This week's PLAYIRISH celebrates the filming of music TV show Other Voices. (Scroll down to read more.)
Filmed each year in Dingle (next stop west is New York!), the music TV show "Other Voices" has evolved into a festival with the addition of a number of events, including the Other Voices Music Trail.
The Other Voices Music Trail invites new Irish artists to play live in Dingle to not only the locals, but the hundreds of Other Voices pilgrims that journey to Dingle each year for the craic!
This year also sees the addition of US Ambassador Kevin O’Malley’s "Creative Minds" series as part of the Other Voices weekend of events. The series seeks to keep strong the US and Irish connections and friendship via the Arts. Accompanying the US Ambassador will be a well know Kerryman, Minister of the Diaspora, Mr. Jimmy Deenihan.
This week’s playlist showcases Irish artists from the Other Voices Music Trail, specifically Chanele McGuinness with her cover of Moon River. Here is her story...
As a kid, I took part in a music workshop in my school in Donegal run by a group of Americans. I had no idea what I was signing up for, but it ended up being the most amazing experience. Little did I know, it would literally shape my life.
The happiness and confidence I learned through them was indescribable. I was so shy and barely spoke, never mind sang, in front of people. I gained so much in three days working with these people and I knew that when I was older, I had to give that experience back to kids.
So, when I was 17 I auditioned for the group "The Young Americans." I got accepted, moved 5,000 miles away and started training. I took vocal, dance and teaching classes and met the most incredible friends from all over the USA and the world.
We all trained for about a year - some days were 16 hour rehearsal days - the most draining and emotional times where everyone was exhausted and felt like giving up. But those were the days that made us the strongest and prepared us for the tours ahead.
Before we knew it, we were auditioning for those tours and flying out all over America and the world - Europe, UK, Japan, South Korea and South Africa.
We taught people everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. We taught kids who had lost everything in the tsunami in Northern Japan. We taught kids who were locked in juvenile prisons in Germany. We taught children who knew nothing but township life in South Africa. We taught kids who were terminally ill in hospitals.
Three and a half years of this, every single day, has shaped me as a person - as a performer and musician - but mostly as a person. That experience and life that "The Young Americans" gave me has inspired me to continue writing and performing and following my next dream.
Looking back, I never would have thought that I would one day be doing the same for kids all over the world as the "The Young Americans" did for me. But I did. And what seemed so impossible and far away was my life for those few years.
And now a whole new group of Young Americans continue to teach, inspire and spread love and passion around the world. So this is a big thank you to America and to "The Young Americans," for having me as one of you and inspiring me endlessly to follow my dreams.
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IASCA is the Irish Association of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Based in Ireland, their members are the Irish music writers of all genres - artists, songwriters, composers and lyricists. Their goal is to represent their members, support them, protect their interests and create an environment where new talent can thrive.PLAY IRISH is an IASCA initiative to promote Irish music both at home and overseas. This playlist is brought to you by the IASCA, visit their website here: www.iasca.ie.
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