Katie is a multi-talented classically trained violinist, fiddle player and Irish dancer born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was one of Tessie Burke's top champion dancers and was highly ranked on a regional, national, and international level. As a violinist, she participated in many of the Pittsburgh areas well regarded youth symphonies throughout her childhood and teenage years. After graduating college from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in Accounting and Psychology, she moved to Chicago, where her artistic career continued to blossom. On a local level, she worked as a lead instructor at the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance and on a regular basis, began playing and performing with many of Chicago’s finest musicians, such as Liz Carroll, John Williams, and Maurice Lennon. Katie has also been featured in various touring companies around the world and has performed in many venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her touring success and background story was a feature article in the August 2014 issue of the International Irish Dancing Magazine. Katie is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University located in Pittsburgh, PA and is a T.C.R.G (certified Irish dance instructor by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha) at the Burke-Conroy School of Irish dance. Katie hopes to pass along her passion and knowledge of music and dancing to children and strongly believes in integrating both aspects as a part of their artistic education. For more information on Katie, visit www.katiegrennan.com The list of individuals and groups of people I have to thank for influencing this project could go on forever, but space is limited, so I did my best to include everyone who had a direct impact. Thank you to: My Mom and Dad for both of your endless love, support and encouragement over years. The hours spent in the car driving to music and dance lessons, the compromised weekends and holidays, and the constant tapping and scales in the house did not come without sacrifices, and I am forever grateful to you for opening the world to me. My younger brother Jack for being my partner in crime and putting up with me for all of these years. I’m so lucky to have had you by my side throughout all the phases in my life. My violin instructors throughout my childhood and teenage years (Sister Erma, Miss Lin and Huei-Sheng Kao), for instilling the fundamentals into my playing and not letting me get away with much! My teachers at the Burke School of Irish Dance in Pittsburgh. To Theresa Burke, for setting a prime example of a lifelong commitment to teaching the art of Irish dance. To my “older sisters” Mary Conroy-Adams and Laura Conroy-Rust, for encouraging me to “just dance”, always being a sounding board for anything and everything, and the constant stream of laughter when we’re together. The Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, especially Mark Howard, Natalie Howard, and Deirdre Mahoney Vrbancic, for welcoming me into your organization and helping me grow as a dancer, teacher, and person. Over the past decade, Trinity provided me with a platform to come into my own as I transitioned from a student to an adult and consistently provided an outlet from everything else going on in my life. My Musical Mentors in Chicago, especially John Williams, Maurice Lennon, Kathleen Keane and Kell Chole – for inspiring me, allowing me to learn from you, and helping to bring the music out of me that was always inside. A special thank you to John for collaborating with me on this entire album by bringing your expertise, enthusiasm and accompaniment. It was a pleasure to work with you. Terry Geoghegan’s Galway Arms Sunday Session for becoming my mecca during my time in Chicago. The magic I experienced on Sunday evenings over the past 5 years helped shape my playing and brought new life to my music. My students at the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance for being the test cases for most of the music on this CD. Thank you for helping me pick which tunes you preferred to dance to, for your enthusiasm, and for telling me when a particular Heavy Jig sounded too much like a Hornpipe :). This album is for all of you. And the following people for supporting the project: Ella and Kimberly Bahna, Dave Barckow, The Collins Family, Sloane Conway, The Dolan Family, Olivia Dunn, Amy Dybowski, Melody and Marty Eastman, Grace and Annemarie Engelbert, Sarah Evangelisti, Catherine Ferguson, Caroline and Jane Gaffigan, Uncle John Gimmler, MacKenzie and Kerry Greaves, Kevin Grennan, Audrey and Loan Hutton, Ed Lesniak, Kate and Edward Mallon, Catherine Mapelli, Conor McCarthy, Tom McGuire, Kylie and Kerry O’Brien, Norah Porcelli, The Stocco Family, and Lucy. 1. Reels 113 (Traditional) (Katie Grennan) (Traditional) (Traditional) – The first tune in this set of reels is called the “Tempest” and rightfully so due to its stormy sound. The tune found its way onto the album during the very time of the Chicago Blackhawk’s 2015 Stanley Cup Victory against the Tampa Bay Lightening and the simultaneous severe weather and heavy flooding in the Chicago area. I composed the 2nd tune, “Tessie’s Trebles”, in honor of legendary Ohio and Pennsylvania Irish dance instructor Theresa (Tessie) Burke. Anyone that has taken dance lessons from Tessie will hopefully be able to hear echoes of her technique of teaching the basic hard shoe movement called the “treble” in this tune! The last two tunes, called “The Musical Priest” and “Frank’s Reel” are two of my favorite “go-to’s”. Anyone that I toured across China with during 2014-2015 should recognize these two! 2. Light Jigs 116 (All three jigs composed by Katie Grennan) I wrote these three jigs in honor of three very special dogs that passed away during the spring of 2015 right before I started recording. “Luchie’s Forever Youth” is written for Luchie, Kelley, and the O’Brien family. “For the Life of Riley” is for Riley (affectionately known as “Pudge), Conor, and the McCarthy/McMahon family. “Tara’s Upward Romp” is for my own collie, Tara, who loved to romp everywhere she went. I can only imagine that is how she traveled on her final journey. I believe the best way to honor all three of these special animals is for children around the world to dance to their tunes. 3. Slip Jigs 113 (Sean Og Graham) (Gan Ainm) (Michael McGoldrick) Three relatively modern slip jigs that from my experience, dancers love to dance to. Special thanks to the Trinity “Accelerated” set and stamina class for helping me finalize these tune selections. 