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CCE Musical Arts & Dance (MAD) Week 2011 Artists Back to MAD Week |
Martin Hayes, Fiddle
Martin Hayes is one of the most extraordinary talents to emerge in the world of Irish traditional music. His unique sound, his mastery of the fiddle, his acknowledgement of the past and his shaping of the future of the music, combine to create an astonishing and formidable artistic intelligence. He is the recipient of major awards: most recently the prestigious Gradam Ceoil, Musician of the Year 2008 from the Irish language television station TG 4; previously Man of the Year from the American Irish Historical Society; Folk Instrumentalist of the Year from BBC Radio; a National Entertainment Award (the Irish ‘Grammy’) six All-Ireland fiddle championships before the age of nineteen, and cited by the Irish Sunday Tribune as one of the hundred most influential Irish men and women in the fields of entertainment, politics and sports at the start of the new Millennium, as well as one of the most important musicians to come out of Ireland in the last fifty years. A native of County Clare, a region rich in traditional music, Martin Hayes has been based in the U.S. for the past twenty-five years, but remains grounded in the music he grew up with in his own locality, Maghera, Feakle, East County Clare where the music which he learned from his father, P. Joe Hayes, profoundly influenced his musical accent and ideas forever after. In his younger days he played in an experimental electric band in Chicago; recently he has composed scores for film, theatre, and modern dance, and has collaborated with like- minded musicians from other genres, such as jazz guitarist, Bill Frisell, Irish composer David Flynn and the RTE Concert Orchestra as well as adventurous collaborations with fellow Irish traditional musicians, Iarla O Lionnaird and Caoihmin O Raghallaigh. He views these explorations as a means of shedding light on his ongoing artistic journey, as well as a challenge to any rigidity of thought. The fundamental artistic quest is to go deeper and deeper within traditional Irish music and himself. He has traveled the world with his musical partner, guitarist Dennis Cahill, from Chicago, and their resulting collaboration continues to reveal the often hidden emotional depth of the music. In addition to two solo albums, the three duet recordings of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill have been widely praised and cherished by fans throughout the world.
Patrick Ourceau, Fiddle
Mostly self taught, Patrick’s taste for Clare and East Galway music developed early in his playing after being introduced to recordings of the legendary fiddle players Paddy Canny, Bobby Casey and Paddy Fahey . Since the mid eighties, Patrick has been regularly visiting Ireland and especially county Clare. Over the years, he has during those trips, been able to play with and learn from Paddy Canny, as well as from many other local musicians including flute and fiddle player Peter O’Loughlin. During the many years he lived in New York, Patrick often played with such great musicians as fiddle players Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds among many others, but was particularly influenced by the style, repertoire and knowledge of Woodford, Co. Galway flute player Jack Coen. Since the Mid Nineties, Patrick has toured all over North America and Europe in a variety of duets, trios and bands, Most notably with Ennis, Co. Clare concertina player Gearoid O’hAllmhurain; Tulla, Co. Clare accordion player Andrew Mac Namara and with the legendary Tulla Ceili band, on the band’s last American tour. Patrick is a member since 2003 of the trio Chulrua, along with accordion player Paddy O’Brien and guitarist and singer Pat Egan. Patrick has been featured on a host of recordings, including the 2007 Chulrua release The Singing Kettle, on Shanachie Records; Live at Mona's in 2004 with Guitarist Eamon O'Leary; on flute player Cathal McConnell's Long Expectant comes at Last, on Compass Records; on accordion player John Whelan’s Celtic Roots, on Narada Records; more Recently on Steve Johnson's Lowlands, released in 2009 and on the TG4’CD and DVD release Geantrai, a compilation celebrating the first ten years of the popular traditional Irish music television program. For over fifteen years, Patrick has been in great demand as a teacher and regularly teaches both privately and at various festivals and summer schools across North America, Ireland and mainland Europe. He has been part, since 1999, of the teaching staff at Irish Arts Week in East Durham, New York and at Celtic College in Goderich, Canada. He has been regularly teaching the past several years at Augusta’s Irish Week in Elkins, West Virginia; at the East Coast Tionol in East Durham, New York; at the Chris Langan Weekend in Toronto, Canada and at Europadanse week in Vannes, France. Patrick taught several years at Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp in San Juan Island, Washington, and has also taught at the Alaska Fiddle Camp in Chugiak, Alaska; at the St. Louis Tionol in St. Louis, Missouri; at O’Flaherty’s Retreat in Dallas,Texas; at the Armagh Piper’s Club in County Armagh, Northern Ireland; and at the Fleadh Nua in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.
