A couple of weeks ago, Karan Casey made an inspired speech at a concert in Ireland about female representation in Irish music.. I can't summarize it properly; you should really just read it yourself! https://www.facebook.com/karan.casey.9/posts/1132873010187534
In any case, I'm so glad Karan put into words some thoughts I've been mulling myself for some time. She speaks and writes so eloquently and from the heart.
Since her speech, there has been an upswell of energy organizing around the issue of gender balance in Irish traditional and folk music, culminating in the creation of the group FairPlé.
"FairPlé aims to achieve gender balance in the production, performance, promotion, and development of Irish traditional and folk music. We advocate for equal opportunity and balanced representation for all."
Pretty simple, eh?? Seems crazy that we have to make a group and write statements like this in the 21st century, but... apparently so. So much of the time I am reminded that working in the music industry as a woman can feel like busting in on a boys club.
This is a roundabout way of saying that I feel so lucky and grateful to have grown up playing music with a strong crew of female cousins, and I'm so glad that we continue to perform together as The Grady Girls. And I'm also so glad that venues like Caffe Lena exist, thanks to the hard work of Lena Spencer, Sarah Craig, Carolyn Shapiro, and so many others.
When we started planning this concert for St. Patrick's Day, it felt absolutely right to focus Female Voices in Irish Music. Not only do we have a band composed of five strong women, supported by the ever gracious James Gascoyne, but we decided to include a special guest:
Kara Doyle is an uilleann piper based in Schenectady who we've had the pleasure of knowing and playing with over many years -- and it's been a real treat to put together some music for this concert.
Besides highlighting female performers, we've gathered music with female themes, music composed by female musicians, and music we've learned from other women. It's turned out to be a gorgeous program!
Please come to listen, dance, and enjoy this evening if you are able!
