Everyone is Irish at the Ramsdell's Irish Night Festival! Enjoy an excellent selection of music by AnDro and The Moxie Strings! A catered Irish meal is prepared by Manistee National's Chef Brian Kissel, available at a discounted price if purchased with your show ticket.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

6:00 PM - Ballroom opens, food line opens, drinks available for purchase

6:30 PM - Theatre doors open

7:00 PM - An Dro Performs

8:00 PM - Intermission. Ballroom open for concessions and remaining meals

8:20 PM - The Moxie Strings Perform

9:30 PM - Show ends

TICKETS

You can purchase a ticket to the show and a dinner ticket. There's a $2 savings on the dinner ticket if you purchase the show and meal together. Meal tickets are also sold on the date of the event for the full price of $10 per meal. Drinks are sold separately.

Student Pricing WITH DINNER* = $20.00 ($12.00 without dinner)

Adult Pricing WITH DINNER* = $30.00 ($22.00 without dinner)

Box Seat Pricing WITH DINNER* = $35.00 ($27.00 without dinner)

*Dinner is being prepared by Chef Brian Kissel of Wanagan Grill (Manistee National Golf Course).

SUPPORT & SPONSORSHIPS

A portion of this show is supported in part by a grant received by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Special thanks to Blarney Castle Oil & Propane for their continued support of Irish Night and our programming season.

Our thanks to Rachel Brooks from Moving Spirits for sponsoring our concessions.

TICKET POLICY

All ticket sales are final. No refunds.

MEDIA RELEASE

If you, or any member of your group, are photographed or filmed while on the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts (City of Manistee) property by an authorized/staff photographer, the photo and/or video belongs to the photographer, and you release to the RRCA, its agents, and employees all rights to exhibit and market this work in print and electronic form publicly or privately, including social media websites.

SEAT SELECTION WITH DINNER TICKET

When you're ready to purchase tickets, select where you would like to sit. You have the option of purchasing an advance dinner ticket at a discounted price with your show ticket. You will have to present your ticket at the check in desk at the Ramsdell on Friday, March 15 (opens at 6:00 PM) to receive a dinner ticket. You may also wait to purchase your dinner ticket on Friday, March 15, and pay the full $10.00 price of the dinner ($10).

ABOUT THE BANDS

7:00 PM - AN DRO

An Dro is an ensemble of eclectic instrumentalists who speak from the heart with uncommon synergy. Their music is a blend of traditional and original melodies from across the globe, reaching back to the past, with an eye to the present and the future.

An Dro takes you on an adventure that is both personal and universal. You'll hear traditional Irish melodies, medieval French songs, Breton dance tunes, Scandinavian refrains, Appalachian influences, Arabic rhythms, and African grooves all performed with joy and freshness. This is dance music but it's also listening music.

The band's original works have a feel that is both ancient and modern with a dynamic range that takes you from crazy dance grooves to delicately orchestrated waltzes and airs to blazing improvisational assaults.

The band takes their name An Dro from a folk dance of Brittany where the dancers link fingers as they move in a spiral line dance. An Dro translates literally as "The Turn" and is an apt description of music that is alive and ever changing.

Check out this video of An Dro!

8:25 PM - THE MOXIE STRINGS

Hailed by The Grand Rapids Press as “top-notch, instrumental wizardry,” The Moxie Strings offer listeners the unique opportunity to experience some of the world’s best- known instruments through a young, progressive lens. Diana Ladio and Alison Lynn hold Bachelor of Music degrees in music performance and music education, which have given each the technical foundation to explore the limits of her instrument and helped the group build a reputation for musical excellence. Alison performs on a newly-invented, electric cello, and Diana on a contemporary 5-string violin. Both use a variety of audio effects pedals. The Moxie Strings compose the majority of their pieces and arrange melodies from many countries, resulting in a genre-blurring blend of ear-catching, mainstream melodies and foot-stomping, rock-influenced rhythms. The band’s polished, high-energy show continues to redefine strings’ role in contemporary music, and offers audience members a diverse, fun, musical experience. The two often join forces with dynamic world percussionist, Fritz McGirr.

Soon after forming in 2007, The Moxie Strings were inspired not only to perform, but also to teach. Having made the exploratory journey from classical music to a world of eclecticism and music creativity, the band has now dedicated their careers to helping young musicians make this life-changing and transformative transition. Moxie clinics focus on musical self-discovery and the importance of incorporating socially and culturally relevant genres of music in the music classroom. They have taught clinics in over 100 schools throughout the US, and also present on their research and methodologies to teachers at many music education professional development conferences. During most clinics, The Moxie Strings perform for students on electric instruments, teach music by ear, and introduce non-classical playing styles. The group has researched and created an innovative sequence of activities designed to introduce improvisation to classically trained musicians, which they employ at every clinic. The Moxie Strings deliver their message in a fun, accessible way, and stand before students as the illustration of the many opportunities that music holds.

Current Magazine insists that “the future of music could not be in better hands.”

Check out this video of The Moxie Strings!