Celtic Music Society

Celtic Music Society is a unique program comprised of student musicians from East Rochester Senior and Junior High Schools in East Rochester, New York. Founded in the fall of 2001, this group of young musicians performs the traditional music of Ireland in authentic traditional and contemporary styles. In our first seven years, we have performed more than 150 times, released three albums, hosted seven workshops by All-Ireland Champion musicians, and shared the stage with some of the top Irish musicians from our region and the world, including two concerts each by Irish supergroups Lúnasa, Gráda, and Teada. Director Mark Gowman and students in Celtic Music Society frequently present workshops to students, teachers, and college music education majors, and have presented several at the Eastman School of Music and the New York State School Music Association's annual conference. Celtic Music Society was one of only four student ensembles from the United States invited to perform at the National Music Student Leadership Conference in Salt Lake City, where we also presented a workshop for more than 100 teachers at the corresponding Music Educators National Conference.