Richard Hearn

Richard Hearn is a dynamic accompanist based in Baltimore, Maryland. He started playing Irish traditional music while living in Europe, and toured internationally with several Irish and Scottish music projects before returning to the US. Richard plugged into Baltimore’s legendary traditional music community and completed a Maryland State Arts Council apprenticeship with Billy McComiskey in 2023 to learn his accordion tune settings. Richard is also an organizer and serves as executive director of the Baltimore Irish Musics School. Through the school, he is also director of the Baltimore Irish Tenor Banjo Summit and the Baltimore Irish Trad Fest.

He regularly performs with his trios, the East Coasters (with Calum Bell and Madeline Dierauf) and the Harbor Trio (with Sean McComiskey and Sarah Collins). In addition, he has toured and performed with internationally acclaimed musicians, including Billy McComiskey, Louise Mulcahy, Kate Knudsvig, and Elaine Reilly.

Richard is the guitar, bouzouki, and tenor banjo/mandolin teacher at the Baltimore Irish Music School, and has been on the instructional staff at MAD week in DC (guitar), Folksounds Elmstein in Elmstein, Germany (guitar), CelticFest Mississippi (banjo 2023, guitar 2024), The Irish Weekend in Ismaning, Germany (mandolin/banjo 2018, guitar 2023), The O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat in Midlothian, Texas (Mandolin, 2025), Tune Junkie in Knoxille, TN (guitar, 2026) and the Celtic Folk Weekend in Waldmünchen, Germany (guitar 2018, banjo 2024, 2025, and 2026).