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The Wind That Shakes the Barley
The Pipe Music and Dance of Ireland and Scotland.

Featuring: George Balderose, Cliodhna Graven & Becky Craig.

If you enjoy the musical and dance traditions of Scotland and Ireland, then be sure to see the performance of the Wind That Shakes the Barley,  appearing at _______________ on _____________,  200_.   Drawing from a wealth of experience and study, theWind That Shakes the Barley,  performs the pipe music and dance traditions of both cultures. Comprising three talented performers in their respective fields, the Wind That Shakes the Barley  will take you on a journey to the lochs and glens of the Celtic lands of old.

A piper with over twenty years experience, George Balderose plays the music of the Great Highland Pipes and several types of Celtic Smallpipes. He has performed as a soloist for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the 1993 Dewars Bagpipe Festival Tour, and numerous other solo and ensemble engagements.  A reviewer for the New York Times  proclaimed that he "has a virtuoso's gift,"  while in the words of another he is a "virtuosic piper".

In 1978 George founded the Balmoral Schools of Piping, two week sessions at various college campuses across the US  which provide piping students in North America with the opportunity to study with top champion pipers from Scotland. George has studied piping in Scotland, and holds the degree of  "Senior Piper"  from the College of Piping in Glasgow. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Governor's Heritage Affairs Commission's Traditional and Ethnic Touring Arts Program.

Dancers Becky Craig and Cliodhna Graven represent two different traditions of dancing, and each has successfully competed at Irish Feis and Highland Games throughout the Northeast US. Their performances will highlight and contrast the dance styles of their respective traditions.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley  brings together the pipe music and dance of Ireland and Scotland for a performance that breathes vibrant life into the ancient traditions of Celtic cultures.

© Road to the Isles/Music Tree  -  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania