STRINGED ACCOMPANIMENT

Guitarist and bouzouki player Seán Earnest’s empathetic and eclectic musical stylings have taken him far from his native central Pennsylvania. He is among the most sought-after American Celtic musicians today and can be heard on stages throughout North America and beyond. Having cut his musical teeth in the Irish music sessions of New York and Baltimore, Seán honed his guitar and bouzouki craft while studying at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, where he attained a first class honors Master's degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance. Seán has been a faculty instructor for the Baltimore Trad Fest, Catskills Irish Arts Week, the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat in Texas, the Milwaukee Irish Fest Center, as well as the Celtic College at the Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario, and the Augusta Irish Week.

Seán has performed with many of Irish music’s luminaries including John Carty, Mary Bergin, Billy McComiskey, Brian Conway, Tony DeMarco, Kevin Burke, Damien Connolly, Dr. Mick Moloney, Joanie Madden, Kevin Crawford, Oisín Mac Diarmada, and many others. As an accompanist, he has worked with a number of vocalists including Cathie Ryan, Seamus Begley, Colleen Raney, The Murphy Beds (comprised of Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer), Kyle Carey, as well as the international touring troupes Women of Ireland and The Celtic Angels. He features on recordings by Clare accordion and fiddle player Damien Connolly, Baltimore flautist Laura Byrne, and fiddler Andrew Finn Magill. Seán has toured regularly throughout North America and beyond with the Irish group Téada, the Paul McKenna Band from Glasgow, the McPeake Family of Belfast, and his own quartet The Yanks, with whom he has toured America & Ireland and released two albums to great critical acclaim. These days Seán is a familiar face at Irish music sessions from Boston to Baltimore and enjoys teaching students of all ages and skill levels in private practice.

SINGING

Kevin Elam is a multi-instrumentalist and All-Ireland Champion in Men's Singing. Although he boasts a strong background in classical piano and choral singing, and a degree in Jazz studies, Kevin is rooted in Irish traditional music. In August of 2019, he was awarded first place in Men's English Singing at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, held in Drogheda, Ireland, and took home the coveted “Dalaigh Shield”, an award only won by one other American in its 65-year history.

Kevin has also won more than a dozen other awards in Irish music, including second place medals in Accompaniment and in Newly Composed Songs at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, and nine first-place awards in multiple categories at the CCE Mid-Atlantic Fleadh. In 2020, Kevin was awarded a grant from George Mason University’s Young Artist Commissioning Project, and consequently recorded his debut album of traditional ballads, If I Were A Small Bird, released in September 2021.

Kevin enjoys a busy performance schedule in the US and abroad, appearing both as a soloist and with several ensembles at many of the top Irish and Scottish festivals and concert series. Kevin also teaches students in multiple instruments and styles, and in 2020 joined the prestigious faculty of DC's premiere Irish traditional music camp, MAD Week. Kevin was honored to be selected as one of six Artists in Residence at Strathmore Music Hall in Bethesda, MD for the 2023 season.

Kevin stays quite busy with other musical pursuits outside of the Irish traditional music scene. Holding a BM in Jazz Piano from George Mason University, Kevin performs regularly as a keyboardist in jazz and popular styles in the DC area. He has also developed a reputation as a skilled chamber singer, and enjoys singing Renaissance polyphony (as well as other choral works) with several professional choirs, as well as directing his own a cappella chamber group, Ars Gratia Populi.

http://www.kevinelammusic.com

http://patreon.com/kevinelammusic

BUTTON ACCORDION

Patty Furlong, (Button Accordion C#/D & B/C) TTCT, SCT examiner

Patty Furlong, originally from the Bronx, New York, grew up surrounded by Irish music and dance. Introduced to the button accordion by her dad, she later studied with Martin Mulvihill and went on to win in both solo and group competitions at the Fleadh Cheoil NaH Eireann in Ireland. Her accordion influences include Billy McComisky and Jackie Daly.