“…Soulful, stylish fiddling.” Sally K. Sommers Smith - Irish Music Magazine Siobhan Long - The Irish Times Paddy O’Brien “Patrick Ourceau, a Frenchman now living in New York City, is among the most accomplished members of traditional Irish music’s Foreign Legion. A fiddler of rare talent and sophistication, his music has all the hallmarks of great Irish fiddling - beautiful tone, pulsing rhythmic lift, deft bow work and crisply executed ornamentation.” Don Meade -- Irish Voice Cleek Schrey, Fiddle Cleek, an enthusiastic and experienced performer and teacher of Irish fiddling, has led classes for the Blue Ridge Irish Music School and has been on staff at the Augusta and Catskills Irish weeks. As a teen in Virginia, he learned from Brendan Mulvihill, and also sought instruction from several musicians, notably Brian Conway, Marty Fahey, and Billy McComiskey. Regular visits to the home of Paddy Reynolds, the great Longford fiddler who settled in New York, helped to intensify Cleek's interest in the fiddle playing of the 78 rpm era. In 2005, he co-produced of the release of archival recordings of the late Reynolds’ surviving work. Cleek performs regularly with his longtime friend, accordion player Sean McComiskey, and pianists Matt Mulqueen and Donna Long. Cleek was a featured musician on The Raw Bar, a documentary on Irish music that aired on RTE 1 in Ireland, and most recently on Féilte, a program on Irish music in America, on the Irish language station TG4. For sound clips and more information, please visit Cleek Schrey's My Space page. Donna Long, Fiddle Donna Long (vocals, piano, & Irish fiddle): At the age of five Donna Long began taking piano lessons with her father, Byron Long, a jazz/classical pianist who instilled in Donna a love for music. As a child, Donna was exposed to many different genres of music, including players from the old and new jazz eras, classical, Scottish, Indian, and African. In 1978, she moved to the Baltimore area and heard fiddler Brendan Mulvihill playing Irish music. He inspired her to pick up the fiddle and gave her a solid foundation in style and playing. As a former member of the internationally acclaimed Irish group Cherish the Ladies, the Smithsonian Institution asked Donna to represent Irish Music in the series, Piano Traditions, celebrating 300 years of the piano. Donna was also commissioned by the Library of Congress in to write a composition for fiddle and piano. Visit Donna's website..
Kevin Crawford, Flute
Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, to where he eventually moved while in his 20’s. He was a founding member of Moving Cloud, the Clare-based band who recorded such critically-acclaimed albums as Moving Cloud and Foxglove, and he has also recorded with Grianan, Raise the Rafters, Joe Derrane,Natalie Merchant,Susan McKeown and Sean Tyrrell. Kevin also appears on the 1992 recording, The Maidan Voyage recorded live at Peppers Bar, Feakle, Co Clare and The 1994 recording, The Sanctuary Sessions recorded live in Cruises Bar, Ennis, Co Clare. Kevin now tours the world with Ireland’s cutting-edge traditional band, Lúnasa, called by some the “Bothy Band of the 21st Century,”with eight ground-breaking albums to their credit: Lúnasa, Otherworld, The Merry Sisters of Fate, Redwood, The Kinnity Sessions, Sé, The Story So Far and La Nua. A virtuoso flute player, Kevin has also recorded several solo albums including The ‘D’ Flute Album, In Good Company, and his most recent, On Common Ground a duet recording with piper Cillian Vallely.
