Barre Opera House

7

Irish singer-songwriter Karan Casey has been blazing a trail for over 30 years. A lover of ballads, love songs and searing versions of social justice songs, and fond of a good yarn, she has toured the world making deep connections with her audience connecting via Ireland's past but crucially repositioning women and songs in a universal and a modern setting. She has released eleven albums as well as contributing to numerous other artists' projects – appearing on more than 80 albums so far - and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan, performing with her own band as well as collaborating with such diverse musicians as Maura O'Connell, James Taylor, Bela Fleck, Boston Pops Orchestra, Kate Ellis, Niall Vallely, Pauline Scanlon, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Peggy Seeger, Karen Matheson, Mick Flannery, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Tim O'Brien and Solas. In 2018 Karan helped found FairPlé which is an organization aimed at achieving fairness and gender balance for female performers in Irish traditional and folk musics. Karan tours with her band Niamh Dunne and Sean Óg Graham (recently chosen by the Bothy Band as their guitar player).

Our opening duo features two of Irish trad's rising stars. Awarded with the prestigious Gradam Ceoil TG4 Young Musician of the Year 2021, Sorcha Costello is a traditional Irish fiddle player from Tulla Co. Clare and hails from a family emerged in traditional Irish music. She performs mainly as a solo artist but is also part of other musical collaborations which includes a duet with her mother, Mary MacNamara. Sorcha is also a member of 'The Provenance', a fiddle group led by Frankie Gavin. While Sorcha's style of fiddle playing is rooted in East Clare, she has been strongly influenced by musicians such as Gavin, Brian Rooney, and Tommy Potts. From a young age, She has enjoyed performing nationally and internationally. Diarmuid Ó Meachair is a Button accordion and melodeon player and an accomplished sean nós singer from Cúil Aodha, Co. Cork. He was recently awarded the prestigious Young Musician of the year award from TG4 for 2022 and is one of the most exciting box players of his generation. Diarmuid is part of the teaching staff at the Department of Music in University College Cork, teaching accordion and melodeon. He was nominated for two RTÉ Folk Awards in 2024 as "Best Folk Instrumentalist" and "Best Emerging Artist," In 2023 he was invited to join the latest De Dannan line up with Frankie Gavin.

Sorcha and Diarmuid will both be offering workshops on 9/28 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets to show & workshop available at barreoperahouse.org or by calling 802-4786-8188