Irish Heritage Singers
Monday, March 12
7 p.m.
Audiovisual Department
The Irish Heritage Singers are a most unique vocal ensemble. They belong to a very small enclave of Irish American Choirs in the United States. While most people are familiar with Irish vocal music in one of its many incarnations, many know little if anything about the grand tradition of communal singing that exists in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. Gatherings at the pub or around hearth and home are commonplace and known as Seisons - when instrumental musicians gather to play together for the fun of it, or Sing-Songs, when folks gather to sing, an ancient tradition. Whenever the Irish gather, there are plenty of stories, good craic (conversation) and music breaks out in many forms.
It is from this tradition that the Irish Heritage Singers were born. In the mid 70's, a group of Irish born and Irish American music lovers started gathering at each other's homes to enjoy some good craic and to sing the songs of home. As the Irish American Heritage Center became a physical reality in 1976 at the old Mayfair Junior College on the North Side of Chicago, these singers gravitated there to sing on a regular basis. What started as a weekly Sing-Song became formalized in 1986 as the Irish American Heritage Singers. To sing more formally, they retained the services of George Kuhs who served as the choir director for 11 years. It was during this time that the choir formally changed its name to the Irish Heritage Singers.
Chuck Kessel, a 33 year veteran of music in the Chicago area, is the director of the Irish Heritage Singers. Mr. Kessel graduated Magna cum Laude in 1979 from DePaul University in Chicago. He has maintained a very colorful music career during that period of time. In 2000 he took the mantle of Director with the Irish Heritage Singers. He oversaw its growth from 18 members to around 50 currently. In this time, they have increased their public appearances each year from about 5 to between 15-23 performances.
The Irish Heritage Singers perform many kinds of music. Their music is accompanied by a wide variety of instrumentation including: keyboard; guitar; mandolin; Irish flute; bodhran; Galician bagpipes; concertina; and a capella.
2nd Anniversary Celebration at the
Trickster Gallery
Saturday, March 3
3:00 p.m.
The Schaumburg Township District Library and the Trickster Gallery are co-sponsoring a series of three Native American music concerts. The "Native Sounds Free Concert" is made possible by a Target Grant which the library applied for. The first is this Saturday, March 3rd at the Trickster Gallerylocated at 190 South Roselle Road, across the pond from the library in Town Square. The concert will celebrate the second anniversary of the Trickster Museum.
The day will feature a free concert by some of the best musicians in Indian Country. The celebration starts at 3 p.m. and continues on until 10 p.m. Performers will include Bill Miller, Mark Cleveland, Wade Fernandez and the Culture Shock Camp. All in attendance will have the opportunity to taste the best in "Native" cooking, enjoy a refreshing drink while you enjoy the concert, participate in a silent auction which includes great works of art by talented local Native artists and last by not least, you can find that perfect piece of art in the artist market featuring art by local Native artists.
All proceeds from fundraising efforts will support future programming at the Trickster Gallery.
RSVP by e-mail to the
trickstergallery@aic-chicago.org or call (847) 301-2090.
In partnership with:
Village of Schaumburg
Prairie Center for the Arts
Schaumburg Township District Library
This event is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Target Foundation.
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Movies at STDL
Are you looking for variety in movie viewing? Come to the Schaumburg Township District Library. The Audiovisual department has a new 120-inch movie screen along with surround sound and a projection unit for wide-screen viewing. Our patrons enjoy all of the modern conveniences found in movie theatres. You won't want to miss this type of theatre viewing. Join this friendly group and get in on all the fun. After the movie, you will receive a bag of microwave popcorn and the best thing is - it's all free! No fee, no registration required. Check out the times and dates for movies at the Central Library Audiovisual Department or call us at (847) 923-3182.
Wednesday Night at the Movies
Wednesdays at
7 p.m. in Audiovisual
March
7 - Step Up (PG-13)
14 - Gridiron Gane (PG-13)
21 - Facing the Giants (PG)
28 - Open Season (PG)
Thursday Afternoon at the Movies
Thursdays at
2 p.m.
in Audiovisual
March
1 - All the King's Men (PG-13)
8 - Jet Le's Fearless (PG-13)
15 - Wicker Man (PG-13)
22 - The Guardian (PG-13)
29 - Flyboys (PG-13)
Saturday Afternoon at the Movies
Saturdays at
2 p.m. in Audiovisual
March
3 - Jaws (PG)
10 - Jurassic Park (PG-13)
17 - The Goonies (PG)
24 - Jumanji (PG)
31 - Zathura (PG)
Branch Out to the Movies!
Hoffman Estates Branch: (847) 885-3511
Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Our Hoffman Estates and Hanover Park branch libraries have joined the central library in showing feature films. The Hoffman Estates Branch will continue on with the same movie titles as the Central Library. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by an adult. No fee, no registration required.
Hanover Park Branch: (630) 372-7800
Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesdays at 4 p.m.
Saturdays at 2 p.m.
This month, starting Saturday, March 3 at 2 p.m., the Hanover Park Branch Library will feature "Monster Madness!" Families are welcome to spend an evening or afternoon at the movies. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by an adult. No fee, no registration required.
March
3 - Monster House (PG)
10 - Monsters, Inc. (G)
17 - The Haunted Mansion (PG)
24 - The Neverending Story (PG)
31 - Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie (PG)
Tuesday Evenings at 6:30 p.m.
March
6 - Barnyard (PG)
13 - Talladega Nights: Ballad of Ricky Bobby (PG-13)
20 - Step Up (PG-13)
27 - The Guardian (PG-13)
Wednesday Afternoons at 4 p.m.
