Gold Country Weddings Bridal Fair

Getting married in the Sierra Foothills or South Lake Tahoe?

This is a great opportunity to audition me at this lovely boutique bridal show, inside a beautifully restored mansion, the Sequoia.

I will be performing in Molly’s Parlor and have the entire room to myself to play your favorite wedding selections.

Email me with your request and I’ll play it for you.

Get two admissions for the price of one with your online registration at www.goldcountryweddings.net.

Why bagpipes are played at weddings

It’s always a treat to perform on local radio, especially on comedian Howie Nave’s fabulous morning radio show on KRLT called “Howie’s Morning Rush”. Not that we have a morning rush here at Lake Tahoe at all. The pace is slow. And on Howie’s show, the mood is decidedly silly.

Piper Seán Cummings joins me in the interview as we promote our 5th Annual Celtic Concert, part of the Valhalla Summer Music Festival.

Hear Seán and I play “Mist Covered Mountains” (Seán plays the Scottish whistle on that number with me on the Celtic harp). Listen closely and you’ll hear me play a few notes of “Stairway to Heaven”. Find out why bagpipes are played at weddings and laugh along with us.

Thanks, Howie! We had a blast! (click on the links below to listen)

Harpist Anne Roos & bagpipe player Sean Cummings pt 1 (4min 18 sec)
Harpist Anne Roos & bagpipe player Sean Cummings pt 2 (4min 01 sec)

When Are the Best Times to Visit Ireland to Experience Traditional Music and Dance?

Here’s some great information from our guest bloggers, Kathy and Travis Nelson. They have traveled to Ireland several times and produce the Engaging Ireland podcast, where you can find travel tips, guides to places of interest, interviews and all things Ireland. You can view their blog and listen to their podcast at www.engagingireland.com, or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Kathy and Travis are also amateur photographers. A sampling of their work can be found at www.sixeightcreations.com. Here’s their article about some of the most popular Irish music festivals. Enjoy! (Note: If you’d like to know how to pronounce some of the Gaelic terms in this article, go to forvo.com):

It’s difficult to think about Ireland without thinking about music and dance. And if you’re thinking about Irish traditional music and dance and will be making a trip to Ireland, you should schedule a fleadh or two in your itinerary. While fleadh simply means “festival,” fleadh cheoil is a festival of music.

There are many fleadhanna (the plural of fleadh) held in Ireland each year. Cavan plays host in 2010 to arguably the largest festival of the year, Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann (which means “Festival of Music in Ireland”). Visit www.fleadh2010.ie for more information about this fabulous festival, which will include not only music and dance but other art forms as well. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann are the organizers of this and many other Irish traditional music and culture events around the world. Visit their website at comhaltas.ie to learn more.

Fleadh Nua started in Dublin in 1970 but moved across the country in 1974 and is now held in Ennis each May. The Ennis fleadh events are held over one week and take place mainly in the medieval town centre. Pub sessions and céilís are an integral part of this festival, and you may encounter some well-known artists and performers as you wind your way through the narrow streets of Ennis and drift from pub to pub. If you’ll be in the West of Ireland at the end of any given May, check out the Fleadh Nua website at www.fleadhnua.com to see what’s on tap.

Over the May bank holiday weekend (the bank holiday is the first Monday in May), you’ll want to visit the lovely town of Abbeyfeale near the southern tip of County Limerick for the Fleadh by the Feale. This fleadh includes opportunities for storytellers to ply their craft. To learn more about the Fleadh by the Feale, visit their website at www.fleadhbythefeale.com.

If you’re a fan of the pipes, you’ll want to visit Armagh in November to take in the International Piping Festival (www.armaghpipers.org/wkpf/en/festival).  The festival is organised by the Armagh Pipers Club and brings together traditional instruments from all over the world.

No matter what time of year you visit Ireland, be sure to check for festivals and events in the areas on your itinerary. If there are no scheduled festivals, you’re sure to find a pub session or céilí wherever the wind blows you. Slan!

How you Can Use Irish Music in Your Podcasts

Here's a novel use of my music: Corey and Liam from the Irish Fireside Blog and Podcast used my sprightly rendition of “The Gold Ring” from my A Light in the Forest CD for their July 7, 2010 Ireland travel video “Liam's Horse Ride Through Knockahopple in Ireland”. It's Liam's first lesson driving a horse and gig. Will he end up in a ditch? You've got to click here to view the video and find out...

Tips on how to hire a wedding musician

It's June and wedding season here in the U.S.--and if you are still looking for wedding music, consider hiring musicians instead of using the iPod stereo or pre-recorded music.

Need reasons? Blog author Amanda Williams offers several reasons:

1. Live bands are great for getting guests to interact with each other.

2. They are more likely to remember the band that played at the wedding than any sort of prerecorded music.

3. You will get the most for your money if you are willing to hire a band. This is especially true if you are choosing a band that plays requests or follows a set playlist.

She also says, "After you have experienced a live band performing at your event, you may never want to have prerecorded music played at another event afterward." Read more at Merchant Solutions IQ.

And if you need tips on how to hire a harpist, string trio or quartet, check out Lianne McCombs blog.

And for more info, my new book, "The Bride's Guide to Musicians: Live Wedding Music Made Easy and Affordable" is now available for pre-sale on amazon.com.