Ian Whitelaw is a devoted and extremely talented Bagpiper who brings 51 years of education, experience, and expertise to his musical performances, competitions and special projects. What distinguishes Ian’s playing is his extraordinary passion, not only to create a remarkable sound of the instrument itself but for the unique way in which the music is expressed. Ian is a world-class champion piper and an Instrumental instructor at UCR (California, Riverside), the Music Director of the UCR Pipe Band and director of the music degree program for bagpipes in the Department of Music and has enjoyed a long career of work with pipe bands.  His work with the UCR Pipe Band has been a key to the band earning the Champion Supreme Trophy of 2008, 2009 and 2010 as the best grade 4 pipe band in the Western United States. Ian was a driving force in the sound and success of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band helping them win the World Championship in 1999 in Grade 1 – the highest grade in the world’s competition arenas.

Ian speaks often of his special attention to connecting with the ‘story’ of the musical piece and fulfills this goal daily through his instruction of the bagpipes where he also helps to stimulate the students’ bond with the ‘heart and soul’ of the music. What distinguishes Ian’s playing is his extraordinary passion, not only to create a remarkable sound of the instrument itself but for the unique way in which the music is expressed.

Ian has been very successful taking the music of the Scottish Highland Bagpipe into the entertainment industry, working as a creative consultant and performer on top films and television shows including The Rundown, The General’s Daughter, The Simpsons, The West Wing, American Dad, and Arliss. He is as comfortable and enthusiastic playing in a competition for world-renowned judges as he is on stage at the Hollywood Bowl.

Ian is an accomplished competitor receiving many prizes and medals throughout the U.S. and Canada. In addition to demonstrating his talents as a class player in Light Music, winning several competitions, Ian has consistently won in Piobaireachd (the classical music of the bagpipe) in the course of his bagpipe playing career. Some highlights include winning the James Purgavie Horn (presented by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco) on 9 occasions, The United States Gold Medal in 2006, The Angus MacDonald Piping Competition 7 times and has been selected to compete in the Highland Society of London’s Gold Medal events held in Scotland.  Ian uses his vast experience in his teachings of his students to raise their level of musicianship and this is reflected by their success on the competitive platforms at the various events on the West Coast and across the United States and Canada.

Also, Ian has released his own recording CD entitled “Angels From Atlantis” –  featuring an original composition – a project that was supported and encouraged by the Durfee Foundation located in Los Angeles, California – Ian is a two time “Durfee Fellow, having received grants to assist students with their own piping studies and to help with their musical development within the community.

Ian worked with his wife, Kristin to create a CD called “The Lady” and “The Breath of Calm” – specifically for relaxation and meditation and this music is available through his website – www.aceltictraveler.com.

Ian’s goal is to bring the great highland bagpipe to the public ear with all the grandness and spirit this very special instrument has and to have it be presented as a majestic instrument of the woodwind family rather than that of a novelty, something it is thought of by the casual ear.

Arleen Hurtado grew up in Southern California. Early in life, she began playing the drums and trained in ballet, jazz and tap.  As a child, she discovered flamenco on a trip to Spain, which appealed to her passion for both dance and percussion. Arleen pursued her study of flamenco in Seville and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, New Mexico, New York and California with world-renowned artists.

For the last 18 years, she has performed throughout the world including several tours in the United States at venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Red Rocks in Denver and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Internationally she has toured and performed in United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Spain, Italy, Croatia, China, and India.  Arleen has been featured in music videos, commercials, television, and print.  Based in Los Angeles, she teaches weekly flamenco dance classes and continues to perform and tour.

Broadway Music Director, Pianist and Conductor, William Waldrop, currently serves as Principal Conductor of the Broadway revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York City. Equally comfortable on the podium with the orchestra on stage or conducting from the pit, Maestro Waldrop has been hailed for his ‘dynamic conducting’ and has been praised in cities all over the US and abroad. He most recently completed a 30-city tour as the Music Director and Conductor of the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita. Waldrop conducted the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in Washington, D.C. for the tour’s final engagement. Prior to leading the very successful national tour, he was the Associate Conductor for the Broadway production starring Ricky Martin, Elena Roger and Michael Cerveris.

