The Del Norte Association for Cultural Awareness (DNACA) continues its 36thPerformance Series at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 15 to celebrate an early St. Patrick’s Day in Crescent Elk Auditorium at 994 G St with Ímar, a Celtic ensemble based in Glasgow, Scotland.
Concert attendees will be entranced by their original songs as well as classic tunes, which gravitate to slides and polkas. Composed of five virtuosic musicians, Ímar goes back to the basics of traditional Irish folk music, focusing on the overlapping heritage of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. The name Ímar comes from a 9thcentury king who reigned across this combined territory that once shared the same Gaelic language.
Each band member has earned their own fame and recognition in contemporary British and Irish groups, bringing their combined trophies and awards to nearly twenty. Ryan Murphy, born in Cork, was formerly a member of Mànran. He is an accomplished flautist, whistle player, and uilleann piper, an instrument better known to us as the bagpipe. Adam Brown, known for his band RURA and originally from Suffolk County, brings to the group skilled bodhrán percussion. Adam Rhodes is a former member of the bands Barrule and Mabon and hails from the Isle of Man; he plays the bouzouki, a mandolin-like stringed instrument with a low pitch and metallic sound. Tomás Callister, also from the Isle of Man, is Ímar’s fiddler. Mohsen Amini, previously of the band Talisk and a Glasgow native, contributes the accordion-like sound of the concertina expected of all traditional Celtic.
The group first met as teenagers through Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the Irish traditional music network that tutors budding players throughout the British Isles. Ímar’s members’ paths first crossed at the network’s annual Fleadh competitions, where they began garnering their many accolades. Among awards the five musicians have earned are: the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, the 2017 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, the 2018 BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year, and the 2015 Live Act of the Year at Scots Trad Music Awards. They came together to form the ensemble Ímar with a shared strong background in Irish music, an appreciation for simplicity done exceptionally well, and a desire to create with no fixed parameters.
In addition to the recognition Ímar receives filling their trophy case, they continue to acquire rave reviews. “Essex Folk News” lauds that they perform “a veritable avalanche of sound delivered with verve and precision.” “The Scotsman” has described their live performance as “genuinely jaw-dropping collective virtuosity.” While applauding their professional polish, “The Herald” also asserts that there’s “an infectious, raw boisterousness and spontaneity in the playing.”
Tickets for the concert are available in Crescent City at Del Norte Office Supply at 240 I St and in Brookings at Wright’s Custom Framing at 810 Chetco Ave or online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/imar-tickets-49061160251.Tickets will also be available at the door, which opens at 6:15 p.m. March 15. General tickets are $18, senior (65 years and older) are $15, transitional-aged youth (18-25 years old) are $15, and students (K-college, full-time) are $12.
DNACA, of course, would not be able to bring such outstanding performers without the generous support of our underwriters. For our 2018-19 season, they are: Anonymous, Lisé Hamilton, Chip and Kareen Kalvin, Bill and Kathy Maffett, Gene and Carol Schach, and Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation. Underwriters who are a part of Wild Rivers Community Foundation are: Caldwell and Sund Family Trust, Del Norte Area Fund, and Physicians of Sutter Coast Hospital Fund. Our in-kind supporters are Bicoastal Media and the Del Norte Triplicate. DNACA is supported, in part, by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov. We are also supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
For more information, contact DNACA at 707-464-1336 or at [email protected]. Find us on Facebook @DNACACC for links to the artists’ websites, music videos, and event updates.
