NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
19 March 2003

RENOWNED IRISH MUSICAL GROUP ‘CEILI RAIN’ TO CONDUCT WORKSHOPS IN CITY SCHOOLS; FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT AT WHITAKER CTR. BENEFITS CITY SCHOOLS

Harrisburg city school students will have a unique opportunity to see and learn from one of the top Irish bands in the world, Mayor Stephen R. Reed said today in announcing the visit to Harrisburg this week by the renowned ‘Ceili Rain’. The group will conduct workshops and concerts for city school students today through Friday, and wrap up their city visit with a benefit concert at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts on Friday night. Proceeds will benefit the Harrisburg School District’s arts and music programs.

Reed said the entertaining Irish/Celtic rock band is visiting Harrisburg as part of a special international arts awareness program undertaken by the District that brings in rising young artists in a wide array of artistic and musical genres. The seven-member band will conduct five different workshops/concerts for city students, both entertaining and educating them about Celtic and Irish music and culture.

The Mayor said the highly-regarded band, whose hit song “That’s All The Lumber” has swept both Irish and international awards, will appear at the Forum on Wednesday morning, March 19, at 9:30 a.m. for students from the Steele, Hamilton, Ben Franklin, Woodward, Downey, Melrose, Marshall, Scott and Riverside Schools, followed by a Noon performance and workshop at John Harris High School.

Reed said the group will appear at the Career and Technology Academy at 8 a.m. and at the ACTS Program site at 9:30 a.m., both on Thursday morning. The group wraps up its visit to the District with a 9:30 a.m. appearance at Foose Elementary School, and a 1:15 p.m. performance at the Camp Curtin Elementary School on Friday morning.

The public will have an opportunity to see the acclaimed international stars at a special benefit concert being held Friday evening at the Whitaker Center’s Sunoco Performing Arts Theater. Tickets are very reasonably priced at $20 for premium seats, $10 for Adult regular seating, and $5 for students. The concert begins at 7 p.m. and tickets are now available at the Whitaker Center’s The Box ticket outlets, or by calling (717) 214-ARTS(2787). Plenty of good seats are still available for the rare opportunity to see the engaging musical artists. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Harrisburg School District’s arts and musical education programs.

“Music and art education are important components of our efforts to reform public education in Harrisburg,” said Mayor Reed. “Numerous studies and empirical evidence proves that students engaged in extracurricular music and art programs are likely to do better in their other subjects, are more likely to stay in school and graduate, as well as learn such valuable life and study skills as discipline, teamwork and more. Ceili Rain’s visit to Harrisburg is but one aspect of this effort, which has already garnered national attention from such illustrious organizations as the national Grammy Awards Foundation.”

The Mayor noted that fans of the band will have two opportunities to meet the artists this week as well. On Wednesday evening, the band will sign autographs and cd’s and conduct concert ticket giveaways at Scott’s Bar and Grille on Locust Street in downtown, followed by a similar promotion at Coakley’s Town Tavern in New Cumberland on Thursday evening, with events running from from 7 to 9 p.m. at both locations. The band will not be performing at the promotions.

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