Waldrop has conducted productions of Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh (National Tour) as well as in Germany where he was the Associate Music Supervisor for a new production in Oberhausen in 2015.

William has played or conducted in the pits of other Broadway shows including Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, On The Town, and Fiddler on The Roof. As a music director, conductor and pianist, he has led chamber ensemble productions of Grey Gardens (Bay Street Theatre starring Betty Buckley) South Pacific (Asolo Repertory Theatre) and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (Off-Broadway).

As a composer, William most recently premiered his brand new solo production Still, and Still Moving: The Music of William Waldrop at New York City’s famed Metropolitan Room. William’s music has also been heard in other popular NYC venues such as Birdland, The Laurie Beechman Theatre and New World Stages.

An accomplished vocal coach, William accompanies and advises many star clients performing in current Broadway productions (Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked). Also, an active educator, he leads regular master classes throughout New York City for such groups as The Growing Studio and Broadway Classroom. Waldrop’s extensive experience on Broadway as both a conductor and pianist in today’s most popular hits and his love of the American Songbook, have made him a sought-after conductor and one of the best and brightest new faces on the symphonic pops stage today.

William received his Masters of Music degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music and his Bachelors of Music degree from The University of Mississippi.

Rebecca Covington Webber was most recently seen in the Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical where she played the role of Janelle Woods. She was also seen on Broadway in Motown the Musical where she portrayed Gwen Gordy, Cindy Birdsong of The Supremes, Gladys Horton of The Marvalettes and many others! Rebecca was also a part of the International and National tours of: Beautiful the Carole King Musical; Mamma Mia; Ain’t Misbehavin; Motown the Musical as well as Thorougly Modern Millie.

As a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association, she has also played some of her favorite roles in regional theaters across the U.S. including Nehebka in AIDA, Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors, Brenda in Smokey Joe’s Café and Charlayne in Ain’t Misbehavin. Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Music from Belmont University in Tennessee and she now lives with her French Bulldog, Ella Frenchgerald and her husband, Donald Webber, Jr.!

With a dynamic podium presence and noted passionate interpretations, Indian American conductor Roger Kalia has been celebrated continuously by audiences and industry professionals alike, with Symphony Magazine recently recognizing him nationally as one of five first-year music directors for his innovative programming during the pandemic. Praised for bringing a “fresh view to classical music” (The Republic, IN), Kalia is now in his third season as Music Director of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, fourth season as Music Director of the 100-year-old Symphony New Hampshire, and fifth season as Music Director of Orchestra Santa Monica. He is also Co-Founder and Music Director of the 12-year-old celebrated Lake George Music Festival in upstate New York. The recipient of several awards from the Solti Foundation U.S., including an Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency with Lyric Opera of Chicago and five Career Assistance Awards, Kalia has been praised for his “extraordinary leadership” (Courier & Press).

In recent seasons, Kalia has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Chicago Sinfonietta, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Szczecin Philharmonic (Poland), Boise Philharmonic Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Redlands, Lima, Adrian, Bakersfield, Great Falls, Owensboro, Spokane, and Wheeling. The 2022-23 season features debuts with the Terre Haute Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Longy School of Music Orchestra Flex as well as a return to the Redlands Bowl with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra.

2022-2023 season highlights include collaborations with Time for Three at the Lake George Music Festival and the world premiere of Pascal Le Boeuf’s Triple Concerto with violinist Barbora Kolarova, arx duo, and the Lake George Music Festival Symphony Orchestra; a Musicians’ Choice concert with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra – works chosen by EPO Musicians bringing them front and center – featuring Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration and Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 1; the Evansville premieres of Joel Thompson’s An Act of Resistance and Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout; and the debut of EPO’s Uncorked Series, a series of concerts in non-traditional settings including distilleries, craft breweries, and restaurants/cafes.

A native of New York State, Kalia holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Houston, and SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.

