The Catskills Irish Arts Week is proud to offer student scholarships so that youth can continue to expand on their abilities within the Irish Arts. Please find those awarded with scholarships thus far below:

KIDS SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

We are thrilled to announce the 3rd Annual “Mike & Kathleen McHale Kids Scholarship” to CIAW 2019!

We’re doing things a little differently this year. In order to offer more scholarships to more kids, they will cover full tuition and not lodging. To start with, thanks to a generous donor, we are offering 4 kids scholarships and will be raising money to offer more.

We’re also doing a new twist….

Here’s how to enter (open to all kids 18 or under as of July 8, 2018):

· Make a recording, audio or video, of yourself playing a tune. (Singers can pick a song.)

· Submit a link to the recording here: https://goo.gl/forms/YNmsA1tO7tfnkFbW2

· We will hold a random drawing from all the entries on June 10, 2018 to select the winners of the kids scholarships. (If you’ve already reserved your classes for the week, we will refund your money and you’ll get the classes for free.)

So have fun and we look forward to hearing/seeing your entries!

If you would like to donate to fund more scholarships, please email mjqirishcentre@yahoo.com to coordinate your donation. Each scholarship costs $250.

Natalya Trudeau

Natalya Trudeau, age 17, from Lowell, MA, is a student of Laurel Martin. Together they were awarded a Traditional Arts grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in 2011. This enabled them to set up a more comprehensive and intense program of study in Irish fiddle. Natalya visited Ireland for the first time in February, 2012 on a trip to Clare and Sligo with Laurel Martin and three other students. They performed a concert of traditional Clare tunes in Tulla with the students of Mary Mac Namara, and enjoyed playing in sessions and taking workshops with renowned fiddlers in Clare and Sligo. Inspired by the musicians she met in Ireland, she competed in the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh, and then the All-Ireland Festival in Cavan that August. Although Natalya listens to a wide variety of Irish musicians, she counts Eileen Ivers, Brian Conway and Martin Hayes as those who have inspired her the most.

“Natalya epitomizes all that is good in traditional Irish music in America today. Through her hands she creates beautiful music, capturing an unhurried, relaxed style of fiddle playing that lies very close to the older style. The emotional depth in Natalya’s playing reaches into your soul and leaves you in no doubt that she is a musician of the most refined sensibilities.”
– Mary Mac Namara, Tulla, co. Clare

“Natalya Trudeau is truly one of the bright young talents of her generation. I had the good fortune of meeting Natalya at the Fleadh in Parsippany,New Jersey in 2012 and was impressed by her skill and poise. Recently, at that same venue, I again heard Natalya and was pleased to hear how much her playing had matured in just one year. She garnered first place in a competition featuring a very high standard among the competitors. Natalya plays with feeling and a natural grace and poise which belies her age and is an absolute joy to listen to. She is a credit to her teacher Laurel Martin. Natalya Trudeau is a name we can all look forward to hearing about often in years to come!”
– Brian Conway