Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Celtic music and let your spirit soar as the enchanting melodies of Ryan McKasson & Colin Cotter and Summer McCall fill the air! The Friday Night Ceilidh, pronounced KAY lee, is the ultimate way to start your festival experience. It promises an evening filled with foot-stomping beats, soul-stirring tunes, and awe-inspiring dance performances that will have you on your feet in no time. Joining Ryan and Colin on stage is the incredibly talented Summer McCall. With her angelic voice and irresistible charm, Summer brings a fresh and modern twist to Celtic music.
Get ready for an unforgettable kickoff to the KVMR Celtic Festival as we bring back the highly anticipated Friday Night Ceilidh!
Her fusion of traditional Irish tunes with contemporary influences creates a sound that is bound to captivate audiences of all ages. Get ready to be enchanted by her stunning vocal performances and infectious energy that will leave you wanting more. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary evening of music and dance that will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired. The Friday Night Ceilidh is the perfect opportunity to connect with the rich cultural heritage of Celtic traditions and celebrate the magic of music with fellow enthusiasts. So mark your calendars and join us at the KVMR Celtic Festival for a night of enchantment and jubilation! Purchase your tickets now and get ready to experience the captivating world of Celtic music and dance like never before.
Meet the 2024 Performers
Ryan McKasson and Colin Cotter
Colin Cotter picked up the fiddle at the age of 4 beginning a life-long journey building upon several generations of his family’s intimate relationship with traditional Finnish music. Over time, musical influences from Scotland to Quebec to New York City to West Africa crept in rendering him a genre-defying folky, unencumbered by traditional convention yet warmly familiar with it. A self-taught guitarist, he has created his own accompaniment style that, in tandem with hard-hitting, poignant songwriting, bridges gaps between American and Celtic folk music and rock.
Ryan McKasson has gained a reputation as a performer, composer, collaborator, and teacher. In 1996 he was the youngest to win the National Scottish Fiddle Championship. In 1997 he was awarded a Merit Scholarship for Viola Performance from the University of Southern California where he studied with Donald McInnes. In 2004 Ryan and his sister, Cali, formed a band, The McKassons, that eventually included Ryan’s wife, Brooke, and her brother, Matt Jerrell. The McKassons released two critically acclaimed albums, Tall Tales (2004) and Tripping Maggie(2006). Since 2002 he has also been a fiddler for a renowned contra dance band, The Syncopaths. They have just released their second album, Five Gears.
More about Ryan and Colin
Summer McCall
With an enthusiastic and infectious love for movement, Summer McCall has found herself with long-standing experience and joy calling traditional dances for Scottish ceilidhs (pronounced kālē). With a background of well over a decade in ballet, modern, Middle Eastern, Irish/Scottish step dancing and tap, calling for dances came natural in her early teens. Starting as a dance caller at Alasdair Fraser’s Sierra Fiddle Camp in 2012 she has since been asked to lead dances at multiple festivals, various camps around the country, private events, the Boston Celtic Music Festival, KVMR Celtic Festival and throughout North America & Europe.
More about Summer