Tough Times
It's not the happiest of times in the rarefied world of big-time music, as these recent announcements can attest. Ticket sales are down, endowments are shrinking, donations are way off.
Fairytale of New York
The nice thing about living in New York is that even after you leave Ireland, the music follows you home. Case in Point: this past weekend, Hell's Kitchen's non-profit
New Year’s in Dublin
Sure, Doolin was ok, but I really would have have liked to have been a fly on the wall at this Dublin party on New Year's. Recommendation: instead of reading the
Opera Dance
The East Village Opera Company, which amplifies traditional arias with rock instrumentation, brought their act to the Joyce Theater last night for the world premiere of Remember Me: an evening-length work presented
Three-Out-of-Four Ain’t Bad
Last night, I was swayed by this week's NY Phil program of 20th Century French works to make my first appearance of the season at The Barn (a.k.a. Avery Fisher
Rock of Ages
Ireland's musical roots reach far beyond what you might hear during a random pub session. For the past three decades, Eire has produced some of the greatest names in popular
Go Gcasa Muid Le Chéile ArÃs (Until We Meet Again)
After eight days and nearly 1500 km of driving, I found myself back in Dublin Sunday night, where I rewarded myself with a return to trip O'Donoghue's, the friendly, spit-on-the-floor
NYE at Land’s End
When you get to County Clare, keep driving north and west past the point where the roads are marked – or even have lanes – and you will eventually find
The Reel
I was wandering around Killarney last night – a tourist town where every pub and bar offers "live music" – when I saw an older guy with a banjo case