Workshop Pricing
There are two types of workshop: Main and Elective. The Main workshops are 6 hours in total, over the two mornings (9-12 Saturday plus 9-12 Sunday). A Main workshop would be your primary focus for the festival, and is $80 unless you get the all-weekend pass. The Elective workshops are only about an hour and cover topics in less detail -- ideal for that topic you were just curious about. These are $20 each unless you get the all-weekend pass.
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There's room over the weekend for someone to take one Main and up to four Elective workshops.
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Really into dance? You could take the two Main dance workshops (and no electives) since Sèan Nos is in the afternoon, but be aware that this means six hours of dancing per day!
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Detailed Schedule
These are the Main workshops:
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Fiddle (Pascal Miousse) (9:15-12, Saturday & Sunday)
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Accordion (Pastelle LeBlanc) (9:15-12, Saturday & Sunday)
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Irish Whistle (Emmanuelle LeBlanc) (9:15-12, Saturday & Sunday)
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Fiddle (Ward MacDonald) (9:15-12, Saturday & Sunday) (on Sunday, combines with Remi's Guitar class)
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Guitar Accompaniment (Remi Arsenault) (9:15-12, Saturday & Sunday)
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Irish Set Dance (Elizabeth MacDonald) (9:15-12, Saturday & Sunday)
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Bodhran Techniques (Adam McIntyre) (9:15-12, Saturday & Sunday)
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Irish Sèan Nos Dance (Kieran Jordan) (1:30-4:10, Saturday & Sunday)
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Here are the Elective workshops:
Saturday, 1:30-2:40:
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Fiddle (Pascal)
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Accordion (Pastelle)
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Bodhran (Emmanuelle)
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Fiddle (Ward)
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Guitar Accompaniment (beginner) (Remi)
Saturday, 3:00-4:10:
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Guitar Accompaniment (Pascal)
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Acadian Chair Dancing (Pastelle & Emmanuelle)
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Calling a Dance (Ward)
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Traditional Bass (Remi)
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Beginner Irish Tinwhistle (Marilyn Inch)
Sunday, 1:20-2:40:
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Fiddle (Pascal)
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Accordion (Pastelle)
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Advanced Bodhran (Emmanuelle)
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Fiddle (Ward)
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Irish Tenor Banjo (Peter Corfield)
Sunday, 3:00-4:10:
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Guitar Accompaniment (Pascal)
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Acadian Step Dancing (Pastelle & Emmanuelle)
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Calling a Dance (Ward)
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Beginner Irish Tinwhistle (Marilyn Inch)
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Workshop Schedule
There will be two types of workshops: more in-depth "Main" workshops for your main focus, and shorter "Elective" workshops for other interests you may have. While the Main workshops cover two days (two mornings), the Elective workshops are about an hour and are self-contained.
The two-day Main workshops are $80, the shorter workshops are $20 each, and the Saturday night ceili is $10. The best value is the all-weekend pass, which admits you to both days of Main workshops, two Elective workshops on each day, and the ceili for $140.
The opening Vishtèn concert is just $25 in advance ($30 at the door).
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Workshop Package Examples
"My wife and I want to do everything at the festival. Concert, all workshops, and the ceili!"
You'll want two Vishtèn tickets and two all-weekend passes.
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"I want to do all the workshops but my boyfriend will just come for the concert, the banjo workshop, and the ceili."
You'll need one all-weekend pass, one ceili ticket, one Elective ticket, and two Vishtèn tickets.
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"My friend and I are driving from Halifax after work Friday so I'll miss the concert. We're SO into dance!"
Too bad about missing Vishtèn. Two all-weekend passes and you're set!
Painting Workshop
Do you paint? Award-winning celebrated Irish artist Vince Crotty will be holding workshops to demonstrate his technique. His fee for this unforgettable event is $25 for one day or $40 for both days. His workshops run from 1:30 to 4:10 on both Saturday and Sunday.
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Vincent Crotty is an award winning Irish artist who now lives in Boston with his lovely wife, Kieran Jordan, our Sèan-nos instructor. In the first hour, Vincent will paint and instruct as we observe and ask questions. In the second hour, we can paint our own painting and Vincent will mentor us. This promises to be a rich and rewarding time with this fascinating artist who "captures light".
Ceili
The Saturday night Ceili starts at 7pm. Some ceilis are like concerts -- not this one! Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to jump in and join in the fun! Caller Elizabeth MacDonald will guide us through the surprisingly easy and fun traditional Irish set and ceili dances. These Irish social dances, similar in some ways to square dances, have been part of the Irish tradition for a very long time. A live band will provide the music, and there will be a cash bar.
Cultural Presentations
Film Presentation: Friday, May 5th, at 4:30pm
Famine & Migration Presentation: Saturday, May 6th at 4:30pm
There's no charge for these events.