ALTAN (Ireland) With a career in Irish music for 35 years, Altan has achieved legendary status in a genre that has been equally shaped by the band’s influence and genius. Audiences from Ireland to Japan to Australia to Europe have embraced their heartwarming, dynamic live performances and their exquisitely produced, award-winning recordings. Over a dozen releases to date, ranging from the most touching old Irish songs to hard-hitting reels and jigs. Altan’s newest release,The Gap of Dreams(©2018 Compass Records), follows thier acclaimed 2015 release The Widening Gyre.
Liz Carroll is an Irish fiddler, composer, and recording artist. She is the first Irish-American musician to be nominated for a Grammy, and the first American-born composer honored with the Cumadóir TG4, Ireland’s most significant traditional music prize. Liz has toured as a solo artist and with the Greenfields of America, Trian, as the duo Liz Carroll & John Doyle, String Sisters, and now as a duo with guitarist and pianist Jake Charron. She is featured on fourteen albums and has appeared on many more, and her duet album with Jake Charron, Half Day Road, is to be released in February, 2019. Liz was born in Chicago of Irish parents, and still lives just outside her hometown.
GOITSE (Ireland) - The popular and multi-award-winning quintet Goitse was forged in the white-hot creative crucible of Limerick’s Irish World Academy. Named Live Ireland’s “Traditional Group of the Year”, Chicago Irish American News’ “Group of the Year”, as well as winning the prestigious “Freiburger International Leiter 2016” award in Germany, Goitse have become a leader of the new generation of traditional Irish ensembles. Together, the quintet Goitse makes what Irish Music Magazine calls “Music that’s brimming with energy and creative zeal.”
THE GOOD LOVELIES (Ontario) - You hear it a lot these days – the idea that something is greater than the sum of its parts – and yet there’s really no better way to describe the musical essence of the Good Lovelies. Kerri Ough, Sue Passmore, and Caroline Brooks – immensely talented vocalists and songwriters in their own right; however, it’s their voices interwoven in harmony – powerful and pure, organic and inspiring – that elevates the Good Lovelies from impressive to peerless.
CASSIE & MAGGIE (Cape Breton) - Nova Scotian sisters Cassie and Maggie have been lighting up the world with their unique blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic instrumentals and vocals. Appearing on stages across North America, the UK, and Europe the sisters have enchanted audiences far and wide with lively fiddle, piano and guitar arrangements, stunning sibling vocal harmonies in both English and Gaelic, all complemented by their intricate and percussive stepdancing style.
UNION DUKE (Ontario) - Sweat flies and floorboards tremble – Union Duke is a Toronto folk quintet with an explosive live show. Bridging soulful indie rock with bluegrass and country, the group belts out soaring harmonies with three, four and even five voices. The songs are irresistible, the perfect fit for the heatwave of the dance hall or the cool breeze of the park. Union Duke is two fifths city, two fifths country, and one fifth whiskey.
THE FITZGERALDS (Ontario) - A family group consisting of fiddling and step dancing siblings - Tom, Kerry & Julie Fitzgerald. These siblings, from just outside of Canada’s renowned Ottawa Valley, have come a long way from their small town roots. Featuring 3-time Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Champions and Ontario Open Step Dance Champions, this unique act features high-energy fiddling and mind-blowing step dancing.
MAMA'S BROKE (Nove Scotia) - Mama’s Broke is a powerful folk duo that deliver a compelling performance with heart and raw energy. Although highly influenced by their Canadian roots, Lisa and Amy are based out of nowhere and everywhere. Their two strong voices blend to create haunting harmonies, while they artfully juggle fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin, and incorporate traditional dance and foot percussion into their performance.
THE DOUGLASTOWN PROJECT: GLENN THE DOUGLASTOWN PROJECT (Laura Risk, Glenn Patterson, Brian Morris). The Douglastown Project pays homage to the fiddle music of Douglastown and surrounding parishes at the eastern edge of Quebec's Gaspé Coast. Melodies at once hypnotic and driving call forth the sounds of parlours, parish halls, and picnic dances that were part of the rich multi-cultural tapestry of the 19th and early 20th century Gaspé Coast, a place and time where both the codfish and the fiddle shaped the rhythms of everyday life.
FARA (Scotland) - Fara brings together four leading musicians at the forefront of today’s Scottish folk scene – Jennifer Austin, Kristan Harvey, Jeana Leslie and Catriona Price’s three fiddles and a piano – to produce a fiery sound rooted strongly in their upbringing among the music of Orkney. Following a nomination for Up And Coming Act of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2015, the success of their debut album Cross The Line in 2016, lead to a nomination for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ Horizon Award.
MICHAEL ROONEY & JUNE MCCORMACK - Together as Draíocht, Michael Rooney and June McCormack have recorded two CDs: ‘Draíocht’ and ‘Land’s End’. June Mc Cormack comes from Ballintogher, Co Sligo and was recipient of the TG4 Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award in 1998 and has published two Irish flute tutorials in recent years. 'Fliuit' and 'Fliuit 2'. Michael Rooney is a prolific composer and is widely regarded as one of the foremost players of the traditional Irish harp. Michael is the 2017 TG4 Composer of the Year.