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Take a trip to the Celtic Isles with Triskellion

About half a dozen times a year, Michelle Carlisle and Place des Arts teachers Rebecca Blair and Rosie Carver perform at private events around the Lower Mainland.
triskellion
Harpist Rebecca Blair, fiddler Rosie Carver and flautist Michelle Carlisle will perform a Celtic music concert at Place des Arts in Coquitlam on March 10.

About half a dozen times a year, Michelle Carlisle and Place des Arts teachers Rebecca Blair and Rosie Carver perform at private events around the Lower Mainland.

Triskellion — as their group is known — is in high demand for special functions such as weddings and funerals to convey their signature Celtic sound.

Next month, the trio will reunite for a faculty show at the Coquitlam arts hub to play a wide range of tunes from the British Isles; the show will be Blair’s 16th faculty concert in the 18 years she’s instructed at Place des Arts.

She promises traditional favourites and sing-alongs as well as toe-tappers and even an Irish slip jig. As well, a few of the tunes will be original arrangements by the harpist (Blair), fiddler (Carver), and flautist and vocalist (Carlisle).

But how did Blair whittle down the set list to 15 songs? “It wasn’t easy,” she said, “but I think we have a nice range covering England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales” as well as from Brittany, France.

Blair said she’s especially pleased to present four pieces from Turlough O’Carolan, a blind harper who’s considered to be Ireland’s national composer; he wrote around the same time as the German pianist J.S. Bach, in the Baroque period.

“This is not just a folk concert,” said Blair, who is also a trained clarinetist and teaches visual arts at PdA. “We’re covering all Celtic areas and eras.”
Blair said Triskellion will talk about the stories behind the songs — among them, Wild Mountain Thyme, Sally Gardens, As I Roved Out and Loch Lomond — and throw in a few treats for the younger guests. “From seniors all the way to kids, there’s something for everyone to enjoy with the beauty of Celtic music.”

• For tickets at $21/$16, call Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam) at 604-664-1636 or visit brownpapertickets.com.

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ABOUT THEM

ROSIE CARVER is a classically trained violinist, teacher and freelance fiddler for many events and recordings around the Lower Mainland. She is the founder and director of the West Coast Fiddleheads as well as a fiddle instructor at Place des Arts. Once upon a time a local Celtic group called Blackthorn provided the opportunity for Rosie to explore beautiful and intriguing arrangements which sparked her curiosity and lured her into this awesome world of fiddle music. Many of her compositions are featured on Blackthorn's CDs as well as in arrangements for Triskellion and the West Coast Fiddleheads. 

MICHELLE CARLISLE is an accomplished performer, teacher, accompanist, session/studio musician, songwriter, composer and arranger. She performs and records as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with her flute, piccolo, alto flute, Irish whistle, fifes and piano. Her beautiful voice and vivacious flute playing have delighted audiences all around Canada. Michelle is also a talented teacher, offering instruction in flute, whistle, piano and music theory in North Delta, BC. For the last two decades, she has been a member of the Celtic group Blackthorn, which has recorded four albums that feature a number of Michelle’s own compositions. Michelle also freelances with a number of musical groups around town including Caviar and Lace, Halifax Wharf Rats, The Flanagans, Fluterrific, Triskellion and Caelestra. 

REBECCA BLAIR is an active harpist in the Vancouver music scene, performing as both a soloist and with groups such as Triskellion. Rebecca works as a freelance musician, her audiences including the President of Ireland and the International Bar Association. Her playing has been featured on CD's such as the Maenads and Orra Chan by Teresa Doyle. After graduating with a master’s degree in music from the University of Victoria, Rebecca focused on Celtic music and improvisation on the harp. Rebecca keeps a busy schedule of teaching at Place des Arts and giving harp workshops around the Lower Mainland.