Emily Drennan was most recently seen in the New York Spectacular starring The Rockettes this past summer at Radio City Music Hall after playing Tanya in Mamma Mia! in the Caribbean and Europe. She was also recently seen as a guest soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the John F. Kennedy Center and as Mezzo in Voca People Off-Broadway and its Dubai, Israel and Japan tours. With Voca People, she was also seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The MDA Telethon and as a special guest with Sting. She has also been a guest on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice singing along side Cyndi Lauper. Emily has been the guest soloist with numerous symphonies including: Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (u/s both Ann & Liz Callaway); Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with Sandi Patty; OKC Philharmonic; Winston-Salem Symphony; Hendersonville Symphony; Tulsa Signature Symphony; Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Muncie Symphony.

In New York, she has been seen on Broadway and Off-Broadway in the 75th Radio City Christmas Spectacular for which she was a soloist and also featured in the NBC and PBS Specials and Anniversary DVD; Toxic Audio which won The Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience and Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love. She was also in the Las Vegas company of Toxic Audio at Planet Hollywood and The Luxor Resort and Casino. Some of her favorite roles include: the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; Ann in Swing!; Amneris in AIDA; Sheila in Hair; Pattie in Smokey Joe’s Café; and Lily in Frog Kiss.

Originally from Oklahoma, Emily was a National Presidential Scholar in the Arts saluted at the White House and was a guest soloist at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Emily is a published ASCAP lyricist, composer, studio singer and recording artist for TV, Film and distribution with 2 Degrees (Economics, Spanish) and 4 minors (Finance, Marketing, International Business and Latin American Studies), summa cum laude, from Oklahoma State University. While there, she was named the Outstanding Senior in Business, Outstanding Senior in Economics and Outstanding Overall Senior and was recently named an OSU Hall of Fame Outstanding Young Alumni. Additionally, she is a music producer for various albums, projects and symphony shows and she can be heard on many TV toy commercials and her double-disc debut album, Two-Way Street, as well as her Mother/Daughter album, A Mother Daughter Christmas, which are both available on iTunes and on her official website.

There’s no need to sugar coat it since her impressive credits speak for themselves. Her colleagues praise her ability, her dedication and drive to perfecting her craft as a professional singer and knockout performer. With a voice that the London Jazz News says “unleashes enough voltage to light up the West End”, Shayna Steele has made her mark as an in-demand vocalist in the studio and on the stage.

At the age of 15, Broadway (Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hairspray) and international vocalist Shayna Steele’s appearance on Ed McMahon’s Star Search was her first experience performing in front of a nationally televised audience. After losing by a 1/2 star, Shayna returned to her hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi to finish high school and pursue a music degree before exposing herself to the cutthroat “reality” of the business. “I was embarrassed and defeated. I wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl in a hole.”

A completely unexpected call in 2005 would drop her squarely in the middle of a genre she had absolutely no experience with: Electronica. Hearing that Moby “needed a screamer” for a track off his new album Hotel, a mutual friend recommended Steele, resulting in the disc’s second single “Raining Again”. Two years later, she was back, laying down vocals for “Extreme Ways (2007)” – Moby’s theme song to The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Legacy and Jason Bourne – and in early 2008, “Disco Lies“, the first single off of Moby’s 2008 release Last Night. The song reached #1 on the US Billboard Dance charts and went on to be featured in J.J. Abram’s summer blockbuster Cloverfield and the movie The Backup Plan starring Jennifer Lopez. Her voice has remained highly in demand with vocals on Hairspray (movie soundtrack), Sex and the City 2, NBC’s Smash, 2008 Summer Olympic highlights on BBC and the 2021 release of  In the Heights (Motion Picture Soundtrack). Shayna has made television guest appearances on  HBO’s The Sopranos and she reprised her Broadway role with the “Dynamites” in NBC’s Hairspray Live.

After spending 8 years as a Broadway ensemble member in shows such as Rent and Hairspray and 6 years in the background supporting artists like Bette Midler, Rihanna, and Kelly Clarkson, Shayna stepped out on her own with the release of her 3rd studio album Watch Me Fly following the huge success of her album Rise (Ropeadope Records) in 2015 which reached #3 on the U.S. iTunes jazz charts. Her self-penned song “Gone Under” from that same album was personally selected by Michael League of Snarky Puppy to be arranged for their Family Dinner, Volume 1(Ropeadope Records). The song and Shayna’s performance was the first single to be released on the Grammy Award-winning band’s album, which has now reached over 1.8 million views on YouTube to date.

