The Market Place Theatre in Armagh is gearing up for a packed fortnight of events as part of the Saint Patrick’s Festival. Week one will see dance, and music from some of our best local female performers.
Grainne Duffy is a unique talent, raw and powerful, edgy and elegant, and she’s set for The Market Place stage on Saturday 4 March. So far in her short career, Grainne has already graced the stage at Glastonbury for three electric performances and has toured much of Europe. Recently Grainne was asked to open for Jools Holland on his tour. Her wonderful mix of blues rock and soul in her own material and her treatment of a few carefully selected standards charged with true emotion and feeling can win over any audience and leave you begging for more.
In a unique evening of dance on Thursday 9 March, Maiden Voyage Dance present their ‘Triple Bill’, three new works on love, loss and living. ‘Korper & Leib’ by Oona Doherty is a meditative duet reflecting the intimacy and architecture of the male body. ‘Landscapes Of Loss’ is a collaborative work on the loss experienced following miscarriage and stillbirth and guest choreographer Rachel Lopez creates a new trio inspired by the relics of our past and the values we attach to material form.
Five female group ‘Wookalily’ are quirky, in a good way. Too girly to be a beat group, too funky to be a folk group, too good to miss! Their song ‘Diamonds And Gold’ gained them a showcase at the prestigious IBMA World Of Bluegrass Festival in Nashville in 2012. They also recorded for Country Music Hall Of Famer Dixie Hall’s ‘Pickin’ Like A Girl’ compilation in 2013 – the only non-American band to do so. Their debut album ‘All The Waiting While’ was released in November 2014. It’s rumbling along nicely with local airplay and humbling acclaim from fellow musicians worldwide. Wookalily will perform on Friday 10 March.
Gráinne Holland, is a singer | songwriter from Belfast with unique vocal strength and beauty. Dedicated to forging new territory for Gaelic song, Gráinne’s innovative approach breathes new life into the verses of old. Gráinne’s passion for the creation of new contemporary ambiences for traditional Gaelic song has conceived two stunning albums to date; ‘Teanga na nGael’ [2011] & ‘Gaelré’ [2015]. In the footsteps of ‘Clannad’ and ‘Altan’ before, Gaelré presents traditional Gaelic songs in a contemporary acoustic context, making songs of old accessible to fans of the modern folk era. Grainne will perform on Saturday 11 March.
Tickets for all performances can be booked through the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821, or online at www.marketplacearmagh.com And to keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Market Place Theatre, you can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marketplacearmagh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mptarmagh) where you will find all the latest information, special offers and video previews.