When: Monday Feb 25th 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. and Monday March 4th, 5:30 to 8:00 PM Who: Young People ages 14 to 20. Looking for Guys and Girls all voices. Where: Great Room: Milwaukee Irish Fest Offices 1532 Wauwatosa Ave. 53213 Call Mrs. K at 414-463-3065 to reserve a audition time . Walk ins will also be accepted. Questions: Call Mrs.K 414-463-3065 or Mrs. Moschea at 608-577-9031
It was a lovely ending to a great season! Irish Fest had beautiful weather and fantastic acts. The choir was honored to be a part of it!
As we say goodbye to some members, the season always ends bittersweet. Best wishes to those that won't be returning; we will always have the memories made in 2012.
Come join us next year for the 25th season of The Milwaukee Irish Fest Choir!
Irish Fest began enthusiastically today with a reunion between the MIFC and Basil McCrea during the opening ceremonies of the fest. Basil graciously hosted us in Belfast while we were touring, and it was our pleasure to help welcome him and many others that came over from Ireland and Northern Ireland!
The weekend has kicked off wonderfully with beautiful weather and the promise of a great fest.
Don't forget to come visit the choir, who is performing everyday on the Tipperary Stage.
Enjoy the fest!
The Milwaukee Irish Fest Choir and Open Arts Community Choir participated in Tosa Tonight last night at Hart Park. It was a fantastic night and the combined choirs sounded great together!
Well, this was our last night in Ireland and it was a lovely one. :)
The day was fantastic. It began with a tour to see the Book of Kells and a concert at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, a truly beautiful historic place. Choir members added to the experience of other tourists as they explored the church.
We then broke into small groups again in the city for a few hours before getting ready for our last dinner here. The Milwaukee Irish Fest Choir has a tradition to go to the Old Abbey Tavern in Howth for dinner, and we continued that here today.
The choir picture above was taken on the bay by the restaurant. It was a beautiful setting to take final pictures and everyone took full advantage of it.
After dinner, the tavern gave us a fine show with their regular performers. We sang for our supper, and discovered that 2 of our choir members also have some dancing talent!
Tomorrow we return home... A bittersweet event as we are all ready to share our experiences with family and friends, but would always love to continue our time here!
The choir singing for the cathedral's musical hour.
Sad as it makes all of us, we have reached our final destination in Ireland...
Dublin is a beautiful city that is steeped in rich history and tradition. Our wonderful bus driver, John, gave us a mobile tour before dropping us off at Trinity University in the center of the city.
Today was mostly a day for relaxation and enjoying the city at our own pace as members broke off into small groups for the majority of the afternoon. Many shopped, some found new knowledge in the numerous museums and historical locations, and all had a fantastic time!
Tomorrow, the choir will have their final concert in Ireland and begin to prepare for our return home.
After the fantastic experience at the Titanic, the choir made its way to St. Patrick's Centre in the beautiful Downpatrick. We learned alot about Saint Patrick and saw his gravesite, as well as entertained hospice residents that live on the property.
We then came to Newry, where we were welcomed with open arms by a wonderful friend, Maureen Grant. She helped to organize a lovely night of music in which we took part, with a local choir and Irish dance troupe. Choir members were introduced to Mayor McArdle, of Newry and shown in a picture above. The Mayor hosted a wonderful reception in our honor to welcome us as well. The choir performed for the Mayor and various other representatives for the town. All proceeds went to the local hospice. Everyone had a wonderful time, and it was bittersweet having to leave the wonderful hospitality of Newry!
We are currently on our way to the fair city of Dublin, where we will be until our return home on Sunday.
We just toured the Titanic Exhibit in Belfast. After, we were asked to do a few pieces. If you'll see in the pictures, the choir is standing on large compass tile work in the lobby!
We are very excited to help welcome the OACC to Irish Fest 2012!
Today we traveled into Northern Ireland, stopping first in Omagh before moving onto Belfast.
Omagh was beautiful, and as always, we were very warmly welcomed by past members and some parents. Unfortunately, we just missed the Omagh Community Youth Choir who had just left very early this morning for their tour to New Orleans, LA!
We were led on a walking tour through Omagh by Tom Sweeney, who the choir sang with last summer. Members saw the memorials to the 1998 Omagh bomb and sang at the Memorial Gardens, giving further meaning to Across the Bridge.
After Omagh, we were given the great honor of a tour and welcome in the Stormont, which is Northern Ireland's Assembly house. The craftsmanship of the building was as incredible as its long history. Many thanks to Basil McCrea for hosting us and giving the wonderful tour!
The Open Arts Community Choir is a very talented community choir that is traveling from Belfast to Milwaukee Irish Fest in a few weeks. The choir met us at Stormont for an exchange of music. The large assembly hall blended both choirs' voices into an amazing sound!
Tomorrow we remain in Northern Ireland as we travel to Downpatrick and Newry.
