Cast
The goal of A St. Patrick's Day Celtic Sojourn each year is to explore the impact of Irish traditional music, song, and dance around the world. This regularly brings us to Scotland and Wales, but often much further afield, to Cape Breton and Newfoundland, to Quebec, various parts of the US, and of course, back to Ireland itself where the music continues as a living, breathing and vibrant part of the culture. This year, once again, our line-up reflects that principle.
“St. Patrick’s Day – indeed the whole month of March – is a time for many in the Irish diaspora to celebrate their own roots,” says Brian. “For many others with no ethnic connection to the country, it is a time to explore a music and dance culture that is at once sophisticated and accessible, while tracing its origins back centuries. Come join in the fun – everyone is welcome at our St. Patrick’s Day party!”
(Please note: Given Brian's health situation, he's going to try to host as many performances as possible. Other hosts will fill in as necessary.)
Keith Murphy Music director for A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn since 2012, Keith Murphy is a native of Newfoundland and founding member of Nightingale, a trio that broke new ground in its sophisticated approach to traditional music. He is a mainstay of the Boston fiddle extravaganza Childsplay. He has also worked extensively with Tony Barrand on the early twentieth century song repertoire of the Atwood family from Dover, Vermont. He also appears frequently in concert with his wife, fiddler Becky Tracy.
Nuala Kennedy Nuala grew up in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland where she played piano and flute in a local ceili band Cèilidh and studied classical piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She tours globally as Nuala Kennedy Band headlining at major festivals such as Rudolstadt (GER) Telemark (NOR) Celtic Connections (UK) Celtic Colours International (CAN) Festival Interceltique de Lorient (FRA) Eurofonik (FRA) and Milwaukee Irish Festival (US).
Eamon O'Leary Eamon is originally from Dublin, but has lived in New York City for twenty years. He has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, performing and recording with many of Irish music's great players. In 2004, he and Patrick Ourceau released a live recording, Live at Mona's, documenting their many years hosting a session on New York's Lower East Side. In 2012, he and Jefferson Hamer released an album of traditional songs, The Murphy Beds, described by the Huffington Post as "ten beautiful, crystalline songs."
Kevin Burke Kevin Burke is an Irish master fiddler considered one of the finest living Irish fiddlers. For nearly five decades he has been at the forefront of Irish traditional music and Celtic music, performing and recording with the groups The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, and the Celtic Fiddle Festival. He is a 2002 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
Katie McNally Katie grew up playing Scottish and Cape Breton music near Boston and currently tours with her own projects, Fàrsan, Pine Tree Flyers, and the Katie McNally Trio. A member of the cross-genre fiddle supergroup, Childsplay, Katie has also toured with Karan Casey, John Whelan, and Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez. She has appeared at Celtic Colours, Celtic Connections, Newport Folk Festival, and The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, as well as countless folk venues throughout North America and Europe. In addition to her busy touring schedule, she is the artistic director of the Boston States Fiddle Camp and is a devoted educator who teaches regularly at fiddle camps across the country.
Neil Pearlman A unique voice in the world of celtic music, Neil continues to blaze his own trail making music that ranges from the traditional to the avant-garde, in big collectives and intimate duo projects including his one-on-one collaborations recorded and published in the podcast TradCafe.
