Seamus Egan Project
“…it really does feel like he’s working a magic spell on the audience, in a way I’ve never experienced from another musician.” – Jackie Dana
It’s hard to think of an artist in traditional Irish music more influential than Seamus Egan. From his beginnings as a teen prodigy, to his groundbreaking solo work with Shanachie Records, to his founding of Irish-American powerhouse band Solas, to his current work as one of the leading composers and interpreters of the tradition, Egan has inspired multiple generations of musicians and helped define the sound of Irish music today. As a multi-instrumentalist, he’s put his mark on the sound of the Irish flute, tenor banjo, guitar, mandolin, tin whistle, and low whistle, among others. As a composer, he was behind the soundtrack for the award-winning film The Brothers McMullen, co-wrote Sarah McLachlan’s breakout hit, “Weep Not for the Memories,” and has scored numerous documentaries and indie films since.
The Seamus Egan Project, brings along friends and musical guests, introducing fans to both the entirety of his immense and influential catalog of music, as well as new music he’s never recorded or performed live. Beginning with tunes from his groundbreaking album, When Juniper Sleeps, which was the impetus for the formation of Solas, through the 20 year recording career of this iconic band, along with new tunes, Egan will continue to explore the further reaches of the Irish tradition, and beyond.
Singer / Composer, Moira Smiley travels the world creating new work for voices, accompanying her performances with her banjo, accordion and piano and percussive movement. A vocal polyglot, her voice and compositions have been featured in TED Conferences, on BBC Radio and TV, NPR, ABC Australia and live at venues from Lincoln Center to Royal Festival Hall. When she’s not leading her own vocal group, Moira Smiley & VOCO, Moira has toured with pop artist, tUnE-yArDs, Irish super-group, Solas, The Lomax Project and Billy Childs’ Laura Nyro Re-Imagined. She’s also toured with beloved vocal groups such as Paul Hiller’s Theater of Voices and KITKA. In Spring, 2018 she released a new solo album and choral songbook called Unzip The Horizon.
Kyle Sanna has been active as a composer, producer, guitarist, and improviser in New York City since 2000. His compositions have been performed at the Bach House in Eisenach, Germany, the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, Sydney’s ABC studios, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and points between. He has given guitar workshops at the Montana State Women’s Prison, at an orphanage in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and at numerous universities and festivals from Alaska to Cuba.
As a guitarist Kyle primarily performs improvised music and traditional Irish music. He has shared the stage or studio with many of today’s virtuosos, including multiple Grammy Award-winning artists Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile, as well as with some of the greatest living interpreters of the Irish tradition including Kevin Burke, Martin Hayes, and Seamus Egan, and with many members of New York’s improvised music scene.
Owen Marshall has performed and recorded with many of traditional music’s top performers including Aoife Clancy, Liz Carroll, Darol Anger, John Doyle, Andrea Beaton, Jerry Holland, Ari & Mia Friedman, his own traditional Irish trio “The Press Gang” and the acoustic trio “Haas, Walsh and Marshall”. His music has appeared on NPR’s “Thistle and Shamrock,” BBC television, and the back of his left elbow has appeared on MTV. In addition to being a respected performer, Owen is in demand at music camps throughout New England and the U.S., where he shares his approach to accompanying traditional music.
