Calendar

Open the Door for Three

Open the Door for Three is a road-tested, audience-approved, laughing-out-loud trio of Irish musicians, including fiddle player Liz Knowles, uilleann piper Kieran O’Hare, and Dublin-born singer and bouzouki player Pat Broaders. Their music is a rare combination of unearthed tunes from centuries-old collections, newly composed melodies, fresh arrangements of songs old and new, homages to the musicians and bands they grew up listening to, and the unmatched energy of a trio of good friends playing great Irish music together.

Join us at 6 p.m. for a PRAxPRELUDE with local musicians Sharon and Dave Thormahlen on harp and mandolin, alongside a Lightbox Happy Hour. Corvallis Folklore Society members also receive a $2 discount on tickets.

CFS discount code: cfs2025

Irelandish Reading
Jana Zvibleman
with Shari Ame

Sponsored by the Corvallis Folklore Society. Grass Roots is hosting Jana Zvibleman, long-loved member of the Corvallis community, for a reading from her new book, Irelandish. Her reading will also feature a musical performance by fiddler Shari Ame.

As American blow-ins Jana and Bruce zigzag through the land of the redheads, they develop fondness for everything from the fiddling to the ugly swans, the bouncing lasses to the screaming market mammy. Exploring the magical mundane, the couple ponders and personalizes timeless stories of today’s Celts. Irelandish is a tender romance, a comedy of quirks, a tear-jerker, and a foot-tapper. Readers will relish the journey with Jana as she balances one stone on top of the other and often watches them topple.

Jana Z is the Poet Laureate of her backyard. A storyteller by heredity, she has performed for The Moth, and has collaborated with sculptors, painters, playwrights, buskers, and a flugelhornist. She is also a photographer, essayist, artist-on-the-loose, plus teacher of writing and other life-saving techniques. She will share mainly from her most recent book, Irelandish – a collections of stories both romping and touching, about adventures with her husband, Bruce Marbin. (They were long-time Corvallisites.)

Breabach

Twenty years on from winning the Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections, Breabach remain securely ranked amongst Scotland’s most skilled & imaginative contemporary-folk acts and at the forefront of the burgeoning traditional music scene. The band unite deep roots in Highland and Island Gaelic tradition alongside progressive musical influences and have cultivated a unique sound, anchoring double bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, step-dance and song with energetic double bass and guitar accompaniment.

Versatility, love of experimentation and a willingness to push the boundaries of Scottish roots music have endured as the core values of the band over the past two decades. They have embraced and pioneered many cross-genre collaborations, linking up with artists including Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord, BAFTA award-winning animator Cat Bruce, indigenous Australasian artist Moana & the Tribe, video game composer Big Giant Circles, Cape Breton powerhouse Beòlach and most recently the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

With 8 critically acclaimed studio releases to date, an extensive global touring schedule and having received recognition with 6 BBC ALBA Traditional Music Awards, a 2023 German Record Critic’s Award and as European Folk Group of the year finalists in the prestigious Songlines Awards, Breabach’s journey shows no sign of slowing. They continue their adventures throughout this special anniversary year with performances and festivals across the UK, USA and Europe.

Breabach are: 

• Megan Henderson (Fiddle/Vocals/Step Dance)
• James Lindsay (Double Bass/Vocals)
• Calum MacCrimmon (Highland Bagpipe/Whistle/Bouzouki/Vocals)
• Conal McDonagh (Highland Bagpipe/Uilleann pipes/Whistle/Vocals
• Ewan Robertson (Guitar/Cajon/Vocals)