Wonderful Irish Music Session at Hiram College

Today around 25 musicians from all around Northeast Ohio met at Frohring Hall at Hiram College and played Irish tunes. Tina Dreisbach, music prof at Hiram, organizes this session, which meets three or four times a year.

Hiram is about 25 miles from where I live in Chardon and perhaps 40 miles from Cleveland. It's a beautiful place, a very small college with a long and important history. Here is what Wikipedia says of Hiram: "a private liberal arts college located in Hiram, Ohio. Founded by Amos Sutton Hayden of the Disciples of Christ Church in 1850, the institution has, since its first days, been nonsectarian and coeducational, and throughout its existence Hiram College has sustained this egalitarian tradition of educating men and women from diverse backgrounds. U.S. President James A. Garfield was a student, instructor, and principal of the institution while it was still the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute."

Of course the musicians weren't thinking too much of the college's distinguished history--we were thinking about making music! I wish I knew the names of all the musicians, but I know only a few: John Sharp, Robin (the piano player), Ellen (harpist), Tina's husband (uillean pipes, whistle) . . . .

There were 2 harpists there today, a piano player, 2 concertina players, 1 mandolin player, several classical flutists, several players of the Irish flute, maybe 5 whistle players, a player of the low D whistle, a few fiddle players, a few guitarists. Our regular bodhran player, Sheldon Firem, was unable to make it today (he was at the open house Chardon High School had for the community).

I will list many of the tunes played at the session: [coming]