Patty has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and Ireland. Her solo CD recording “Patty Furlong- Traditional Irish Music on Button Accordion” was recognized by the Irish Voice as one of the year’s top releases. She has performed with the “Chieftains” and was an original member of “Cherish the Ladies.” Patty has taught at summer schools and led workshops throughout the U.S. and Ireland, mentoring students with the Pearl River School of Music, some having placed at Fleadh Cheoil NaH Eireann.

She is a certified adjudicator, Irish music teacher, and SCT grade examiner, through Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann (CCE) in Dublin, Ireland. Patty has judged at the Fleadh Cheoil in Ireland and is a recipient of CCE Mid-Atlantic Region Hall of Fame Award for her musicianship and contributions to Irish Music. She remains dedicated to mentoring future musicians and supporting their artistic development.

Patty Furlong, DNP, APRN - BC, RN

Patty is a doctoral prepared board-certified nurse practitioner. She is the Director of Student Health at Iona University and is tenured faculty at the graduate division of nursing at Dominican University.

BANJO

Simon Lace has established himself as one of the most prominent rising talents in Irish Traditional Music west of the Atlantic. Hailing from Northern California, he got his start in music learning rock and jazz but was exposed to Irish music from an early age through the traditional music community of his hometown, Nevada City. While studying composition and jazz at San Francisco State University, Simon honed his guitar and banjo skills in the SF Bay Area trad community. Since moving to Boston, his sophisticated banjo and guitar playing has made him a fixture in the Irish music scene. He has been heard performing at events such as the Maine Celtic Celebration and Boston Celtic Music Festival, in addition to hosting weekly sessions in the greater Boston area.  In addition, he has taught at programs such as CCÉ Boston Music School and the Baltimore Irish Tenor Banjo Summit, and won 1st place at the 2023 and 2024 Mid Atlantic Fleadh on banjo, mandolin, and guitar accompaniment. In addition to his own projects, he also tours the US and Australia as featured guitarist with A Taste of Ireland Dance Company.

FIDDLE

Nathan Gourley is from Madison Wisconsin, where he started fiddle at the age of five. While in the midwest he collaborated with renowned musicians including Paddy O’Brien and Dáithí Sproule, and developed a distinctive style rooted in a deep appreciation for the tradition. Now based in Boston, he is a sought-after performer and teacher, known for his collaborations on projects like 'Brightly or Darkly' and 'Life Is All Checkered' with Laura Feddersen, 'Copley Street' and 'Copley Street 2' with Joey Abarta and Owen Marshall, and 'The Truckley Howl' with Mairéad Hurley and John Blake. He has performed and taught workshops at festivals from New Zealand to Norway, including Catskills Irish Arts Week, Cascadia Irish Music Week, Ceol Aneas, and the Norse-Gael Folk Fest.

SEAN NOS DANCING

Kate Spanos is a dancer and dance scholar from the DC area with a Ph.D. in dance and performance studies from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in traditional Irish dance performance from the University of Limerick (UL). She started dancing at the CCÉ O’Neill-Malcom céilís in Fairfax in 1990 and went on to have a successful competitive dance career as a student of the O’Neill-James School of Irish Dance. She has studied a wide variety of Irish dance styles, including competition/feis style, sean nós, old-style step dance, Molyneaux style from North Kerry, and festival style from the north of Ireland. Notable teachers include Laureen O’Neill-James, Carmel O’Rourke-Tighe, Catherine Foley, Michael Ryan, Breandán de Gallaí, Colin Dunne, Jonathan Kelliher, Jimmy Smith, Padraig O hOibicin, Máire Áine Ní Iarnáin, Ruth Long, and Lauren Smyth. More information can be found at katespanosirishdance.com. 

BODHRAN

Jesse Winch was born in the Bronx in 1943. As a ten-year-old, Jesse took up the drums and two years later started playing with his father and button-accordion player P.J. Conway for house parties and parish dances. He played in his first ceili band in the late 1950's under the tutelage of the legendary Felix Dolan. While still in high school, Jesse became the regular drummer for the Tenafly/Englewood, New Jersey Ceili Club with his dad, P.J. Conway and Walter Walsh (accordions), and Jackie and Peggy Riordan (fiddles). Jesse went on to play drums with the Joe Nellany Band, Paddy Noonan, Paulie Ryan, and several other Irish dance bands in New York in the early 1960s, playing such historic venues as the New York City Center, The Yorkville Casino, The Jaeger House, and others.

