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ELKINS -- Those who love Irish music are in for a treat, as a lively concert and a dance will be part of the Augusta Heritage Center’s Irish Retreat this week.
The Augusta Heritage Center is bringing its Irish Retreat to downtown Elkins for the second year in a row this November. The program will include two evening events that are open to the public: a concert with Masters of Irish Music on Friday, and a céilí dance at Big Timber Brewing on Saturday.
The Friday concert will feature Brenda Castles, Marla Fibish, Kevin Buckley, Liz Hanley and Brendan Dolan. All renowned performers and teachers of traditional Irish music, they come to Elkins as instructors for the Augusta Irish Retreat.
The concert will be at The Arts Center, located at 2 Park Street. The doors will open at 7 p.m., and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door. For advance tickets, visit the Augusta website at augustaartsandculture.org, or call 304-637-1209.
The next evening, on Saturday, a céilí dance comes to Big Timber Brewing from 7- 8:30 p.m. Participants can enjoy lively Irish music with friends and join in on the dance floor. An Irish céilí is a traditional form of social dancing, and no prior experience is necessary for attendees. Tickets will be available at the door.
For the second straight year, the Augusta Heritage Center is offering four days of daytime classes and evening events in downtown Elkins as part of the Irish Retreat.
“The Augusta Irish Retreat is organized a little differently than other Irish Music camps,” an Augusta release states. “Instead of learning tunes and technique from one teacher on your specific instrument for the whole event, students will take a variety of workshops from different teachers on different instruments.
“These workshops will cover topics like tune and song repertoire, stylistic nuances, ornamentation, and cultural context, while welcoming multiple instruments in the same classes,” according to the release. “Students will leave with some great new tunes, but also a deeper understanding of the music they love.”