Norah Rendell
Executive Artistic Director
Norah is a dedicated music educator with over 10 years of experience in arts administration and management. She has a masters in Irish traditional music performance from the University of Limerick in Ireland and a bachelor of music degree with a major in music education and Early Music Performance from McGill University. Norah is also an award-winning singer and Irish flute-player with an active performing career as a soloist and with the Two Tap Trio. From 2006-2013, she toured internationally as lead vocalist and of UK/Ireland-based band, The Outside Track.
Norah has given guest lectures and workshops at University College Cork, the University of Limerick, the Folk Steps Conference in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and Augusta Heritage Center in West Virginia. Her performances have been featured live on MPR's Heartland Radio, CBC's Canada Live, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Scotland and Radio nan Gaidheal. Norah's recordings have been broadcast on the CBC, BBC, RTÉ Radio na Gaeltachta (Ireland) and on folk shows across Canada and the United States.
Mattie Ernst
Accountant
Mattie comes to the CIM with experience as an entrepreneur and owner of her sewing pattern business Ernest Threads, and through coursework in accounting from UCLA Extension and Normandale Community College. Mattie is also an instructor at the Center for Irish Music and a long-standing member of the Irish music and dance community. She fell in love with Irish music when she started playing harp at the age of 12 after having started as a violinist as a young child. Originally a student at the CIM, she is now a regular musician at local sessions on the concertina and fiddle. On fiddle, Mattie has studied under great players such as Jode Dowling, Bill Hinckley, and Connie O’Connell. Familiar with both classical and Irish fiddle/violin technique, Mattie enjoys teaching students of all ages and abilities. She is an avid composer of both Irish and classical chamber music, holds a BA in Music Composition and is a very talented seamstress and costume artist.
Aja McCullough
Communications Coordinator
Since graduating from Macalester College in 2009, Aja has provided communications and fundraising leadership for several Twin Cities nonprofits, including Simpson Housing Services, Emma Norton Services, African Development Center, and Twin Cities Media Alliance.
Aja has been a part of the CIM community for many years as a volunteer and student of whistle, song, fiddle and guitar. On staff at CIM, Aja manages external communications, including the newsletter, print materials, website, and social media, and does in-house graphic design and photography.
In addition to her work at the Center for Irish Music, she is a performing musician and works part-time as a fantasy and science fiction writer.
Lily Gaetgaeow
Registration Coordinator & Administrative Associate
Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, Lily Gaetgaeow has always had an interest in traditional and folk music. She completed her undergraduate honors thesis on klezmer clarinet music at Knox College in 2015 and continued to pursue her interests in music and history at the University of Iowa, where she earned an MA in Musicology in 2018. In addition to her studies, Lily worked as the Events and Room Scheduling Assistant for the University of Iowa School of Music. Drawn to Minnesota’s unique and robust support for the arts, Lily moved to Minneapolis in the fall of 2019. She is excited to be a part of the Center for Irish Music community.
Mattie Snyder
Event & Outreach Coordinator
Graduating from Luther College in 2024 with majors in Visual Communication and Cello Performance, Mattie brings a combination of communications and musical experience to her work at CIM. While in college, she held several communications-related internships including her role as CIM’s summer intern in 2023.
Mattie's dedication to CIM’s mission is also connected to her exploration of traditional music on cello. While her musical training has been mainly classically-focused, she began exploring and playing music from Celtic folk traditions in late high school. In college, Mattie continued her work of navigating how cello can play a role in folk traditions and did her Undergraduate Capstone project on increasing cellists’ accessibility to Celtic traditions. Her senior recital featured a wide range of styles including works by author of The Irish Cello Book, Liz Davis Maxfield.
At CIM, Mattie enjoys getting to know musicians and Irish music lovers and working with them to further CIM’s mission.