October is shaping up to be a busy month for me…
My new Irish dance CD, Féistastic 2, is due to arrive this week which is very exciting. The release date is 17th October and there’s a lot to organise before then. The pre-order options are already available so it’s all starting to shape up quite nicely. I’m not quite sure how I’ll fit 1000 more CDs into the flat though – will worry about that later. Perhaps they’ll make a nice coffee table for a while.
On Friday I’m travelling to Southport where I will be playing at the Alex Strange Open Féis on Saturday. Fellow Glasgow musicians Gerry Conlon and Martin Daly will also be playing so it should be a very nice féis indeed. Then straight after the féis I will be heading to King George’s Hall in Blackburn where I will be attending the Blackburn School of Irish Dancing (1960-2012) Reunion Night which I am very excited about.
From the 24th to the 27th I will be attending Distil – a twice yearly gathering of musicians rooted in folk and traditional music, but who are interested in expanding their creative horizons into other areas of musical practice. This is such a fantastic opportunity and I can’t wait to go.
I have also started taking a course of flute lessons with Edinburgh based flautist (and guitarist) Tom Oakes. I recently got a new flute with keys from George Ormiston. For the last 9 years I have had a keyless flute so keys are a novelty for me. I wanted to get some tuition to continue with my professional development on the flute and Tom has kindly taken me on for this. We’re currently working on tunes in G minor and F major – they are surprisingly hard on my brain at the moment, trying to tell my fingers to do things they have never done before. It is very exciting!
In between all this I shall still be teaching my private students (classical piano and tin whistle) as well as running the weekly Tuesday night session in the Lismore Bar, Dumbarton Road with fantastic fiddler Gráinne Brady.
Phew!