American traditional Irish fiddler Liz Knowles has been named the 2024 recipient of the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES). The award, which honors individuals who have advanced the teaching and performance of Irish music in the United States, will be presented at the 21st Annual O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat held this year on October 24-27, 2024 in Midlothian, Texas where Liz will be teaching a fiddle course.
“Liz Knowles is a dynamic, electrifying performer whose classes are charged with enthusiasm and positivity that has made her a favorite with O’Flaherty students,” said Retreat director Ken Fleming. “Her lifelong dedication to the performance, instruction, and appreciation of Irish music in America is immeasurable, and we are proud to honor her with this award.”
Trained as a classical violinist, Liz discovered Irish traditional music “by accident” at a festival on Long Island, near SUNY Stony Brook, where she was enrolled in the music program. The experience sparked her memory of hearing her grandmother and mother playing traditional music when she was a child growing up in Kentucky. Encouraged by the musicians of New York City’s vibrant Irish trad scene, Liz excelled in mastering the intricacies of the Irish fiddle, and was soon performing with Riverdance and Broadway’s The Pirate Queen and The Green Bird, as a soloist on the soundtrack of the movie Michael Collins, and as a featured artist for the Ireland 100 Festival at the Kennedy Center.
Liz has been an influential force in the performance of Irish traditional music, having produced several recording projects and serving as the music director and producer of stage shows that have toured Europe, Asia, and South America. Her compositions and arrangements have been recorded by John Whelan, Flook, Chicago’s Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, Liz Carroll, Bleach, Bachue, J.P. Cormier, Michael Black, John Doyle, and Ensemble Galilei. She is a member of The String Sisters, The Martin Hayes Quartet, and Open the Door for Three.
In addition to performing and producing, Liz has distinguished herself as a sought-after teacher at music camps around the country and abroad, including several appearance at the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat. She serves on the faculty at the New England Conservatory in Boston and initiated an online forum, “Teacher’s Gathering” as a forum where Irish music teachers can seek advice, share experiences, and encourage each other.
Previous Irish Artist in America Achievement Award recipients include Kevin Burke (2010), John Doyle (2011), James Kelly (2012), Brendan Mulvihill (2013), Joanie Madden (2014), Mick Moloney (2016), Liz Carroll (2017), Séamus Connolly (2018), Rose Conway Flanagan (2019), James Keane (2020), Randal Bays (2021), Brian Conway (2022) and Colin Farrell (2023).