March
7 - Employee of the Month (PG-13)
14 - Gridiron Gang (PG-13)
21 - Casino Royale (PG-13)
28 - Crossover (PG-13) |
New Formats for Music, Movies and Books!
Nowadays, music, movies and even books come in formats once considered space age or futuristic. Technology keeps moving forward, making our entertainment devices smaller, easier, more compact and better quality than those of the past. Here at the Schaumburg Township District Library, we provide patrons with a multitude of formats available in the Audiovisual Department. For audiobooks, there are cassettes, CDs, Playaways, MP3-CDs and downloadable books. For videos, we offer video cassettes, DVDs and downloadable videos. For more information, stop by the Audiovisual Information desk for assistance or call us at (847) 923-3182.
(continued from Joan Hammel column)
Joan has studied singing and recorded with Robert Harris of
Northwestern
University
as well as studying both singing and conducting with the legendary
Margaret
Hills
of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. She studied voice and acting with Tony Randall and operatic singer, Sherrill Milnes. At Ravinia, she had a master class with Conductor Christoph Eschenbach. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where she is active in their Alumni Assocation. Joan is currently working on original recording projects of her own as well as others.
Accompanying Joan will be Dean Malsack on piano. Dean has performed all over the United States as a solo pianist and with several ensembles ranging from jazz to blues to popular show tunes. Dean's enjoyment in playing is evident in his whimsical and unique style, and appeals to a wide range of listeners. Dean was chosen by
Washington to accompany Joan Hammel for a nine-day USO tour to entertain the troops including New Year's Eve in
Guantanamo Bay
,
Cuba
. Dean performs over 250 engagements yearly.
Andrina Singer will join Joan and Dean and is a singer and violinist. Andrina has worked with stars like Tony Bennett and Melba Moore. She has worked primarily in the Chicago area. Her combination of vocal and violin talents is rare and she is a delight to hear. Her album It's About Time was on the Nominations Ballot for the Grammy Awards. The album contains classic standards like Summertime and Memory from Cats.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the
Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
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Joan Hammel
Sings Songs of America
Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m.
Audiovisual Department
Joan Hammel grew up in
Lake County
,
IL
in a musical family, and studied voice and instruments privately, in school and at church. She performs live as well as appearing in commercials, on television, in films, and on radio. For the third year in a row, Joan has been nominated for Pop Entertainer of the Year by the Chicago Music Awards. Her album joanland was included on the 2006 Grammy Awards Nominations Ballot in four different categories. The Illinois Arts Council placed Joan on the 2005-2007 Illinois ArtsTour Roster of artists. ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) just gave her their second ASCAPLUS Writer's Award, where a panel of music experts recognize active writers in the early and midstages of their careers with cash and recognition. The YWCA of Lake County chose Joan as the winner in their Arts category for their Women of Achievement Awards.
Her first full length CD is entitled joanland. It is a collection of 11 original songs performed by Joan and a variety of talented musicians. Appearing are members of the Cryan' Shames and blues legend Corky Siegel, as well as Skip Griparis of the Major League movies among others. Joan was also the vocalist on the recording of Oh Lady Di in honor of the late Princess of Wales benefiting her Foundation and charities, and
America
honoring the victims of 9-11.
The
America
recording led to Joan being chosen by
Washington
for a nine-day USO tour to entertain the troops including New Year's Eve in
Guantanamo Bay
,
Cuba
. Other performance highlights include appearing as a headliner during the Winter Olympics in
Salt Lake City
and working all around the globe in places like the
Caribbean
and
Las Vegas
, including Caesar's Palace. She has shared billing with entertainers like Buddy Rich, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, the Chi-Lites, the Cryan’ Shames, David Sanborn, Brenda Russell, Johnny Frigo, Rare Earth, James Moody and the Second City Comedy Troupe. She has sung at Holy Name Cathedral several times. She was thrilled to perform a concert as a part of acclaimed cellist Yoyo Ma's yearlong
Silk Road
project in
Chicago
.
For several years, Joan was the lead singer of the Exceptions with Billy Herman, formerly of New Colony Six and Aorta. Commercials and television work include working with a variety of sports legends like Mike Ditka, Dan Hampton, and Dr. Julius Irving. Film work includes working with stars like Bill Murray, Robert DeNiro, Andie MacDowell, Dolly Parton, James Woods among others. The film Last Day in Chicago, in which she had a starring role, won its division of the Chicago International Film Festival.
Joan has done shows with James Brown, Steve Allen, Richard Marx, Alan Thicke, Bart Starr, Astronaut Jim Lovell, chef Jacques Pepin, Elektra Records founder Jack Holzman, Jennifer O'Neill, Livingston Taylor, Alan Osmond, Robert Guillaume, Joe Bonsall (Oak Ridge Boys), Statler Brothers' Don Reid, Dr. Elmo (Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer), HGTV's Room by Room hosts Matt and Shari, origina; Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr, Lance Armstrong's personal coach Chris Carmichael, Janis Joplin and BOH guitarist Sam Andrew, and Hemingway’s travel companion, A.E. Hotchner, as well as covering a variety of local and national issues.
Joan has been a spokesperson for Jessica McClintock, Liz Claiborne, Microsoft, Anheuser Busch, and
Toyota
. Some of the honors she has received include being named to Who’s Who in Entertainment, Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in Music, Who’s Who of American Women, and the International Who’s Who of Music in London. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from
Columbia
. "It’s Fun To be Fit!", a television program she worked on at CBS TV Chicago, won an Emmy for Best Children’s Program. At the same station, she also worked on the "Daybreak" show and some of her favorite guests included Jimmy Dean, Roger Miller, Jack Hanna, Jack Hemingway, Jack Brickhouse, Sid Caesar, Virginia Graham, Janet Leigh, the Joffrey Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe. | |
