Swannanoa

[Daniel Vance]

The group that I started playing with goes to Swannanoa every year. They really enjoy the fiddle and whistle sessions, but non have ever been to the other lessons (guitar, mandolin, etc...) While I am sure it would be a great experience, before working on getting the money and time off of work, was wondering if anyone on the cafe has been to this event and could provide me a review of it, especially if anyone has had a lesson from Marla Fibish who will be instructing the mandolin courses.

[JeffD]

I have been to the Old Time Week, several times, but not the Celtic week. I am sure its wonderful.

[Randi Gormley]

A fiddler friend of mine goes religiously and I know two instructors who go (switching off between Swannanoa and Catskill Irish Arts Week, usually held the same week in July) and they all rave about it. It's very serious musically, from what I've been told (I normally go to CIAW, which is much more loose and as much about the craic as about the music) and the instructors are top-flight. It's held on a college campus so there are curfews and lights-out and no playing in the hallways past 10 p.m. rules, but you can always leave the dorms and play outside, I've been told. I've also been told that Marla Fibish is a great mandolin teacher as well as being a great ITM player (my teachers at CIAW have all been multi-instrumentalists, usually banjo people). Don't know if that helps.

[mandogerry]

I went to Swannanoa for the first time last summer -- Mando/Banjo Week. It was a superb experience. The staff and teachers are great, the food is great, and lots of folks had been there several times and were already planning to go again this summer. You can wander around the campus day, evening, or night, and find students and faculty members jamming outside. The faculty concerts every evening are great, too. Mando/Banjo apparently is a good bit more sedate than Celtic Week, but I know several people who've done Celtic Week and loved it.

Even better, I took Marla's weeklong Irish Mandolin class (advanced version). She is teaching at Celtic Week this year, not Mando/Banjo week and, based on that alone, I am going to Celtic Week. Marla is not only a dynamite musician, she is a dynamite teacher as well, and one of the funniest people I know. She also was patient with students like me who really were over our heads in the advanced class, at the same time moving "real" advanced players up a notch, and somehow she was able to give everyone a week well worth it.

[mikeyes]

Go to my ITM banjo blog and I have a nice little article about Marla teaching at the O'Flaherty retreat. We had 17 students, more than the banjo class which was taught by Kieran Hanrahan who is also a world class teacher. Take her class, you can't go wrong.

[Narayan Kersak]

I've gone every year to Celtic week for about 5 years. Its a lot of fun. Have had great experiences with all teacher s but one. It is worth it for the jam sessions alone. The campus is beautiful. The atmosphere is perfect. Well worth it.

Many times I've attended jam sessions that didn't end until 2 am. Once stayed up until 4 just watching martin Hayes and others in a super star jam. Can't beat that.

[Daniel Vance]

Thanks everyone for the information. I am going to try and get the money and time off of work so I can go. As a self taught beginner, getting to play this much with other people and to have what looks like really great instruction would probably be great for moving forward. Thanks again for all the information.