Kevin has been involved in Irish music since about 1979 after many years of interest in folk and jazz idioms. He has performed with Ken and Peggy Fleming continuously since 1988 and was a founding member of the Lone Star Ceili Band and the TIMES Band & Session Players. Kevin is moderately proficient on flute, whistles, guitar and cittern, but hopeless on bodhran.. … [Read more...] about Kevin Alewine
2006
Albert Alfonso
Albert Alfonso has been playing bodhran since the early 1980’s - that’s right, since last century. At some point he was asked to participate in some local and regional workshops. Over the years, one thing and another has lead to workshops at The Royal Academy of Music in London, The Royal Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, as well as workshops at many Irish and Celtic festivals and traditional … [Read more...] about Albert Alfonso
Randal Bays
Randal Bays is a US-born musician who’s been playing Irish fiddle for more than forty years; “stone mad” for fiddling, as the saying goes. He’s now widely recognized as a master, with a special love of the traditional styles of Co. Clare and Co. Galway. He’s “among the best Irish style fiddlers of his generation”, according to Fiddler Magazine. Randal has toured and recorded with many of the great … [Read more...] about Randal Bays
Denice Brown
Denice Brown is a founding member of Cór Gaeilge Texais, a singing group formed in 1997 to explore and present the traditional music of the Gaelic-speaking peoples. The group performs a wide range of songs from marches to lullabies and drinking tunes to hymns. Denice focuses her interest toward the sean nós (old style) singing of Ireland with its emphasis on the language and the use of … [Read more...] about Denice Brown
John Carty
John Carty is one of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians having been awarded the Irish Television station, TG4’s Traditional Musician of the Year in 2003. He was appointed Sligo Traditional Musician in residence 2019. Born in London, fiddle and banjo player John Carty has established himself among the elite in Irish traditional music and as a staunch supporter of its preservation. Carty … [Read more...] about John Carty
Rick Cunningham
Multi-instrumentalist Rick Cunningham has played traditional Irish music for over 40 years, playing in several bands in the southern US during that time. He primarily plays mandolin and button accordion, and also plays bouzouki, guitar, and whistle. Rick placed 1st in solo mandolin in the Midwest Fleadh Cheoiland, competed in the All Ireland in 2006, and he has taught at several festivals and folk … [Read more...] about Rick Cunningham
Susan & Michael Harrison
Michael and Susan met as Scottish dancers performing at Scarborough Faire. When Riverdance brought Irish dancing into the cultural spotlight, Michael and Susan found not only that Irish dancing was taught in Dallas but that it's never too late to learn. They got hooked on step dance and ceili and have been avid dancers ever since. They perform annually at the North Texas Irish Festival with the … [Read more...] about Susan & Michael Harrison
Shannon Heaton
Irish flute/whistle player Shannon Heaton was exposed to a variety of music traditions early on. By age 16, she’d lived on three continents. She eventually settled in her adopted home of Boston in 2001, where she was named 2016 Traditional Artist Fellow by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Shannon is a warm, entertaining performer and excels at making Irish music relevant and accessible to a … [Read more...] about Shannon Heaton
Matt Heaton
Matt Heaton is the son of noted organist/composer Charles Heaton, who instilled in Matt a love of music from an early age. His earliest exposure to Irish music was through an unlabeled cassette tape which contained “The Planxty Collection.” His search for more led him to the vibrant Chicago session scene, and eventually to flute player (and now wife) Shannon Heaton. Matt’s style reflects an … [Read more...] about Matt Heaton
Allison Hicks
Allison fell in love with Irish and other traditional music while studying piano at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. Weekly sessions at The Oldtime String Shop and a concert by a Dallas based Irish band, "Tinkers Dam" fueled the fire that has now become a lifelong passion. Allison is known in many musical arenas. As a teacher, she has been a staff member at the annual Winter … [Read more...] about Allison Hicks