Laura Byrne, Flute & Pennywhistle
Laura has committed herself to the playing of the older generation of flute players through countless trips to Ireland and from close study of the immigrants to the United States. Her mentors and influences are many and include East Galway flute player Mike Rafferty, Sligo/Roscommon style flute player Catherine McEvoy, Matt Molloy of Chieftain’s fame, and East Galway style button accordionist Billy McComiskey. Through her direct study of this unbroken musical lineage and because of her devotion to the teaching and promulgation of all aspects of Irish musical culture, Laura is a well-known mainstay in Maryland’s vibrant Irish music scene. Laura has performed at countless festivals, ceilis, and concerts in the U.S., Canada, and Ireland. She is a three-time 1st place winner in solo flute, duets, and slow airs at the North American eastern Fleadh competition. In 2001, Laura was a featured performer in the Emmy nominated Christmas with Choral Arts concert. She has played with Touchstone for their 2004 reunion tour, performed on the Irish Festival Carribean Cruise in 2006, and was featured on the Eva Cassidy remix album Wonderful World. In 2005 Laura released her first solo album Tune for the Road which received great reviews, was highly praised by Irish Music Magazine, and is played on radio stations across the U.S. and in Ireland. She was a 2008 Maryland Traditions Apprenticeship grant recipient and recently was awarded a Maryland State Arts Council grant for solo performance. A versatile ensemble player, Laura has had the opportunity to perform with many of the great masters of Irish music including: fiddlers James Kelly, Brian Conway, Tony DeMarco, Brendan Mulvihill, and Patrick Ourceau, accordionists Paddy O’Brien and John Whelan, pianist Felix Dolan, Zan McLeod, piper Michael Cooney, and folklorist Mick Moloney. She performs regularly with world-renowned fellow Baltimoreans Billy McComiskey, pianist and fiddler Donna Long (formerly of Cherish the Ladies), and guitarist and singer Pat Egan, as a member of The Hedge Band. She runs a weekly session on Sundays at Ryan’s Daughter and also plays regularly with fiddler Jim Eagan (of O’Malley’s March) with whom she has led a weekly session Tuesdays at J.Patrick’s for nearly 10 years. A sought-after flute and tin whistle instructor, Laura maintains an active private teaching studio and has taught at numerous festivals and workshops, including the 2009 CCE Mad for Trad Week and the Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, NY. She teaches Irish flute at Goucher College in Towson, MD, and founded and directs the Baltimore Irish Arts Center. Laura currently lives in Baltimore, MD, where she is working on her next solo project to be released in July 2010. Sean McComiskey, Button Accordion Sean McComiskey is among the most innovative young performers on the button accordion, with a unique harmonic style that has earned him a spot in the pantheon of Irish accordionists far beyond his native Baltimore. As the son of legendary button accordion player Billy McComiskey, Sean has been surrounded by Irish Traditional music his entire life and has developed a deep appreciation for the rich tradition of which he is a part. This has helped Sean establish a reputation as a highly regarded teacher and promulgator of Irish music and earned him teaching positions with the Catskills Irish Arts Week, Augusta Heritage Center’s Irish Arts Week, and the Baltimore Irish Arts Center.
Joshua Dukes, Guitar Josh Dukes is an All Ireland champion accompanist and a highly sought after music teacher in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. A multi-instrumentalist whose talents embrace the guitar, bouzouki, bodhran, flute, and tin whistle, Josh is has established a reputation for providing sensitive, tasteful support for traditional Irish music. As a young high school student, Josh studied the oboe, tenor/alto saxophone, drum set and baritone horn. Outside of the classroom, he learned the art of ancient rudimental drumming under the tutelage of Dominick Cuccia, a widely respected instructor/performer in the fife and drum community. In 1997, Josh enlisted in the Army and has since earned the rank of Master Sergeant , currently serving as one of three Drum Majors for the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, "The Official Escort to the President," the only military unit of its kind. Josh continues to perform Irish music, having shared the stage with such renowned musicians including John Doyle, Paddy Keenan, Billy and Sean McComiskey, Brendan Mulvihill, Skip Healy, Zan McLeod, and Myron Bretholz, and he can be seen performing regularly with The Old Bay Ceili Band. Josh lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Judy and two daughters, Mya and Olivia. Shannon Dunne - Sean-nos Step Dancing Shannon Dunne has performed and taught Sean-nos Dance all over the US and in Ireland. Recent performances as a solo artist include: the Kennedy Center, ICONS Festival (Boston), UMW Sean-nos Festival, Potomac Celtic Festival and Bethel College Irish Dance Intensive. She currently tours nationally with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, and her recent brainchild, the Slán Abhaile Dance Project, is dedicated to teaching dance styles that encourage freedom of personal style, and creating class situations in which students of all ages dance together.
