June 3, 2026
It was another exceptional year for Center for Irish Music’s students—solo, duet, trio and group competitors—at the Midwest Fleadh Cheoil in St. Louis May 8-10.
Hosted by Saint Louis Irish Arts, the Midwest Fleadh Cheoil is a regional qualifying competition for the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All-Ireland Fleadh), which takes place in Belfast from August 2nd through 9th.
Representing CIM were 42 students ages eight to 78, six instructors, and three teaching assistants. Of our students’ 54 competition entries, 32 placed first or second, qualifying to compete in Ireland!
CIM’s céilí bands and grúpaí ceoil ensembles made a strong showing with three gold medals for; u18 Grúpa Ceoil (ages 15-18), the Nick Coleman Céilí Band (ages 15-18) and the Frank Pasquerella Céilí Band (ages 12-15). The u15 Grúpa Ceoil delivered 2nd Place and our O18 Grúpa Ceoil (An Luan), took 3rd Place in a highly competitive category.
In solo, duet and trio categories, CIM students placed first or second in fiddle, button accordion, concert flute, tin whistle, concertina, uilleann pipes, harp, tenor banjo, mandolin, bodhrán, melodeon, accompaniment, whistle-slow airs, ladies’ and men’s English singing, duet, trio and newly composed tune.
Comhghairdeas (congratulations) to all the competitors and to the instructors and junior instructors who attended the fleadh this year (pictured above): Gabby Pasquerella, Ciara O'Shea, Carmen Pasquerella, Adrienne O’Shea, Brian Miller, CIM director Norah Rendell, Hannah Flowers, Abbey Roemer, and Morien McBurnie.
We’re so proud of the hard work, dedication and musicianship of everyone involved! Many thanks to St. Louis Irish Arts for hosting a welcoming, well-run event, and to our CIM parents for all they do to support our musicians.
Thanks to the following private instructors for their talent and hard work preparing students for their competitions:
Ryan Behnke
Danny Diamond
Mattie Ernst
Hannah Flowers
Iain Dove McAfee
John McCormick
Todd Menton
Brian Miller
Adrienne O'Shea
Cormac O’Sé
Carmen Pasquerella
Norah Rendell
Abbey Roemer
Dáithí Sproule
Gavin Strappe
Mary Vanorny
Kate Wade
The 2026 ensembles competing were:
- U18 Grúpa Ceoil (1st Place): Directed and arranged by Brian Miller, with additional coaching by Mary Vanorny.
- Nick Coleman Céilí Band (15-18) (1st Place): Directed and arranged by Brian Miller.
- Frank Pasquerella Céilí Band (12-15) (1st Place): Directed and arranged by Mary Vanorny, with additional coaching by Gabby Pasquerella and Norah Rendell.
- 12-15 Grúpa Ceoil (2nd Place): Directed and arranged by Norah Rendell and Carmen Pasquerella, with additional coaching by Morien McBurnie.
- O18 Grúpa Ceoil, An Luan (3rd Place): Directed and arranged by Brian Miller.
Scroll down to the very end to see an aerial shot of the fleadh bus travellers taken by Luca Rescigno!
2026 CIM Competitors & Medals
| Instrument | Place | ||
| 1 | A | Fiddle | |
| Suvi Wietzke | 2nd | ||
| Izzy Miller | |||
| 1 | B | Fiddle | |
| Cora Ebinger | |||
| Alexandra Ebinger | |||
| Owen Crowe | |||
| Elliana Rescigno | |||
| 1 | C | Fiddle | |
| Beth Bryson | 1st | ||
| Ben Ebinger | |||
| Teagan Crowe | |||
| 2 | A | Button Accordion | |
| Liam Moriarty | 2nd | ||
| 2 | C | Button Accordion | |
| Teddy Brandt | 1st | ||
| 3 | B | Concert Flute | |
| Asher Jurchisin | 1st | ||
| Alexandra Ebinger | |||
| 3 | C | Concert Flute | |
| Ellie Schirmer | 2nd | ||
| 4 | A | Tin Whistle | |
| Brenna Moriarty | |||
| Vivienne Engelking | |||
| Amelia Engelking | 2nd | ||
| Josephine Sherman | |||
| 4 | B | Tin Whistle | |
