harmonica | Guest Concert Performer
Angelika Ruiz Gualberto is a performer from Dallas, Texas with over two decades of experience in competitive dance and music performance, along with other folk dance traditions. As a studio artist at the McAllen Creative Incubator, she directs the annual South Texas Irish Festival and established McAllen Irish Arts to develop an Irish traditional arts community in the Rio Grande Valley through … [Read more...] about Angelika Eleni
Workshop – Playing for Dancers
Janice Frillmann graduated with a Performance degree concentrated in Chamber music from the University of Wisconsin. She currently teaches violin/viola at a private music studio, plays gigs and work as an usher at the Oklahoma City Dodgers. She has played regionally and nationally, recording in many places (including Nashville). Her love of Celtic music comes from her Scottish roots primarily … [Read more...] about Janice Frillmann
Workshop – So You Want to Play Celtic Fiddle?
David Ingerson has been singing traditional Irish songs for over 40 years. He has visited Ireland fifteen times (for usually a month or more each time), attending and performing at music and singing festivals and sessions, collecting songs, and researching the backgrounds of songs. During his visits he has studied traditional singing under dozens of notable Irish singers, including Paddy Tunney, … [Read more...] about David Ingerson
Workshops – The Amazing Variety of Irish Song Traditions & Introduction to Sean-Nós Singing
John Liestman has been playing Irish traditional music on the tenor banjo, mandolin, and uilleann pipes for over 30 years. He taught mandolin in 2011, 2012 and 2015 at the prestigious O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, at the 2015 St Louis Tionol, and is an instructor with the Houston School of Irish Music. Over the years he has been a member of Terry and the Pirates, Claddagh (featuring Olcan … [Read more...] about John Liestman
Former Instructor – Mandolin, Tenor Banjo | Workshops – ABC Tune Notation and Tools & Retreat Tunes Played Slowly | Lead Slow Session
2011, 2012, 2015, 2017
Tom Purvis is a tenor banjo player living in Edmond Oklahoma. He started playing traditional Irish music after getting a mandolin at a monthly session in Oklahoma City. Tom had previously played classical guitar, bass guitar, trumpet and French horn. He started a weekly session in Edmond five years ago in his home that now meets at a local craft beer house. Tom and his wife have visited … [Read more...] about Tom Purvis
Workshop – How to Find and Attend Sessions When Travelling
Kenny Tweedy was born in Boston of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Kenny rediscovered his Scottish roots while living in Scotland in the 90s. Upon repatriating to the states, he found himself dissatisfied with contemporary popular music. Kenny found his calling when he started playing Irish traditional dance music in the new millennium. For the past 18 years, Kenny has been anchoring sessions … [Read more...] about Kenny Tweedy
Workshops – Musical Collaborations Using Acapella on iPads/iPhones & Retreat Tunes Played Slowly | Lead Slow Session