Marilyn Moore - Set Dancing She organized the evening dance program at the Augusta Heritage Center's Irish Week for more than 10 years, taught the dance portion of the Elderhostel program at Augusta, and has assisted the dance instructors at the Augusta and Swannanoa summer schools. She has also organized performance groups for a variety of venues, most notably working with the Chieftains on the 2003 4th of July concert on the National Mall in Washington. Marilyn enjoys helping non-dancers of all ages learn a few easy movements so that they can participate at festivals, ceilis, birthday and holiday parties, wedding receptions, and other events featuring Irish dance music. She has worked with schools, churches, civic associations and scout groups. Marilyn has traveled throughout the United States and Canada, as well as to Ireland, to work and study with internationally-known Irish dance teachers, including Pat Murphy, Timmy McCarthy, Larry Lynch, Mick Mulkerrin, Patrick O'Dea, Padraig and Roisin McIneany, Seamus O'Mealoid, Aidan Vaughan, and the late Connie Ryan, as well as master musician and folklorist, Mick Moloney. Marilyn has served on a number of boards and committees of various Irish music and dance organizations in the Washington area, participating in the management and operation of festivals, feisanna (step dance competitions), concerts, and social dances. Karen Ashbrook - Celtic Crafts & Pennywhistle In 1976, Karen Ashbrook built her first hammered dulcimer as a high school project. She attended the Eastman Preparatory School in Rochester, NY. In search of Irish music, she went overseas and spent five years playing in Europe and Asia, traversing the globe twice. With her delicate touch, trademark shimmering lilt, and ear for authentic ornamentation, Karen Ashbrook is considered one of the finest Irish hammered dulcimer players anywhere. Add her wooden flute and pennywhistle playing, and you have the consummate Irish musician. Irish reviewer John O'Regan calls her recordings "Celtic music for the mind and body."
Based in the Washington, DC area, Karen teaches and performs Celtic, contra dance, and Jewish music. These days she primarily performs as a duo with her husband Paul Oorts, playing his native Belgian and French music and as a trio in Pavilion 3 with percussionist Steve Bloom added. She has several recordings, both solo and with the group Ceoltoiri, on the Maggie's Music label. Karen plays the hammered dulcimer in the rish Tradition book/CD set from Oak Publications, a standard text in dulcimer literature. She appears at numerous folk music camps and festivals around the country. Performance highlights include RTE 1-Irish National Television, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic, and playing at the White House for President Bill Clinton. Karen also plays with Cabaret Sauvignon. Check out her 4/13/01 performance at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. Karen's newest CD, Spring Will Come, is a live recording marking her 30th anniversary as a dulcimer player, teacher, and advocate, and celebrates her rich musical partnerships with Ceoltoiri, David Scheim (King David's Harp, Hills of Erin), and Pavilion 3. In addition to her performing and recording career, Karen has done much to promote traditional Irish music and arts to the next generation of Irish musicians. Karen has taught and coached two-time All-Ireland winner Arjuna Balaranjan (miscellaneous Instrument, 2 different age groups). Karen compiled The Hedge School Tune Book, the compendium of traditional Irish dance tunes that is used by children’s sessions throughout the area. Karen runs a series of “Hedge School” summer camps for children of all ages each summer. She also ran a children’s session for ten years at various venues in the DC area. For details about summer camps as well as a downloadable version of The Hedge School Tune Book, please visit her website. CCE MAD Week 2011 is pleased to have Karen on board again this year to lead participants in the ever-popular daily classes in Celtic arts and crafts and pennywhistle during the daily elective period from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Myron Bretholz, Bodhran Myron has taught bodhran and rhythm bones at many workshops throughout the United States and Canada over the past 20 years, including Boston College's Gaelic Roots, Gaelic College in Cape Breton, and the Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, New York. In March 2000, Myron was privileged to receive a Maryland State Arts Council grant for solo instrumental performance, and he also was honored to play at the White House on four occasions during the late 1990s. He received early inspiration and instruction in bodhran from Jesse Winch and in rhythm bones from Karen Seime Singleton, and also counts among his influences the playing of Robin Morton, Peadar Mercier, Jim Sutherland, and Johnny McDonagh. And although not a dancer himself, he also draws inspiration from Irish step dancers, and he reckons that the ideal percussionist should be able to do with his or her hands what dancers do with their feet. Myron's relaxed and humorous teaching style has made him an in-demand workshop leader and instructor, and he is always willing to encourage novice players. Jerry O'Sullivan
