- August 6, 2005: new CD is available.
- January 23, 2005: Listed workshops and festival schedules for 2005
- October 20, 2004: Added complete tune list for new CD
- July 25, 2004: Added seven sound bites from the new album
- April 9, 2004:
Announcement of new CD called the Curlews
Traditional Irish Music on the Hammered Dulcimer
Last updated: August 6, 2005
Update history
Cliff is an Institute Engineer at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas; his research
specialty is problems associated with aviation jet fuels. The subject of this page, however, is
his hobby...Irish Traditional Music. Although his primary instrument, the hammered dulcimer, is
not a traditional Irish instrument, Cliff is noted for his ability to produce the lilting rhythms
and ornamentation characteristic of this music style. In recent years, Cliff has been playing the Anglo concertina; much of his style on the concertina was learned from Michelle O'Sullivan of Co. Kerry
Cliff was one of the founding members of St. James's Gate, which won First Prize for
Instrumental Groups in the 1986 Fleadh Cheoil na h'Eireann, the All-Ireland Music
Competition, held that year in Listowel, Co. Kerry. More recently, Cliff has competed 3 times as
a soloist in the Miscellaneous Instruments category in the All-Ireland; in 1993 and 1994, in
Clonmell, Co. Tipperary, he was awarded 3rd place and 2nd place, respectively, and in 1997, in
Ballina, Co. Mayo, he was again awarded 2nd place.
Cliff gives workshops on playing Irish traditional music on the dulcimer including both repertoire
and techniques for playing in the Irish traditional style. He is not able to attend many
festivals each year because of job and family priorities, but he has been a popular repeat
instructor at many festivals across the country, including the Summer Solstice Festival, Mtn. View Dulcimer Jamboree, and one-week workshops at the Heartland Dulcimer Camp, during Irish Week
at the Augusta Heritage Festival, and the
Irish Summer School in conjunction with the Milwaukee Irish
Fest.
Cliff still plays with St. James's Gate, which is now a trio consisting of hammered dulcimer/concertina,
flute, and guitar. In addition to recording six albums with "The Gate", Cliff has produced one
solo album entitled The Coming of Spring. Many of the stories
concerning the tunes on this album are related to the times at Augusta and the trips to Ireland
for the competitions. St. James's Gate performs several times a month in local restaurants
and cafes; if you are going to be in San Antonio, please contact Cliff for venues.
In 2005 Cliff is scheduled to teach a weekend workshop in Winfield, KS April
8-10, workshop workshops at the Summer Solstice Festival, June 24-26, and a week-long workshop on Irish music for the hammered dulcimer during Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Festival, July 24-29.
This site provides relevant information on festivals, workshops, arrangements of Irish
traditional music for the dulcimer, and techniques for playing the dulcimer in the Irish style.
Questions or comments? E-Mail me at
cmoses@swri.edu
Cliff's First Solo Album, "The Coming of Spring"
Upcoming Workshops
Workshop Subjects
Tune Library
Links to Related WebPages
Gaelic Roots Festival
Augusta Heritage Center
Summer Solstice Festival
The Swannanoa Gathering
House of Musical Traditions
Wood N' Strings MasterWorks Dulcimers
The Official WWW Hammered Dulcimer Page
Ceolas: Home of Celtic Music on the Internet
Last updated: August 6, 2005
Cliff was one of the founding members of St. James's Gate, which won First Prize for Instrumental Groups in the 1986 Fleadh Cheoil na h'Eireann, the All-Ireland Music Competition, held that year in Listowel, Co. Kerry. More recently, Cliff has competed 3 times as a soloist in the Miscellaneous Instruments category in the All-Ireland; in 1993 and 1994, in Clonmell, Co. Tipperary, he was awarded 3rd place and 2nd place, respectively, and in 1997, in Ballina, Co. Mayo, he was again awarded 2nd place.
Cliff gives workshops on playing Irish traditional music on the dulcimer including both repertoire and techniques for playing in the Irish traditional style. He is not able to attend many festivals each year because of job and family priorities, but he has been a popular repeat instructor at many festivals across the country, including the Summer Solstice Festival, Mtn. View Dulcimer Jamboree, and one-week workshops at the Heartland Dulcimer Camp, during Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Festival, and the Irish Summer School in conjunction with the Milwaukee Irish Fest.
Cliff still plays with St. James's Gate, which is now a trio consisting of hammered dulcimer/concertina, flute, and guitar. In addition to recording six albums with "The Gate", Cliff has produced one solo album entitled The Coming of Spring. Many of the stories concerning the tunes on this album are related to the times at Augusta and the trips to Ireland for the competitions. St. James's Gate performs several times a month in local restaurants and cafes; if you are going to be in San Antonio, please contact Cliff for venues.
In 2005 Cliff is scheduled to teach a weekend workshop in Winfield, KS April 8-10, workshop workshops at the Summer Solstice Festival, June 24-26, and a week-long workshop on Irish music for the hammered dulcimer during Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Festival, July 24-29.
This site provides relevant information on festivals, workshops, arrangements of Irish traditional music for the dulcimer, and techniques for playing the dulcimer in the Irish style.
Questions or comments? E-Mail me at cmoses@swri.edu