4. Heavy Jigs 73 (Winifred Horan) (Robbie Overson) (Mike Vass) Winifred Horan first recorded “The Sparkling Fairy” on her album “Just One Wish” in 2002. I have been a huge fan of Winifred’s fiddle sounds since I was a child and have always looked up to her talents, as she is a champion Irish dancer, a classically trained violinist, and highly successful fiddle player. Although she recorded this tune at a slightly faster pace, I slowed the tempo down because I felt it would make a good “Heavy Jig”, and dancers seem to enjoy it when I play it at feiseanna. The third tune in this set is actually a Scottish tune that comes up every now and again when playing in Chicago sessions. I love the climbing nature of the second part of the tune, and think that when slowed down into the heavy jig timing, the listener/dancer can appreciate it even more! 5. Hornpipes 113 (Traditional) (Traditional) Two common hornpipes that work well at feiseanna. Chicago-area Irish dance adjudicator Maureen Doyle commented that the dancers she was judging seemed to love to dance to the 2nd tune, the “Fairies Hornpipe” during one of my first feises I played at, and thanks to her recommendation, I’ve used it frequently at competitions ever since. 6. Beginner Reels (Mick Hanly) (Seán Óg Graham and Damien McKee) (Traditional) These three tunes are actually Polkas and are at the perfect pace for young beginner Irish dancers. The first tune, Jessica’s Polka, has been recorded by some of my favorite artists over the years, and I learned the 2nd two directly from the fine musicians of the band “Beoga” when they came to Chicago in 2014 to do a workshop. Special thanks to the Elmhurst Sunday Beginner Class (2015) for helping me pick which tunes they liked. 7. Beginner Slip Jigs (Mark Kelly) (Vincent Broderick) (Michael Rooney) I can never seem to get enough of playing slip jigs and they were always my choice dance to perform in soft shoes. I’m featured throughout this track on the Tin Whistle as well, an instrument I picked up as a kid and have dabbled with over the years. Special thanks to Elmhurst Sunday Novice/Prizewinner Class (2015) for helping me pick these tunes. 8. Beginner Heavy Jigs (Maurice Lennon) (Liz Carroll) (Traditional) My friend and mentor Maurice Lennon wrote this first tune about two kittens that showed up at his door. The tune quickly became a staple across Chicago sessions due to its light and endearing sound, and I thought it would be perfect for children new to dancing in hard shoes. Liz Carroll wrote the 2nd tune for a particular subset of the Grennan clan (no relation to myself that we know of). Liz is not just an inspiration to me because of her electric playing and tune composition skills – she is also one of the kindest and most genuinely helpful people I have ever met, and feel lucky to have gotten to know her during my time in Chicago. The 3rd tune is one that was featured during the opening number of Magic of the Dance, a commercial show that I toured across Germany and Taiwan with during 2012 and 2013. 9. Beginner Hornpipes (Traditional) (Traditional) These are two of the very first Irish tunes I learned how to play when I was about 9 years old. They were (and still are) common dance tunes, and I think I heard them so much in the dance studio that they were just sitting in my head subconsciously by the time I attempted them on my fiddle! 10. Saint Patrick's Day 94 (Traditional) Many dancers’ first traditional set. 11. King of the Fairies 130 (Traditional) A more advanced traditional set. I loved to play this on both the fiddle and tin whistle when I was growing up. 12. The Blackthorn Stick 69 (Traditional) A classic open set dance. I competed with this particular tune my first year as a championship dancer in 2001. 13. Planxty Davis 108 (Thomas Connellan) One of my very favorite open set dances and also the longest one in terms of musical measures, requiring the dancer to have a high level of stamina! I competed with this set dance in 2006 at the Mid-America Oireachtas in Chicago, where I placed 3rd. Bonus Tracks 14. Dublin Airport (Gerald Fahy) I was introduced to this tune by a good friend on tour a number of years ago. I was immediately taken by its reminiscent and sweet sound, and brought it back with me into the Chicago session scene when I returned home. The physical Dublin airport has a special meaning to me, as I have flown in and out of there many times during my junior year of college while studying at the University College Dublin and subsequently afterwards when visiting my dear cousins (of the Gaffney, Grennan, Melvin, and Phillips families), friends, and other connections in Ireland. Special thanks to Aislinn Gagliardi for accompanying me on this track. 15. O'Carolan's Concerto (Turlough O’Carolan) I have always gravitated towards the compositions of the famous blind Irish harp player and composer, Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738). It is said that O’Carolan wrote this widely recognized tune in response to a compositional challenge by Francesco Geminiani, an Italian violinist and composer, during his visit to Dublin. Again, thanks to Aislinn Gagliardi for accompanying me on this track. 16. Go Lassie Go (Wild Mountain Thyme) (Francis McPeake) This popular folk song of Scottish origins has been recorded by many folk musicians over the years. I first became acquainted as with this song as a young teen from a lively version on an album given to me by Eileen Ivers after I performed with her and the Immigrant Soul band at the Pittsburgh Irish festival. I am joined by Eva Coyle on vocals and piano as well as John Williams on his concertina 17. Notre Dame, Our Mother – This is the official song of the University of Notre Dame. As a 2010 graduate, every time I hear this song, a flood of happy memories come back to me from the four years I spent as a student there. Although I have chosen to record an instrumental version, this song’s lyrics reference both the University and its namesake, the Virgin Mary. Recorded At: Dr. Caw Recording Studios Engineer: Craig Williams Produced by: John Williams Arranged by: Katie Grennan Mixing by: Craig Williams Album Design by: Dan MacDonald Fiddle: Katie Grennan Tin Whistle (Track 7): Katie Grennan Piano: John Williams (all tracks except 16) Concertina (Track 16): John Williams Harp (Tracks 14 &15): Aislinn Gagliardi Vocals and Piano (Track 16): Eva Coyle