Jerry O'Sullivan has been widely hailed as America's premier uilleann piper. His reputation for technical and melodic mastery of the instrument, an Irish bagpipe known for its subtlety and expression, is unsurpassed in the United States, and is demanding considerable attention overseas. Jerry is also widely recorded on the tin whistle, the low whistle, the Highland bagpipes, and the Scottish smallpipes. Jerry has appeared on more than 90 albums and has performed or recorded with artists such as The Boston Pops, Don Henley, Paul Winter, James Galway, Dolly Parton, The Colorado Symphony Orchestra, The Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Eileen Ivers, and many others. He was a featured soloist on Paul Winter's GRAMMY winning album, Celtic Solstice (Living Music, 1999). His first two solo albums, The Gift (Shanachie,1998), and The Invasion (Green Linnet, 1987) have both received critical acclaim, quickly finding their way to the top of a number of "best albums of the year" lists. Jerry has just recently released a new solo album, O'Sullivan Meets O'Farrell (Jerry O'Sullivan Music, 2005), which features music from the 200 year old O'Farrell tutor and tune collections. Jerry has also recorded a number of film soundtracks including From Shore to Shore, The Long Journey Home, Far and Away, Africans in America, and Out of Ireland, and has appeared on numerous television commercials. Jerry has toured extensively in the United States and Europe and has even played as far afield as Japan and Israel. He has been a featured performer and instructor in numerous Folk Festivals, including: the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, Boston's Gaelic Roots Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the National Council for Traditional Arts National Folk Festival, and the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina. He has performed at such reputable venues as New York's Lincoln Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and on the mall in Washington D.C. His symphonic concerts have included selections from John Williams Far and Away (performed and recorded with the Boston Pops), O'Sullivan's March from Rob Roy, Main Title Theme from Braveheart (both performed and recorded with the Boston Pops) Patrick Cassidy's The Famine Symphony (performed at the world debut at St. Patrick's Cathedral), Paul Winter's Pipes Peace (performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra), and excerpts from Titanic (performed with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra). Jesse Winch, Ceili Band and Irish Drumming
Sean McMahon Orchestra, Bronx, NY, 1958 Jesse Winch is the Bronx-born son of Bridie (Flynn) and Patrick Winch, Irish immigrants who met and married in New York City in the early 1930s. Paddy Winch played the tenor banjo and encouraged all of his five children to play the Irish music he loved so much. As a 10-year-old, Jesse took up the drums and two years later started playing with his father and button-accordion player P.J. Conway for house parties and parish dances. He played in his first ceili Keith Carr - Tenor Banjo
Keith Carr is a multi-instrumentalist who performs as half of the Irish traditional music duo "Lilt" (with Tina Eck). He plays the tenor banjo, and is also proficient on ten-string cittern (bouzouki) and mandolin. His musical background includes many years as a performing guitarist, plus extensive classical training in trumpet and piano. In addition to performing, he teaches bouzouki, banjo, and mandolin, and is on the faculty of the Washington Conservatory of Music program at Glen Echo Park. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and the University of Oregon, and earned bachelor's and graduate degrees in geography. He is a specialist in the areas of biodiversity informatics and species conservation, and is currently working with the Biological Informatics Program at the US Geological Survey. Previously he was the Director of Conservation Systems for the Nature Conservancy, and was a co-founder of the NatureServe organization. During a recent career sabbatical he was on the staff of the House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD, where he was the “Irish music guy”. He lives in Falls Church, VA. Robert Spates - Fiddle
A full time performer and educator, Robert is often heard and seen backing famous pop stars, playing in a symphony or baroque ensemble, or invisibly enhancing commercials and film or tv scores with his fiddle. Like his colleague Kevin Burke, he also toured with Arlo Guthrie but has also accompanied Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Barry White, Ray Price, Christina Aguilera, Jewel, Clay Aiken, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood,and too many other famous figures to mention. In the U.S. he performs and records with many of the finest Irish musicians like Kerryman Brian Gaffney, Danny Doyle and Ronan Kavanaugh from Dublin,Seamus Kennedy from Belfast,and Conor Malone from County Clare, as well as fellow Americans Zan McLeod and Billy McComiskey. Lately he has been spotted playing mandolin at New York's Lincoln Center and Irish banjo at the Commodore Barry Irish Center in Philadelphia. An accomplished violinist, he brings unusual control and technique to a wide range of styles,and can delight with both refined or raucous playing. He attended school in Scotland as a young He has been on the fiddle faculty with CCE FiddleWeek & MAD Week since the program began, and teaches at the Landon school during the year.
