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Event
NUALA KENNEDY BAND
7 pm, doors open 6:30 pm
BYOB and food allowed
$15 advance, $18 at the door
Irish singer and flute player with hauntingly beautiful vocals, adventurous instrumentation, and an imaginative mix of influences.
Nuala Kennedy's singing and flute playing springs from the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland, and from the fathomless realms of her own imagination. A consummate performer with a buoyant personality, her music has been described as "unique," "evocative," and "soul-satisfying." Nuala grew up in Dundalk, County Louth, on the East coast of Ireland, a musical area steeped in mythology and with long historical links to Scotland. She began playing traditional music at the age of seven when her father introduced her to her first whistle teacher.
Nuala instantly fell in love with traditional Irish tunes and became a quick study. By the age of twelve she picked up the wooden flute and joined a local ceilidh band. She was winning awards by the time she was thirteen. "I never dreamed when I started playing in that very social and visceral way," Nuala says, "that something that was such an organic part of my childhood would lead to a career in traditional music. All I knew was that I loved the music and that I wanted to play all the time." At the age of eighteen, Nuala moved to Scotland to study art at Edinburgh College of Art. Captivated immediately by Edinburgh's traditional music session scene, she developed good friendships with many of the musicians there and was tremendously influenced by fellow Irish expatriate Cathal McConnel, who over the years played an important mentorship role in Nuala's music. Her instrumental prowess deepened and her repertoire expanded to include both Scottish and Irish tunes.
Nuala began touring widely in Europe, Canada, and Australia with her first band, Fine Friday, a trio including guitarist Kris Drever and fiddler Anna-Wendy Stevenson. Nuala moved to Inverness in the Highlands in 2007 to deepen her knowledge of the Scots Gaelic musical traditions. This one-year intensive study of the best influences of the two cultures expanded Nuala's knowledge and repertoire even more, shaping her instrumentation and vocals to an extraordinary level. During this time, Nuala formed her own band and released her first solo CD, The New Shoes. It was warmly received around the world.
The album was voted traditional album of the week by The Irish Times, and traditional highlight of 2008 by Hotpress. The Irish Times called it, "A dazzling debut. Unhurried yet freewheeling, loose-limbed yet disciplined, [Kennedy's] voice is a natural, earthy instrument entirely in concert with her woody flute lines. She is not only an exceptional interpreter of the tradition: her own tunes glisten with freshness. Spellbinding."
In addition to performing the traditional music she grew up with, Nuala often works with musicians from other genres. She has performed and recorded with American hipster and indie-poet Will Oldham, French guitarist Philippe Guidat, Nova Scotian traditional musician Troy McGillivray and cutting-edge Canadian composer Oliver Schroer, with whom she recorded Enthralled, a duo album of entirely original compositions.
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LocationSANDYWOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS (View)
43 Muse Way
Tiverton, RI 02878
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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