Alexandria, VA Event Calendar

Billy McComiskey, on button accordion, National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Award winner, All-Ireland Award winner, who has played with the Irish groups The Irish Tradition, Trian, and Green Fields of America. Billy’s playing is highly regarded as are his numerous Irish music compositions. A Brooklyn Native, he started studying accordion with the late Sean McGlynn from Galway in his early teens. He won the All-Ireland Senior title in 1986. He is known on both sides of the Atlantic as a great session player and leader, a great teacher, and promulgator of traditional Irish music.

Donna Long, piano, is the 2023 Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Heritage Award winner and twice recipient of Maryland Teacher/Apprenticeship grants, and former member of Irish Groups Cherish the Ladies and the duo Brendan Mullvihill and Donna Long.

Laura Byrne, flute, has won multiple MD State Arts Council grants in solo performance and teacher/apprenticeship. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, she is a 4x Eastern fleadh competition winner in concert flute, tin whistle, slow airs, and duos (w/ fiddler Jim Eagan.) She recorded and performs with NY based fiddler Rose Flanagan, The Old Bay Ceili Band, and is a member of the Baltimore crossover project, Across the Harbor. Laura founded and directs the Baltimore Irish Trad Fest. Laura’s Website

Joanna Clare, is an acclaimed Irish fiddler and violinist. Her debut album, To Keep the Candle Burning, has just been released. Joanna has won numerous awards for her talents as a musician and composer. Most notably, she won runner-up is the All-Ireland FleadhFest, Senior Fiddle: Slow Airs competition in Sligo, Ireland. She enjoys perfroming with Celtic Cooridor, The Mount Clare Connection and The Good Folk. She is a highly sought after Suzuki violin and Irish fiddle teacher and works with people of all ages at her home studio and through the Baltimore Irish Music School and the Baltimore Music Company. See her website: Joanna Clare

Eileen Estes, vocals, guitar, and bodhran. Eileen hails from a family rich in Irish traditional culture and singing. She is a traditional singer, arranger, songwriter, and song collector. She also works as a studio musician and vocal coach. Eileen is a former faculty member at the Blue Ridge Irish Music School, a current faculty member for the Washington Conservatory of Music and is vocal instructor for the Irish Music School of Chicago as well as her own, Lark Song Studios, where she works in-person and remotely with singers around the world. Eileen is grateful for the influence of her mother, Nita Conley (founding member of Celtic Thunder), and her mentor, Niamh Parsons. In 2015, Nita and Eileen released, The Apple Tree Project, an album of Irish and Scottish songs.

We’re pulling out the stops to give you a fun and exciting shopping experience! The artistic walls of Galactic Panther offer up an eclectic buzz for a night of shopping. We hav elocal vendors and small businesses waiting to provide you with inclusive vibes and ovearll fun. Enjoy vintage and jewelry vendors, including tarot readings and piercing activations, from the following:

Finds by Foster
Lumos Collective
Milan
Stone & Metal Creations
Cat Rad Creative
Restyle4Change
FourTwentyThree Fine Jewelry
Craving Vintage
Creative Choas Body Care
Nunumia Vintage

This event is FREE! Drinks are available to purchase via donation to Galactic Panther. Get in early for the top picks!

Please join us for Del Ray Kitchen Confidential – a walking tour of recently renovated kitchens in Del Ray with the experts who make the magic happen! FA Design Build owner Rob Menefee and Design Consultant Melissa Fielding walk us through the entire renovation process from start to finish. Realtor Maureen Clyne of Coldwell Banker Realty highlights the strategic upgrades that add the most value to your home. Reserve your spot now – www.FADesignBuild.com or call 703-934-8447. Admission free and space is limited. Tour itinerary provided upon registration.

Do good while having a good time at the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria’s 38th Annual Gala and Auction at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. The fun begins with a 2-hour open bar reception while mingling with 499 other Alexandrians who care. Then join us in the Ballroom for a delicious dinner, silent and live auctions, followed by dancing to a live band until midnight.

Buy a ticket or join our Honor Roll of Giving as a sponsor of this important event helping students with financial need achieve their college and career dreams. All proceeds go toward the SFA scholarships awarded annually.

The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 1986 by concerned citizens to help academically qualified students with financial need from Alexandria City Public Schools afford postsecondary education. Through its relationship with the community, the mission of The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria is to encourage and assist the students of Alexandria City Public Schools by providing them with necessary resources to access and complete a college, technical or career program of postsecondary education. Help more Titans pursue their postsecondary dreams by attending this special evening. All proceeds go toward the SFA scholarships awarded annually. Contact the SFA office at (703)824-6730 or visit https://www.alexscholarshipfund.org/ for more details.