Minnesota-born Andrea Blain has spent most of the past 34 years living in Northern Ireland, and as a special "post-St. Patrick's Day" treat, she'll be presenting an hour of Irish-inspired music on Music Through the Night, starting at midnight on St. Patrick's Day (which is, strictly speaking, March 18).
As a classically trained violinist with an interest in Irish fiddle music, Andrea found that being able to play music, both classical and Irish, was the single most important factor in "finding her feet" in Northern Ireland, at a time when the political and religious divides could be tricky to negotiate. Andrea played in various folk groups and was a founding member of the Avalon Quintet, a group devoted to finding links between classical and Irish traditional music.
In Wednesday morning's program, Andrea will present a variety of Irish-influenced music, including unexpected offerings from Sousa and Handel, as well as examples of Irish composers who incorporated Irish elements into their symphonic works. The hour ends with Andrea's favorite version of that most Irish of Irish tunes, the Londonderry Air.
Tune in to discover which composer is Andrea's choice to end this special Irish-themed hour of great music.
Previously
Andrea teamed with Emily Reese to co-present an hour-long special about Irish music on Learning to Listen.
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