Shayna has appeared as a soloist and guest artist with over 40 symphony orchestras throughout North America. Her most recent solo concert Nothin’ But the Blues, written and conducted by Maestro Jeff Tyzik, is one of many highlights in her symphonic solo career. A Portland Press review of Shayna’s performance with the Portland Symphony Orchestra (Portland, ME) said her “…blues program ranked among the PSO’s best.” – Steve Feeney (May 24, 2021)

Shayna recently returned to school 25 years later to finish what she started. She is currently working on her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Music Studies at Berklee College of Music where she is currently on the Dean’s List.  She continues to tour all over the world with her band playing her original music, is a regular guest artist with Grammy-award winning trumpeter Chris Botti and is recording her 3rd studio album, set for release in Spring of 2022.

Eric Rigler’s legendary 40-year career on the bagpipes is world-famous. From performing Amazing Grace at President Reagan’s funeral to hundreds of appearances, films and recordings such as Braveheart, Titanic, Austin Powers to CD’s for Phil Collins, Josh Groban, Faith Hill to TV’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Simpsons, and South Park, Eric has been called “the most recorded piper in history”. A native of Los Angeles, Eric has devoted his life to the Scottish bagpipes and the Irish uilleann pipes, the hauntingly beautiful bagpipe he played for the solos on Braveheart and Titanic.

With a list of credits unparalleled in the genre of Celtic music, Eric’s sounds have touched people worldwide. Unforgettable are his solos on one of the best-selling original motion picture soundtracks of all time, Titanic, or the musical spirit of William Wallace in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. Movie-goers saw Eric pipe Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank into the boxing ring in Million Dollar Baby, and laughed at the bagpipe sounds of Mike Myers’ “Fat Bastard” in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. The lyrical sounds of Eric’s uilleann pipes still grace the radio waves on the mega-hits You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban and True Colors by Phil Collins.

Eric’s diverse range of gigs spans the globe: from playing a private family party for Steven Spielberg to performing in Tokyo with Japan’s most famous guitarist, Kazumi Watanabe, to Scotland for a concert with Paul McCartney, a GRAMMY-winning album and touring the Americas with Salsa legend & Hollywood actor, Rubén Blades, to New York City for an appearance on The View with Josh Groban, and back home to Los Angeles for everything “Hollywood” and playing for the LAPD and LA County Sheriff’s Department police funerals.

For more than three decades as both a leader and a sideman, conguero Poncho Sanchez has stirred up a fiery stew of straight-ahead jazz, gritty soul music, and infectious melodies and rhythms from a variety of Latin American and South American sources. His influences are numerous, but among the more prominent figures that inform his music are two of the primary architects of Latin jazz – conga drummer and composer Chano Pozo and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Sanchez pays tribute to these two titans on his new album, Chano y Dizzy!, his 25th recording as a bandleader on Concord Picante, set for release on September 27, 2011. For the first time, Sanchez and Francisco Torres, long time band member (trombone/vocals), join forces to produce the new album.

Joining Sanchez on the 11-song set is multi-GRAMMY winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard. It makes sense that, for this project, Sanchez recruited fellow label mate Blanchard, a New Orleans native who literally grew up amid the Cuban and Latin jazz scene and a longtime fan of the music’s multicultural underpinnings. Blanchard has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential jazz musicians and film score masters of his generation. As a film composer, Blanchard has more than 50 feature film scores to his credit. Currently at work on the score for George Lucas’s long-awaited upcoming movie, Red Tails, the Golden Globe nominee and four-time GRAMMY winner’s music was recently featured on Broadway in Chris Rock’s Tony-nominated play, The Mother****** With Hat. Blanchard is currently at work on the music for the Broadway remake of A Streetcar Named Desire and has also been commissioned by the Opera St. Louis for a project that will premiere in 2012. His latest CD, Choices, was released by Concord Jazz in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim.

