Don Penzien

Don Penzien has long been a top-flight performer of Irish traditional music. He frequently is on the road playing concerts and festivals with the likes of Gerry O’Connor, Haley Richardson, and Brian Conway, and he is a member of Gailfean and The Máirtín de Cógáin Project. He has served as accompanist for numerous other well-known performers including John Whelan, Sean Gavin, Liz Hanley, Eamon O’Leary, Nuala Kennedy, Randal Bays, Tim Britton, John Williams, Pat Broaders, Jimmy Crowley, Gabe Donohue, Tony DeMarco, and Billy McComiskey. Widely recognized for his reserved backing style, Don’s dexterous work on DADGAD-tuned guitar provides solid, driving rhythms to traditional tunes as well as perceptive and sensitive accompaniments to songs and airs.
Don is a Michigan native with Strong roots in Irish culture and an affinity for Irish music. Upon relocating south, he found Mississippi sorely lacking as per its appreciation of the Irish and Scottish traditions native to many of the state’s citizens. So, in 1992 he founded what has evolved into a much revered celebration of traditional Celtic music and dance—CelticFest Mississippi. Don has now relocated to North Carolina where he works as Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Epidemiology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.