Paddy League

Multi-instrumentalist Paddy League grew up in a family of Irish and Greek migrants, and by his teenage years in the Washington, DC area began performing the music of both traditions on a variety of percussion and string instruments. Best known in Irish music circles for his innovative approach to the bodhrán, Paddy combines a deep understanding of the architecture of traditional dance tunes with techniques and ideas culled from decades of traveling and studying in Greece and Brazil. As a percussionist, guitarist, and bouzouki player, he has performed and recorded with John Doyle, Mick Moloney, Martin Hayes, John Whelan, James Kelly, Susan McKeown, Tony Cuffe, Jerry O’Sullivan, Randal Bays, and many other artists on both sides of the Atlantic. He recorded two albums with flute and concertina player Grey Larsen, and his project Triptych, with fiddler Laura Risk and percussive dancer Kieran Jordan, puts an intimate, improvisatory spin on the commonalities between Irish, Scottish, and Quebecois traditions. He regularly performs throughout Greece and the Greek diaspora with fiddler Michalis Kappas and in Brazil with accordionist Luizinho Calixto. Alongside playing and composing music, Paddy is assistant professor of ethnomusicology at Florida State University and director of the Center for Music of the Americas, where he teaches courses and implements programming on global music history and practice, pluralism, and cultural equity.