In the late 1960's Jesse was introduced to the bodhran at an Irish Northern Aid benefit, and in succeeding years, started playing the bodhran with encouragement and inspiration from such players as Peadar Mercier, Robin Morton, Seamus Begley (while visiting Washington on the 1976 Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann [CCE] tour) and DeDanann's Johnny McDonagh. Jesse played with James Keane's Ellis Island Band at the National Folk Festival in 1986 and 1987 as part of an all-star line-up that included Jack Coen, Mike Preston, Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds, and Mattie Connolly, with Seamus Connolly joining the group in the second year. 

Jesse is a founding member, with his brother Terry, of the award-winning band Celtic Thunder, and also plays regularly in the DC area with Narrowbacks, the Bog Wanderers Ceili Band, and the Irish Inn Mates. Jesse has recorded with Celtic Thunder, Jerry O'Sullivan, The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell, Johnny Cunningham, Linda Hickman, and many others.

Jesse has served on the teaching staff at the Augusta Heritage Center’s Irish Week in Elkins, WV, teaching bodhran and ceili band, a class he created; at the Swannanoa Gathering’s Celtic Week in Asheville, NC; at the Annual Convention of the North American Province of CCE; and regularly for the Washington Conservatory of Music at Glen Echo Park, Maryland.

FIDDLE

Rose Conway Flanagan originally began Irish music lessons with Martin Mulvihill while growing up in the Bronx, and further developed her New York Sligo style of fiddling with the help of family friend and mentor Martin Wynne and her older brother Brian Conway. In 2013, Rose was inducted into the Mid-Atlantic Region CCE Hall of Fame alongside her father, Jim, and her brother Brian. She currently runs a large music school in her hometown of Pearl River, where she is preparing the next generation of great traditional musicians, including several All-Ireland winners and medalists.

Among Rose’s past students are all the fiddlers in Girsa and senior fiddle champion Dylan Foley. Rose is a coveted instructor and has taught at most Irish music workshops and camps around the country, including Catskills Irish Arts Week, The Swannanoa Celtic Gathering, The O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, The Baltimore Trad Fest, and MAD Week in the U.S., DeDanaan Dance Camp in British Columbia, and Scoile Eigse in Cavan and Sligo, Ireland.

In addition to her teaching, Rose runs sessions and performs both with her group, the Green Gates Ceili Band, and in various concerts throughout her local area. Rose also has a strong connection to the Baltimore area - aside from teaching at the Trad Fest, she also released a duo CD in 2014 with flute player Laura Byrne from Baltimore, Forget Me Not.

ADV. FLUTE/WHISTLE

Born in Chicago in 1983, Isaac Alderson grew up in a musical household where his father introduced him to blues, jazz, and the joy of learning music by ear. At age 12, he discovered Irish traditional music and quickly became captivated by the sound of the uilleann pipes. During his teenage years, he studied primarily with renowned flute and whistle player Laurence Nugent, while also learning from pipers such as Al Purcell, Patrick Cannady, and Kieran O’Hare. Frequent trips to Ireland further deepened his connection to the tradition.

At 18, he moved to New York City to attend college and immerse himself in its vibrant Irish music scene. In 2002, he won the All-Ireland Senior Championships on his three main instruments, helping launch a full-time music career. After graduating, he toured with Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul before beginning his freelance career in 2007. Since then, he has performed and taught throughout the United States and internationally across Europe, Canada, Colombia, and China.

His performance credits include touring with Riverdance, performing with the Broadway musical Come From Away, playing in the orchestra for Josh Groban concerts, recording for Jennifer Hudson at the 2014 Tony Awards, subbing in Sting’s musical The Last Ship, and touring with Celtic Crossroads.

