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For over 38 years, Cherish the Ladies, one of America’s most heralded
Irish music ensembles, has won the hearts of audiences worldwide with
their rousing blend of traditional music, captivating vocals, and
propulsive step dancing. To quote The Boston Globe: “It is
simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they
do,” speaking of this Grammy-nominated Irish American super group that
formed in New York City in 1985 to celebrate the rise of women in what
had been a male-dominated Irish music scene. Since their inception,
they have toured the world performing thousands of concerts from the
White House to the Olympics, recorded 18 critically acclaimed albums
and an Emmy award winning PBS television program, An Irish
Homecoming.
Under the leadership of Joanie
Madden, the 2021 National Heritage Fellowship Award winner and
All-Ireland flute and whistle champion, these extremely gifted women
create an incredible moving experience brimming with sheer talent and
exuberant entertainment. Their group includes All-Ireland
champions Mirella Murray (accordion) and Nollaig Casey
(fiddle) along with the nimble finger-work of Mary Coogan
(guitar), the beautiful vocals of County Clare songstress Kate
Purcell (lead vocals, guitar) and the extremely talented County
Galway native, Catherine McHugh on piano. World champion
Irish step-dancers will add their magical footwork to the performances.
The New York Times
calls their music “passionate, tender, and rambunctious,” and The
Washington Post praises their “astonishing array of virtuosity.”
They won recognition as the BBC’s Best Musical Group of the Year and
were named Top North American Celtic Group at the Irish Music
Awards. They have collaborated with such musicians as Vince Gill,
Nanci Griffith, The Boston Pops Orchestra, Pete Seeger, The Clancy
Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Chieftains, Don Henley and Arlo Guthrie
as well as being the most successful Celtic Pops act in history with
over 300 performances with leading symphony orchestras.
Madden and her band have amassed a
long, impressive list of awards at home and in Ireland, including being
forever immortalized with a street named in their honor on the Grand
Concourse in the Bronx, NY. No matter how far from home, their
continued success as one of the best-loved Irish groups rests on their
blend of virtuoso instrumentals, beautiful vocals, traditional and
original arrangements along with stunning step dancing — all presented
with extraordinary talent, creativity, and humor.
The Center for the Arts at Monmouth University
oversees the performing, visual, and literary arts in order to promote
creative thinking, inspiration and cultural enrichment. It operates as
the University’s hub for a wide variety of programs, projects, and
events that serve the campus and the community. Each season, the Center
offers more than 150 events at campus and community venues, including
the Performing Arts Series; Children’s Theatre; Visiting Writers
Series; Pollak, DiMattio, and Ice House Galleries; World Cinema
Series; Tuesday Night Record Club; Tuesday Night Book Club; Adult
Education Series and screenings from Metropolitan Opera, National
Theatre of London and Great Art on Screen. Other unique programs and
partnerships include ArtNow, which fuses performance art and
technology, an affiliation with the Grammy Museum which provides access
to research, internships, special projects, events and exhibitions;
and, since 2011, the University has been home to the Bruce Springsteen
Special Collection, attracting writers, scholars, and fans from around
the world to conferences, programs and other scholarly activities
focused on our hometown hero and one of New Jersey’s favorite sons. The
Center contributes programming to the Jewish Culture Program, Hispanic
Heritage Month, and Irish Studies. The Center also assists with the
Department of Music and Theatre Arts events such as the Shadow Lawn
Stage, a professional summer theatre series.
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