Instructors
Larry Mallette - Managing Director, Flute and Whistle
Larry is a fourth-generation Irish-American, great-great grandson of Thomas Farrell and Katherine McKenna Farrell, who left Ireland in 1849. Larry holds both an M.D. degree and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Vanderbilt University. He taught medical school and did medical research for twenty-four years at Baylor College of Medicine. He also served on several medical advisory boards and later practiced Endocrinology privately for twelve years.
Larry has been playing Irish whistles and flutes since 1991. He has performed at the Carolan Harp Festival in Keadue, Co. Roscommon, the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the Mississippi Celtic Festival, the Chicago Celtic Festival, the Houston International Festival, and with The Chieftains at the Winspear Opera House, Dallas. He is a founding member of The Jig Is Up!, Houston’s traditional Irish band. He has released two recording: A Stroll In The Park, a solo flute album of original and traditional tunes and‘Til Time Is No More, an album of traditional Irish and original tunes and Irish songs, on which several top Houston area musicians collaborated, including four other Houston School of Irish Music instructors. He has taught whistle and flute workshops at the North Texas Irish Festival, the Mississippi Celtic Festival and the Summer Acoustic Music Festival in Houston.
You can reach Larry at larry@hsoim.org
Katie Geringer - Fiddle and Group Band
A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Katie Geringer has been active in the folk and classical music scene in north Florida since she was a student in high school. She is a graduate of the Florida State University College of Music where she earned a degree in Music Education and a certificate in Violin Performance. Her love of Irish traditional music eventually led her to Limerick, Ireland where she graduated from the University of Limerick with First Class Honors in Irish Traditional Music Performance. While in Ireland, she competed in the 2015 Limerick County Fleadh and received 1st Place in the Senior Division.
After returning to the states, Katie taught public school orchestra and directed the Florida State University Collegiate Irish Ensemble. She has also presented Irish music workshops at the American String Teachers Association national conference and the Florida Music Educators Association convention. She has been a staff member at the Florida State University Summer Music Camps since 2012 where she teaches the fiddle ensembles, conducts violin sectionals, and coaches chamber music.
Katie can be reached at katie@hsoim.org
Mark Johnston - Guitar and Bodhran
Mark has played Irish music on guitar, bodhran, flute and whistle for over 35 years as member of Houston’s eclectic Wyndnwyre. He has played at the North Texas Irish Festival, Houston Highland Games, Mississippi Celtic Festival, the Houston International Festival and with the local medieval ensemble, Istanpitta. He has been a backing guitarist for Skip Healy, Tim Britton and Turlach Boylan. Mark has studied with Irish flute players Chris Norman, Frankie Kennedy, Kevin Crawford and Steph Geramia. He was the featured guitarist on Larry Mallette’s 1998 album, ‘Til Time Is No More and Corrin Evans’ fiddle album The Leakey Otter. Mark has played multiple instruments on five albums with Wyndnwyre and on Christmas Presence, an album of Irish and Celtic Christmas music with harpist Therese Honey.
Mark is a Technical Advisor for the Houston office of a major international oil company and has a B.S in Civil Technology from the University of Houston.
Mark can be reached at mark@hsoim.org.
Therese Honey - Irish Harp
Therese is a full time professional harpist and harp teacher (www.ThereseHoney.net). She began her harp studies at age seven with Houston Symphony harpist Beatrice Rose, with whom she studied for thirteen years. Therese has studied with several noted harpists at the Amherst Early Music Workshop and the Historical Harp Conference and with noted Irish harpists Michael Rooney, Grainne Hambly and Michelle Mulcahy at workshops in Ireland and at the O’Flaherty’s Irish Music Retreat.
Therese is a nationally recognized clinician and adjudicator. In 2008 she became a registered Suzuki Harp Teacher. She runs the highly successful Houston Harp Studio, which enrolls pupils of all ages for instruction on pedal harp and lever harp. She has been on the faculty of the Houston Baptist University Summer Harp Festival for over 10 years.
Therese has performed at the O’Carolan Harp Festival in Keadue, Co. Roscommon, and with the well known Irish group, The Chieftains. Her recorded output includes two solo CDs of Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English music on the Waterbug Records label, Mosaic (1997) and Summer’s End (2012), plus two albums of classical and early music and two albums with Houston-based Wyndnwyre (“wind and wire”). She has also published four books of Celtic music arranged for harp.
Therese can be reached at therese@hsoim.org
Robert Shaddox, Bodhran, Voice
Robert is an Occupational Therapist by profession and has worked in the rehabilitation of physical disability, psychiatric illness and industrial injury. He is a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist who has given multiple presentations to industry regarding the prevention of repetitive stress and ergonomic injuries. For four years Robert was an Adjunct Professor in the School Occupational Therapy at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, lecturing to the Schools of Nursing, Orthopedics, and Physical Therapy. More recently he has been an instructor at The O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat teaching how to prevent musician’s repetitive injuries.
Robert traveled to Cork as a young man and fell in love with the traditional music that was played by his host family. He has been playing Bodhran (the traditional Irish Frame Drum) and singing Irish songs for 25 years. He has studied Bodhran with such nationally known stalwarts such as Anna Colliton, Mark Stone and Albert Alfonso. While at the University of Houston, Robert participated in multiple vocal programs and later studied voice privately with Dr. Housman of the University of Houston and with Dr. Talleyschmit of Houston Baptist University.
Robert was the bodhranist and a vocalist with Houston’s premier traditional Irish band, The Jig Is Up!, for the nine years of its existence. A reviewer of The Jig Is Up’s first album reported that "Robert's voice is pure and controlled and dead on pitch but as natural as a friendly chat on the corner." Robert now plays and sings with Houston’s newest traditional Irish band, “Hup!.