Concert Exhibition
Third Wednesday: Music in Motion from Ireland to Chicago
Wednesday, July 15 6:00-7:00 pm Register Now Free; Registration Recommended
Inspired by Ink & Outrage: 18th Century Satirical Prints in London & Dublin, this program features the interplay of the Irish harp and the accordion, two instruments shaped by sharply different cultural associations: one elevated as the emblem of the Irish nation, and the other often cast as excessive, comic, or even unruly. Answering the exaggerated forms of Irish caricature in sound, master musicians Marta Cook and Jimmy Keane animate and transform the tensions that the exhibition’s prints seek to manage.
Rich with intricate, living detail, this special concert performance draws upon on local Irish repertoire connected to the historical figures and political movements depicted in the prints, including pieces documented and published at the turn of the last century through the efforts of Cork-born General Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Francis O’Neill. As O’Neill discovered, this vibrant musical tradition challenges both authority and fixity, circulating across generations and geographies and sustained by communities whose artistry exceeds the bounds of archive.
This event is free and open to the public, with donations gratefully accepted in support of continued cultural programming.
About the Performers
Grammy artist Marta Cook is widely recognized as one of the foremost harpers in Irish traditional music. Acclaimed for a distinctive solo style that explores the full rhythmic and expressive range of the instrument, her singular approach to the Irish harp has brought her music to audiences throughout Europe and North America. Highlights include the World Harp Congress (Vancouver,) the North Atlantic Fiddle Conference (Limerick,) Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston), Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park (Chicago), Stony Island Arts Bank (Chicago), Espace Culturel Bertin Poirée (Paris), The Irish Centre (Leeds), and New York Live Arts (Manhattan.) In 2020, Marta was the harper chosen to represent Ireland’s national instrument among forty outstanding artists commissioned by The Embassy of Ireland to produce work for Shades of Green - A Celebration of Irish Arts in America.
Irish music accordion virtuoso Jimmy Keane was born in London of Irish-speaking parents from Connemara and Kerry. His late father Jimmy was a magnificent sean-nos (old style) singer, and along with young Jimmy’s mother Mary, actively encouraged him to take up traditional Irish music. Jimmy’s accomplishments are far reaching. He has achieved astonishing and unprecedented success in competitive playing, having won five consecutive All-Ireland titles on the piano accordion. He has always been an avid collector and arranger of old tunes and is becoming increasingly known for his original compositions, many of which have become part of the mainstream of traditional Irish music around the world. He also has recorded and produced numerous albums. Many regard Keane as the premier exponent of traditional Irish music on the piano accordion. Noted University of Limerick Professor, composer, and musician Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin praised Keane as the “savior of the piano accordion.” eMusic described him as “one of the true giants of Irish traditional music of the past fifty years,” and the voice of Ireland, singer-songwriter Christy Moore, described Jimmy’s playing as “wild and beautiful.”