Submitted photo
Seán Heely and Beth Patterson with a guest appearance by U.S. Junior Scottish Fiddling Champion Owen Kennedy of Readfield will play live music at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 20, at Old South Church in Farmington.
Owen Kennedy, 2021 US Junior Scottish Fiddle Champion Submitted photo
This duo of Heely and Patterson brings a high-energy repertoire to the table, largely consisting of Scottish and Irish tunes and songs. Champion fiddler and singer Seán Heely is one of the most creatively versatile and captivating young artists of his generation. He is a U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, an award-winning Irish fiddler, and a singer in the folk and Gaelic traditions of Scotland/Ireland. He holds a degree from the University of South Carolina in Classical Violin Performance and was a 2019 Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore Music Center in Maryland. An in-demand educator, he is on the adjunct faculty at American University and has been on the faculty of several music camps all around the U.S. Seán has performed with music icons such as Liz Carroll and Bonnie Rideout and continues to share his rich Celtic heritage with audiences around the globe. His debut solo album “Edge of the Bow” and duo record “Home Port” with Colin McGlynn as the Glencoe Lads have received critical acclaim.
Louisiana native Beth Patterson has played bouzouki (an Irish adaptation of a traditional Greek instrument) professionally for thirty years. She has been featured in various lineups, ranging from traditional Celtic to myriad genres that typically don’t include the bouzouki, such as Cajun, blues, and metal. She began touring as a founding member of The Poor Clares before setting out on a solo career as a singer-songwriter. Patterson studied traditional music and ethnomusicology with Micheál Ó Súilleabháin and Mel Mercier at University College Cork, Ireland, and hold a Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from Loyola University, New Orleans. She has performed in twenty countries and appeared on over two hundred recordings, including eight solo albums of her own. Seán and Beth met during one of her gigs in Norfolk, VA in 2020 and since then they have been creating new music together as well as breathing new life into their vast Celtic music repertoire.
Videos and more information about Sean can be found at www.connlamusic.com For more information on Owen Kennedy visit https://www.fiddlerokennedy.com/
There will be no pre-concert jam session or intermission refreshments. Doors open at 6:15 pm. Concert begins at 7 pm. Admission: Adults $20, seniors (65+) and students $15 (College students current ID required). Tickets available at the door.
Old South Church is located at 235 Main St., Farmington. Handicapped accessible at Main Street entrance. A collection box will be available for donations for Church restorative building projects. Current Church COVID precautions require masking for all older than 3 years of age and contact tracing information. For any changes or updates or for more information visit www.farmingtonucc.org, or Old South Church Concert Series and Old South Church Facebook pages or call 207-491-5919 or 207-778-0424.
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