GOLDEN, Colo., March 14, 2016 –In 2014, the Mines Marching Band competed for a highly coveted place in the Dublin, Ireland St. Patrick's Day Parade. Their performance landed them a formal invitation from the mayor of Dublin to perform in the 2016 parade, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Irish independence.
Current students in the Mines Marching Band, Choir, and Strings travel to Dublin March 10-19. “This will be my first time out of the country; but I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland,” says Madeline Stelter, member of the choir and a junior in the Metallurgical & Materials Engineering program.
“Looking at my course load, I didn’t think I had the time to study abroad,” she explains. “This is my do-something-fun-in-college opportunity.” Though excited for the chance to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Madeline shares that she is most looking forward to giving a vocal performance at the Waterford Cathedral as part of a St. Vincent DePaul fundraiser for low-income families.
Spearheaded by Mines Music Director, Bob Klimek, Catherine Skokan ’70, MS ’72, PhD ’75, and the Mines Alumni Association, Mines alumni are also invited to march and play their instruments with current students in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade as part of the Mines Alumni Travel Program.
The 150-person group heading to Dublin includes over 40 Mines alumni. Those who aren’t marching in the March 17 parade will have a special sideline seat to cheer the band on from the sidelines, dressed in full Mines marching band gear, including the signature red/black flannel and hard hat.
After earning her degrees, Skokan continued her activities with the music program, becoming a temporary string conductor. Despite her recent retirement, she still plays violin in the orchestra, the bassoon in the band, and the urhu in the Chinese band.
“I’m not going to give up the orchestra, nor the marching band, nor the Chinese band,” she says. “The best thing about the school is, of course, the students, so this way I still get to have fun with the students.” Skokan also travels frequently and organizes trips for the Mines music program, including this trip to Dublin, Ireland.
Other activities include: visiting the Dublin Institute of Technology, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College, Waterford Crystal Factory; Walton Music lessons; a visit to a local mine and the Hill of Tara—an archaeological complex that contains a number of ancient monuments; a cooking class; an optional day trip to Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland; and an Alumni Reception.
To see pictures from Mines students, faculty, alumni and friends who are in Ireland, visit minesalumni.com/Dublin2016 or search #minesdigsdublin on social media.
Contact:
Danelle Herra, Communications Manager, Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association | 303-384-2529 | dherra@mines.edu
Kathleen Morton, Digital Media and Communications Manager, Colorado School of Mines | 303-273-3088 | kmorton@mines.edu