“These two musicians were the pioneers of what is now known as Latin jazz,” says Sanchez. “Chano Pozo was a genius. He’s considered the godfather of conga drummers, and he’s someone whom I respect a great deal. And of course, Dizzy Gillespie was an iconic artist in American jazz. I had the honor and pleasure of working with him on several occasions. These guys were the first musicians to bring elements of Latin music to American jazz – which has resulted in some of the greatest music of the last 50 or 60 years. I felt that it was time to pay tribute to them and their accomplishments.”

While the album includes songs originally written and performed by the two legends, it also showcases compositions crafted by other writers that capture the flavor of traditional Latin jazz. Sanchez’s touring band assists with the songwriting and arranging. The studio ranks include: pianist David Torres, saxophonist Rob Hardt, trumpeter Ron Blake, trombonist/vocalist Francisco Torres, bassist Tony Banda, timbalist George Ortiz, and percussionist Joey De Leon, Jr.

“The great thing about this band is that they take a very traditional approach to Latin music,’ says Blanchard. “They pay a lot of attention to the detail of the specific rhythms they’re playing, and they understand the historical significance of keeping that heritage alive.”

Although born in Laredo, Texas, in 1951 to a large Mexican-American family, Sanchez grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, where he was raised on an unusual cross section of sounds that included straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz and American soul. By his teen years, his musical consciousness had been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. Along the way, he taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales, but eventually settled on the congas.

At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent spot in Cal Tjader’s band in 1975. “I learned a great deal from Cal,” says Sanchez, “but it wasn’t as though he sat me down and taught me lessons like a schoolteacher. Mostly it was just a matter of being around such a great guy. It was the way he conducted himself, the way he talked to people, the way he presented himself onstage. He was very elegant, very dignified, and when he played, he played beautifully. The touch that he had on the vibes – nobody has that sound. To me, he was – and is, and always will be – the world’s greatest vibe player.”

Sanchez remained with Tjader until the bandleader’s death in 1982. That same year, he signed with Concord for the release of Sonando, an album that marked the beginning of a musical partnership that has spanned more than 25 years and has yielded more than two dozen recordings. Chano y Dizzy! is the latest installment in that ongoing partnership.

Sanchez, Blanchard and company set the tone early with an opening medley of lively Pozo tunes: Tin Tin Deo, Manteca and Guachi Guaro. Blanchard delivers down some sultry trumpet lines over Sanchez’s percussion and vocals, while the rest of the band lays down a solid and spicy rhythmic bed throughout.

The follow-up track is a simmering rendition of Dizzy’s Con Alma, with numerous tempo changes that give Blanchard room to flex his muscles in varying rhythmic contexts within a single song.

Further in, Siboney is an old Cuban song by Ernesto Lecuona that’s consistent enough with the overall vibe of the record to make the cut. “Ron Bake called me and said, ‘Poncho, I’ve always liked this tune, but Chano didn’t write it and neither did Dizzy.’ I said, ‘It’s alright. It fits. It’ll be fine.’ I’ve always liked the tune myself, so I was glad that we finally got a chance to record it. I think it complements the artists and the period we’re paying tribute to.”

The light-hearted “Groovin’ High” is a Gillespie composition originally conceived as a swing tune, but Sanchez and company rearranged it here to fit more of a mambo vibe. The funky Harris’s Walk, another song penned by Blake, was written in the style of Eddie Harris, “but I liked it so much at rehearsal that I said, ‘We gotta put this on the record,'” says Sanchez.

Jack’s Dilemma, written by Francisco Torres, came together on the fly with a stripped-down rhythm section consisting of Sanchez on conga and Joey De Leon on trap drums. “There are no timbales, no bongos,” says Sanchez. “The engineers in the studio sort of slapped together a drum set. Joey tuned them the way he wanted, and man, ten minutes later we were recording. In the end, I think it sounded great.”

The album ends just as it starts, with a staccato and highly rhythmic Pozo tune called Ariñañara. Recorded by several artists through the years, the song is what Sanchez calls “straight-up hardcore salsa music.” It serves close to a recording that celebrates some of the most innovative music to emerge from the 20th century.

