Workshops, Dances and Sessions

Bring your pipes to learn a tune, or just come to listen and learn about the Uilleann Pipes. All levels welcome!

Join DADGAD guitar player Sam Vogt for an immersive look into Irish tune accompaniment. Particular focus will be given to rhythm, strumming patterns, basic chord shapes, and possible substitutions and their applications.

Come learn some dance steps from Cape Breton. No experience needed. Wear soft tennis shoes, ballet or jazz shoes.

Beginner class for all ages. No experience required. Participants will learn breath control, finger placement, cuts, taps and how to pick up a tune by ear. No instrument required (loaners provided), but if you have a favorite whistle in D, bring it along!

Join us to learn how to find different sounds and play basic patterns on your Irish drum. Bring your own bodhran or there may be a few available to borrow. No experience necessary.

Join Willamette Valley Pipes and Drums before their main stage performance, for an introduction to highland pipes and drum playing. Bring instruments if you have them. Everyone is welcome!

Ceili of the Valley will perform a couple of dances, then invite the audience to join in. All dances will be taught and no partner or experience is necessary.

This workshop is especially for young people who have been playing violin for 2 years or more. Come have some fun as we learn a tune by ear and explore the magic of fiddling!

David shares his fluency and passion for the music of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia to help you get the driving rhythms and wild inflections that infuse this elusive and infectious fiddle style.

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Irish Flute/Whistle But Were Afraid to Ask. Steeplechase flute and whistle player Hanz Araki will be on hand to answer questions and share techniques and tips to help get your playing to the next level. Tunes will be played! The Irish flute and whistle share many techniques, so players of either or both are welcome! Please bring an instrument in the key of D.

An active session for children and their families to enjoy music making, Celtic songs and fun dances. Sharon and Paul will lead participants in playing instruments, singing traditional songs, and doing simple ceili or “play party” dances. All ages and abilities welcome!

After their performance, Kitchen Ceilidh will lead traditional Gaelic songs sung by women working wool around a table.

Ceili of the Valley will perform a couple of dances, then invite the audience to join in. All dances will be taught and no partner or experience is necessary.

The singing of songs is a different beast in Ireland. It is traditionally unaccompanied, with calls for ciúnas! (“a bit of hush!”). It can happen at the drop of a hat, in the pub, or in the home. Most incredibly, people actually listen! It can be an intimidating prospect, and virtually impossible to initiate in North America where it simply isn’t built into session culture. So, let’s get together and sing some songs. We'll focus on lyrics, cadence, and melody. Let’s talk about how we learn songs, how we transmit them, and why it’s important. And let’s also destigmatize being “just a singer.” With any luck, maybe we can help integrate the odd song into your local session.

This workshop is for folks who have been playing violin for a few years and want to discover the lively world of Irish fiddle ornamentation for jigs, reels, polkas, hornpipes, and waltzes.

Take your bodhrán playing to the next level in Advanced Bodhrán Techniques, a workshop designed for experienced players looking to expand their expressive range and technical precision. We’ll dive into tonal variations to add depth and color to your sound, explore proven methods for building speed and endurance, and focus on developing advanced phrasing techniques that bring greater musicality and nuance to your playing. This session is ideal for players ready to move beyond the basics and unlock the full potential of the instrument.

Join your friends at this session hosted by local fiddle player Katie Maxey (Cucanandy). All instruments , singers and abilities are welcome, or just come to listen!

Irish duo Ceo will be leading this session after the Main Stage ends. All instruments, singers and abilities welcome, or just come to listen! Come play and sing on!

This is a slower paced session for beginning and intermediate players. It is led by Shari Ame, a local fiddle teacher who hosts a monthly session with her students. All instruments and abilities are welcome.

Steeplechase will be leading this session after the Main Stage ends. All instruments, singers and abilities are welcome. Outside food is always welcome at Treebeards. Come, play and sing on!

Join the Hayden Stern Band at this Scottish tune session. All instruments are welcome, or just come to listen!

Join the weekly Corvallis Pan-Celtic Session or just come to listen. All instruments and abilities are welcome.

Hanz Araki of Steeplechase will lead us in singing together. Sign up at the start of the session to sing your favorite Celtic song and invite others to join you.

End this busy weekend of music by playing some slower waltz’s, reels and aires. All instruments and abilities are welcome.