| Asher Jurchisin | |||
| Oliver Sherman | |||
| Henry Miller | |||
| Wren Wietzke | 3rd | ||
| Alexandra Ebinger | |||
| 4 | C | Tin Whistle | |
| Ellie Schirmer | 2nd | ||
| 4 | D | Tin Whistle | |
| Kate Getting | 2nd | ||
| 5 | D | Piano Accordion | |
| Erik Brandt | 3rd | ||
| 6 | B | Concertina | |
| Kate Bryson | 1st | ||
| 7 | B | Uilleann Pipes | |
| Oliver Sherman | 1st | ||
| 8 | A | Harp | |
| Amelia Engelking | 2nd | ||
| 8 | B | Harp | |
| Henry Miller | 2nd | ||
| 10 | A | Tenor Banjo | |
| Vivi Ebinger | |||
| 10 | B | Tenor Banjo | |
| Leo Braus | 3rd | ||
| 10 | C | Tenor Banjo | |
| Collin Fenton | 1st | ||
| 11 | C | Mandolin | |
| Beth Bryson | 1st | ||
| 13 | C | Melodeon | |
| Teddy Brandt | 1st | ||
| 15 | A | Accompaniment | |
| Jolene Hetharua | |||
| 15 | C | Accompaniment | |
| Collin Fenton | 1st | ||
| 16 | B | Bodhrán | |
| Oliver Sherman | 2nd | ||
| 16 | C | Bodhrán | |
| Teddy Brandt | 1st | ||
| Collin Fenton | 2nd | ||
| 21 | a | Whistle-Slow Airs | |
| Vivienne Ebinger | 1st | ||
| 23 | A | Duet | |
| Amelia Engelking & Izzy Miller | 1st | ||
| 23 | C | Duet | |
| Teddy Brandt & Beth Bryson | 1st | ||
| 24 | A | Trio | |
| Izzy-Brenna-Maggie | 1st | ||
| 24 | B | Trio | |
| Henry-Liam-Leo | |||
| 24 | C | Trio | |
| Teddy-Beth-Collin | 1st | ||
| 25 | B | Céilí Band - Frank Pasquerella | 1st |
| Izzy Miller-drums | |||
| Wren Wietzke-piano | |||
| Owen Crowe-fiddle | |||
| Jordan Grubidge-whistle | |||
| Elliana Rescigno-fiddle | |||
| Freya Hegerle-fiddle | |||
| Liam Moriarty-accordion | |||
| Leo Braus-banjo | |||
| Asher Jurchisin-flute | |||
| Henry Miller-flute | |||
| 25 | C | Ceili Band - Nick Coleman | 1st |
| Annabelle Schulz-piano | |||
| Oliver Sherman-drums | |||
| Teddy Brandt-accordion | |||
| Kate Bryson-concertina | |||
| Collin Fenton-banjo | |||
| Ellie Schirmer-flute | |||
| Cora Ebinger-fiddle | |||
| Beth Bryson-fiddle | |||
| Teagan Crowe-fiddle | |||
| Ben Ebinger-fiddle | |||
| 26 | B | Grúpa Ceoil | 2nd |
| Mary Raverty-fiddle | |||
| Lyla Baldwin, fiddle | |||
| Maggie Braus-fiddle, harp | |||
| Ollie Callaghan Schreiber-guitar | |||
| Finn Duncanson, fiddle | |||
| Alexandra Ebinger-whistle, flute | |||
| Vivienne Ebinger-whistle, banjo | |||
| Amelia Engelking-harp, flute, whistle | |||
| Adalee Jurchison-harp | |||
| Henry Miller-flute, whistle | |||
| Izzy Miller-fiddle | |||
| Brenna Moriarty-whistle | |||
| Liam Moriarty-accordion | |||
|
Oliver Sherman-bodhran, whistle, pipes
|
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| Suvi Wietzke-fiddle | |||
| Liam, Sam, Clark - couldn't go 🙁 | |||
| 26 | C | Grúpa Ceoil | 1st |
| Asher Jurchisin-flute, whistle | |||
| Ben Ebinger-fiddle | |||
| Beth Bryson-fiddle | |||
| Collin Fenton-banjo, guitar | |||
| Cora Ebinger-fiddle | |||
| Elliana Rescigno-fiddle | |||
| Ellie Schirmer-flute, whistle | |||
| Freya Hegerle-fiddle | |||
| Jordan Grubidge-whistle, harp | |||
| Kate Bryson-concertina | |||
| Owen Crowe-fiddle | |||
| Teagan Crowe-fiddle | |||
| Teddy Brandt-accordion, bodhran | |||
| 26 | D | Grupa Ceoil - An Luan | 3rd |
| Bob Ford-bouzouki | |||
| Mike O'Connor-guitar | |||
| Emma Liu-fiddle | |||
| Ann Schroeder-flute, bouzouki | |||
| Erik Brandt-pno accordion | |||
| Dave McKenna-flute, pipes | |||
| Ben Crowe-tenor banjo | |||
| Nicole Boor-uilleann pipes | |||
| Abbey Boettcher-fiddle | |||
| 33 | B | Ladies English Singing | |
| Cora Ebinger | 2nd | ||
| 34 | B | Men's English Singing | |
| Ollie Callahan Schreiber | 1st | ||
| 39 | E | Newly Composed Tune | |
| Beth Bryson | 2nd |