“To me, Latin jazz is the world’s greatest music,” says Sanchez. “It has the melodic and harmonic sophistication of jazz and American standards, and the flavor and energy of Latin American music. What I’m most proud of is that this music – while it may sound exotic at times – is from America. It was born in New York City, when Chano Pozo met Dizzy Gillespie for the first time in the mid-1940s. They created something that didn’t exist before in this country. I’m very proud to take this music all over the world all the time.”

This biography is property of Concord Music Group, Inc. Principal Pops Conductor

Fiddler Eileen Ivers will change the way you think about the violin.

She’s been hailed as “a sensation” by Billboard magazine, “a virtuoso” by The Irish Times, “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin” by The New York Times and “the future of the Celtic fiddle” by The Washington Post. Eileen Ivers has firmly established herself as the pre-eminent exponent of the Irish fiddle in the world today. Her long list of accomplishments includes a GRAMMY award, Emmy nomination and headline performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops and over 40 orchestras across the world. Eileen is the original musical star of Riverdance, a founding member of Cherish the Ladies and a Nine Time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion. Ivers has guest starred with Sting, Hall and Oates, The Chieftains, ‘Fiddlers 3’ with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Regina Carter, Patti Smith, Al Di Meola and Steve Gadd, performed on the soundtrack for Gangs of New York and played for Presidents and Royalty around the world.

It is a rare and select grade of spectacular artists whose work is so boldly imaginative and clearly virtuosic that it alters the medium. It has been said that the task of respectfully exploring the traditions and progression of the Celtic fiddle is quite literally on Eileen Ivers’ shoulders. The Washington Post states, “She suggests the future of the Celtic fiddle.” “She electrifies the crowd with a dazzling show of virtuoso playing,” says The Irish Times. Ivers’ recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores. Eileen is hailed as one of the great innovators and pioneers in the Celtic and World music genres.

The daughter of Irish immigrants, Eileen Ivers grew up in the culturally diverse neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. Rooted in Irish traditional music since the age of eight, Eileen proceeded to win nine All-Ireland fiddle championships, a tenth on tenor banjo and over 30 championship medals, making her one of the most awarded persons ever to compete in these prestigious competitions.

Being an Irish-American, the intrigue of learning more about the multicultural sounds of her childhood took hold. After graduating magna cum laude in Mathematics from Iona College and while continuing her post-graduate work in Mathematics, Eileen fully immersed herself in the different genres of music which she experienced growing up in New York. Perhaps it was the mathematical mind coupled with her passion for seeking parallels in certain traditional music styles which contributed to what has become the signature sound featured in much of Eileen’s recordings. Eileen currently has focused on highlighting the Celtic foundation of American roots music, from Bluegrass and Country to French Canadian and Cajun music.

Eileen and her ensemble headline prestigious performing arts centers, a guest star with numerous symphonies, performs at major festivals worldwide and has appeared on national and international television. The L.A. Times proclaims, “Ivers’ presentation was music with the kind of life and spirit that come together when talented artists from different backgrounds find the linkages that connect all forms of music…no wonder the audience loved every minute.”

“Eileen Ivers is a consummate artist, and one of the most innovative of today’s Celtic musicians. Her obvious joy and sincerity in performing make her an audience favorite, and her skill and collegiality should make her a favorite with any orchestra fortunate enough to engage her.” – Keith Lockhart, Conductor, The Boston Pops Orchestra

“Eileen Ivers gave one of the most exciting Pops concerts for the Portland Symphony Orchestra. The audience, the orchestra players and I were glued to her breathless virtuoso fiddle performance. The audience refused to let the musicians go off the stage. The message to other symphony orchestras: You must bring Eileen Ivers to your community!” – Toshiyuki Shimada, Music Director and Conductor, Portland Symphony Orchestra

“Having her on your Pops series is a guaranteed grand slam! Don’t miss out!” – Dennis Alves, Director of Artistic Programming, Boston Pops “Nobody does it better than Eileen Ivers. Not only does the orchestra savor her musicianship and professionalism, but, she never misses to bring a pops audience to its feet with thunderous ovations.” – Marvin Hamlisch, National Symphony, and Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Pops Conductor