We left Sligo yesterday morning and had the opportunity to stop and see the grave of W.B. Yeats. The weather was traditional Irish- very wet and overcast... Perfect for sightseeing the old church and cemetery.
From there, the choir sang the healing mass at Knock Shrine. The large gathering area enhanced the sound and the choir sang beautifully!
We arrived in Donegal with enough time to check in to our hotel and head down for dinner. We saw a wonderful show- A Slice of Ireland, that is run by the general manager of our hotel. It was a great night of Irish Entertainment, in which the choir was actually invited up on stage to do a few pieces in an impromptu performance. Everyone was having such a wonderful time that the concert actually ran over its time by almost an hour, making it a very late night.
Today we travel into Northern Ireland, stopping for a tour in Omagh, before heading onto Belfast.
Will post more later today!
We have now made our way to Sligo and completed our first formal concert.
We left Galway this morning and drove through Connemara today, in a tour organized by our driver, John and ending in Sligo.
The choir toured the Connemara marble factory where many found gifts for family and friends. We learned the art of flexibility as a few members participated in an interview by phone (while on the tour bus), with Galway Bay FM.
John led us on a lovely tour of the Connemara country side as we stopped for lunch in a very small town called Leenane. The pictures above show the beautiful hills. It was definitely a town to remember!
The concert tonight was on the grounds of the Sligo Clarion Hotel, which is an incredible, castle-like structure and rumored to be haunted. The concert went well, and we received a very warm welcome by the community.
Tomorrow we will be traveling to the Shine at Knock, Ireland and participating in a service, before continuing on to Donegal.
The day started with a long bus ride through many of the western counties, made very enjoyable by our bus driver, John from Butler's. Choir members asked that he specifically be mentioned as he has won their hearts with his history and stories of Ireland, as well as his fantastic singing!
We stopped at the Cliffs of Moher for lunch and sightseeing along the way to Galway. The Cliffs were stunning! There was also a small museum that gave the history of the Cliffs (and contained more than just a mention about the fact that the Princess Bride was filmed there)!
From there, we made our way to Galway and the Arts Festival. Choir members were definitely in their element, surrounded by the artists and musicians that set up along the narrow streets at the center of town. In fact, the choir actually did a small concert to get the true feel of the event!
We returned to the festival for dinner, where members had more free time to explore in small groups and eat dinner.
Everyone looks forward to tomorrow. It seems to finally be sinking in that we are actually in Ireland and enjoying every minute.
Onto Sligo!
Today was as full as promised!
After leaving the airport in Dublin, we traveled to the Rock of Cashel. The trip offered our first glimpses of the famous Irish countryside. The bus was quiet for alot of the 2 hour trip while everyone absorbed what they were seeing.
After the Rock of Cashel, we went to Blarney Castle and most of us kissed the famous Blarney Stone! The climb to the top of the castle was a bit challenging, as it was 127, narrow, stone steps that spiraled around the inside of one of the towers. Once you've reached the top, however, the views make the work to get there worth it! Aside from the actual castle itself, the land surrounding the castle was beautiful... 2 waterfalls, Druid ruins, and lush flowers. There were many pictures taken today!
We are all settled in for the night at the University of County Cork and resting up for what tomorrow brings.
Many choir members have said they still can't believe we are actually in Ireland. Let's see if they finally believe tomorrow!
Well, we are all checked in and ready to board our flight to Ireland. Choir members are more excited than ever before.
When we land tomorrow morning, it will be a non-stop day as we ward off jet lag by seeing the Rock of Cashel, touring the Blarney Castle and Gardens and exploring before checking in at the University County Cork.
Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!
One week from now, the Milwaukee Irish Fest Choir will have landed in Dublin to begin our tour of the beautiful country!
If you have any questions or are interested in joining the choir, contact Mrs. Moschea at pmoschea@charter.net
1999— First concert with the Omagh Community Youth ChoirWisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI
2000– First Tour to Ireland, featured on Galway Bay FM
2003—East Coast Tour, including performances in New York, Washington D.C, and Pennsylvania
2006—Ireland Tour, including a joint performance with the Omagh Community Youth Choir, to continue our ongoing friendship
The Milwaukee Irish Fest Choir holds auditions each year during the winter months to build member participation. The end result is an incredibly talented group of youth that are passionate about music and learning the Irish Heritage. The official choir seasons begins typically in May with rehearsals and culminates with a weekend full of performing and participating in the annual Milwaukee Irish Fest held in August of each year. During the summer months, members build bonds that far outreach mere summer memories, but rather can shape their lives through their experiences.
Founded in1988 by Pat Moschea & Ed Ward, to promote Irish music and culture, the choir consists of young adults, ages 14 - 20, performing traditional Irish music.
Throughout their existence, the choir has been entertaining audiences at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, Old St. Mary’s in Philadelphia, and has toured throughout Ireland, including performances with the Omagh Community Youth Choir and at Our Lady of Knock, Knock Ireland.
The Irish Fest Choir is directed by Charles A. Kessell and accompanied by Miles Plant.