Len Graham - Traditional Irish Singer County Antrim born, Len Graham has been a full-time professional traditional singer since 1982. After he won the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann traditional singing competition in 1971 his reputation began to spread, and at the same time his own passion for the songs of his native Ulster was growing. From the early 1960s Len sought out and recorded older singers such as Eddie Butcher and Joe Holmes. His musical friendship with Joe Holmes resulted in two albums being recorded – Chaste Muses, Bards and Sages (1975) and - After Dawning (1978). Len’s first solo album was – Wind and Water (1976) followed by – Do Me Justice (1983) and – Ye Lovers All (1985). As a founder member of the group Skylark in 1986 he toured extensively for ten years. Skylark recorded four albums – Skylark (1987), All Of It (1989), Light and Shade (1992) and Raining Bicycles (1996). In 1993 he released his book and field recording collection – It’s Of My Rambles… and also that year he recorded an album with Cathal McConnell – For the Sake Of Old Decency. In 1996 – When I was Young an album of songs for children with Pádraigin Ni Uallacháin and Garry O Briain was released. Over the years, Len has collaborated and worked with numerous musicians, poets and storytellers. His association with the late John Campbell brought storytelling and song to a world audience. Their work together over twenty years made a significant contribution toward creating a deeper cross-community understanding of shared cultural traditions during many years of conflict in the north of Ireland. Together they recorded two albums – Ebb and Flow (1998) and - Two for the Road (2001). His latest solo albums are - In Full Flight (2008) and Over The Hills And Far Away (2010). See: Over The Hills and Far Away Review Len’s book – Here I Am Amongst You on the songs, dance music and traditions of Joe Holmes (1906-1978)was published by Four Courts Press in 2010. Len Graham has performed at numerous Irish and international folk, literary and storytelling festivals, as well as appearing on many radio and television programs. In 1992 he received the Seán O’Boyle Cultural Traditions Award in recognition of his work in Ireland as a song collector and singer. In 2002, he was honored as the first recipient of the Irish television TG4 National Music Award for “Traditional Singer Of the Year.” In 2008 he was awarded “Keeper of the Tradition” from the Tommy Makem Festival of Traditional Song and the US Irish Music Award in the “Sean-Nós Singing” category. LiveIreland in 2011 awarded Len Graham as "Male Singer of Decade - 2000 - 2010" JOE DEZARN - Fiddle Fiddler Joe DeZarn, like many who play traditional music, comes from a very musical family. His grandfather, Bill DeZarn was a noted fiddler in his native Kentucky before the family migrated to Virginia, where Joe was born. Joe believes that those with the good fortune to have traditional music in their lives know a path to a deep well of fun, self-expression, and connection to culture. He plays the fiddle for the love of these things. His chief interest is traditional dance music, with a particular focus on Irish music: reels, jigs, slip jigs, slides, polkas, hornpipes and waltzes. He also has an impressive repertoire of American fiddle tunes and traditional music from Quebec. Joe plays with the dance band Rambling House for ceilis and New England-style contra dances and is a charter member of the renowned Boston-based fiddle orchestra, Childsplay. Jesse Smith - Fiddle Jesse Smith grew up in Baltimore, MD. He was immersed in the Irish music tradition having spent his childhood surrounded by many of the great Irish American musicians. He started learning the fiddle at age twelve from the renowned fiddle player and teacher Brendan Mulvihill, but both of Jesse’s parents are musicians. In 1998 he moved to Ireland and has since toured with the band Danú for three years, recording two CDs with them, consequently receiving an award from the BBC in 2001. He has recorded one CD with The Tap Room Trio released by Claddagh records, and has appeared as a guest musician on a number of albums. His well received 2002 solo recording entitled Jigs and Reels appeared in Earle Hitchner’s Top Ten Albums of the Year column in US paper, The Irish Echo. He has taught at many of the Irish music summer and winter festivals including the Frankie Kennedy and the Willie Clancy schools. Television appearances include; Geantraí, The Raw Bar, and most recently the RTÉ program The Reel Deal in July 2009. Having received a Master of Arts degree from Dundalk Institute of Technology for his research thesis on Sligo’s Michael Coleman, he plans to publish this work in the near future. Most recently, Jesse has been playing with Colm Gannon from Boston. These two have been playing music together from childhood. They moved back to Ireland from America in 1998 where they met John Blake, from London. The three have been playing music together ever since. They've recorded their, newly released, debut album as a trio Called " The Ewe with the Crooked Horn" . You can purchase ther new album at: http://www.SmithandGannon.com/ or download it at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gannonsmithblake. |
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Laura Byrne is highly regarded on both sides of the Atlantic for her mastery of the Irish traditional flute and whistle. Laura began studying flute at age 9 in her native Vermont, continued her studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore where she earned Bachelor’s degrees in both flute performance and music education in 1995. Though classically trained, she chose to devote her musical career to Irish traditional music.
