Isaac Alderson grew up in Chicago listening to his father play blues and jazz. At the age of 12, he discovered Irish traditional music and began obsessively practicing the uilleann pipes, learning from such players as Al Purcell, Patrick Cannady, Kieran O'Hare, and many others. At 14, he began to study the flute and whistle with Laurence Nugent from Co. Fermanagh. Many trips to Ireland over … [Read more...] about Isaac Alderson
2015
Siobhan Butler
Siobhan Butler is an acclaimed performer, teacher, and creator specializing in the realms of percussive dance. She has been featured on many platforms including the Nationally televised stations TG4 and RTE in Ireland and the prestigious Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. She has performed and collaborated internationally with many of the leading traditional artists including but not limited … [Read more...] about Siobhan Butler
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. Born in London, fiddler John Carty has established himself among the elite in Irish traditional music and as a staunch supporter of its preservation. Carty developed his love for fiddle, banjo, and flute, all of which he has mastered, through … [Read more...] about John Carty
Anna Colliton
Anna Colliton is one of America’s leading exponents of the bodhrán, the traditional Irish frame drum. A native of Chicago, a city of Irish musical excellence, Anna plays a highly intricate style of drumming with masterful tonal and rhythmic variation. She has taught and performed at festivals across the country, including Catskills Irish Arts Week, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, The O’Flaherty … [Read more...] about Anna Colliton
Ashley Davis
Ashley Davis is an international recording artist and songwriter whose unique style and blending of genres has drawn acclaim throughout the music world. She has performed on NBC's Today Show and prominent venues and festivals throughout the U. S. and abroad. As both writer and performer she has collaborated with traditional music greats such as Paddy Moloney, Cathy Jordan, Sara Watkins, John … [Read more...] about Ashley Davis
Sean Earnest
Bouzouki player and guitarist Sean Earnest's eclectic musical stylings have taken him far from his native central Pennsylvania. He is among the most in-demand American Celtic musicians today and can be heard on stages up and down both coasts of the United States and all points in between. Having cut his musical teeth in the vibrant session scenes of Baltimore and New York, Sean honed his guitar … [Read more...] about Sean Earnest
Niamh Fahy
Niamh Fahy’s passion for everything musical has been apparent since a young age. Originally from Ireland and now living in Austin, Texas, Niamh learned her trade from renowned fiddle player Antoin MacGabhann in her native County Meath. Niamh performs and tours with Austin based Irish band The Here & Now alongside Chris Buckley, Rob Forkner and Joseph Carmichael. … [Read more...] about Niamh Fahy
Dylan Foley
A four-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, Dylan Foley was a student of the great Rose Flanagan (the original fiddler in Cherish the Ladies) and counts Joanie Madden, Brian Conway, Mike McHale, and Monsignor Charlie Coen among his primary influences. He is a vibrant stylist whose playing has been called "impeccable and spirited." Dylan has played on Jay Unger's Dancing On the Air show on WAMC … [Read more...] about Dylan Foley
Seán Gavin
Uilleann piper and flute player, Seán Gavin, is one of the most highly regarded Irish musicians of his generation. In 2016 he became the first and only musician born outside Ireland to win the prestigious Seán Ó Riadagold medal, and his most recent recording, a collaboration with fiddler Jesse Smith, accompanist John Blake, and bodhran player Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh, was hailed … [Read more...] about Seán Gavin
Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney, born in upstate New York to artist parents, first picked up an accordion by chance in a toy store. He learned Irish music from Galway-born concertina player Father Charlie Coen. Over the years, he has also been heavily influenced by Billy McComiskey, Jimmy Noonan, John Whelan, Joe Derrane, and John Nolan, among many others. After graduating from Harvard University in 2009, he lived … [Read more...] about Dan Gurney