An active teacher, he has led workshops at major festivals and retreats, including Catskills Irish Arts Week, the Northeast Tionól, the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, and Corofin Trad Fest, among others. He is a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 802 in New York City.

BEGINNER/INT. FLUTE/WHISTLE

Tina Eck plays the Irish wooden flute and tinwhistle. Originally from Germany and now working as a Washington-based radio news correspondent, she discovered her passion for Irish traditional music in a local pub in Washington DC in the 1990’s. She has since performed at countless sessions, festivals, dances and concerts, including such notable venues as the Irish Embassy, Strathmore Hall and the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. She has traveled to Ireland frequently and has learned technique and repertoire from some of the best traditional flute players in Ireland and the U.S. She is on the faculty of the Washington Conservatory of Music program at Glen Echo Park, and she also gives private flute and whistle lessons. In 2011 Tina was awarded a Maryland State Arts Council Grant for Solo World Music Performance. Tina also holds a 2013 TTCT

Teaching Diploma by Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann (Dublin), identifying her as one of the premier teachers of Irish traditional music. Tina performs with the duo Lilt, the dance band Rambling House and the Irish Inn Mates. She lives in Cabin John, MD.

CONCERTINA

Brenda Dowling is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist from Woodlawn, The Bronx, New York. Starting with traditional music at the age of 7, she has studied tin whistle, flute, and concertina under many renowned musicians. Brenda has won numerous titles, such as championships at the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil, an All Ireland Championship, as well as an award from Comhaltas for promoting Irish culture. She has played at venues and events such as Atlanta IrishFest, Joanie Madden’s Folk N’ Irish Cruise, Catskills Irish Arts Week, and many more. Currently, Brenda is heavily involved in teaching, playing, and promoting Irish music and culture in New York and the US.

FLATFOOTING/CLOGGING

Originally from Hungary, Agi is one of our DMV area pillars for percussive dance. She has been teaching and professionally performing and touring all over the world for three decades now. Her knowledge includes a broad variety of traditional percussive dance styles. This year at MAD weekend she will be focusing on teaching flat footing and clogging. Agi believes that percussive dance is very much part of the music and a necessity and she is very excited to be back teaching at MAD weekend. 

SINGING WORKSHOP

Eileen Estes is a traditional singer, arranger, songwriter, and song collector with family roots in Irish music. A member of Baltimore-based bands Celtic Corridor and The Good Folk, she is dedicated to preserving and promoting Irish traditions. She also works as a studio musician and vocal coach.

As the founder of Lark Song Studios, Eileen teaches voice both in-person and remotely.

Her teaching emphasizes vocal health, ornamentation, and Irish phrasing, creating a collaborative space where singers develop their unique voices. She serves on the faculty of the Washington Conservatory of Music and is the vocal instructor for the Irish Music School of Chicago. She previously taught voice and traditional singing at the Blue Ridge Irish Music School and leads workshops across the U.S.

Eileen is profoundly influenced by her mother, Nita Conley (a founding member of Celtic Thunder), and her mentor, Niamh Parsons. She also draws inspiration from the singing of the Tunney family and Rita Gallagher. Learn more at LarkSongStudios.com

EFFECTIVE PRACTICING WORKSHOP

Mitch Fanning earned a Bachelor of Music degree (1982) in violin performance from The Catholic University of America's School of Music where he studied with Jody Gatwood, concertmaster emeritus of National Philharmonic Orchestra. He also studied Suzuki violin pedagogy with Ronda Cole and participated in pedagogy workshops at Suzuki Institutes with the late John Kendall et. al., and more recently with Mimi Zweig’s teacher training program at Indiana University. Mitch has also studied traditional Irish fiddling with the late All-Ireland fiddle champions Brendan Mulvihill and Brian Conway.

Mitch is the founding director of the Bog Band, a youth performance group specializing in traditional Irish music. The Bog Band began as a fiddle club at Washington Waldorf School where Mitch taught as part of the middle school strings program. The Bog Band inspired the inception of Musical Arts & Dance (MAD) Week, a summer day camp celebrating traditional Irish music and dance.  MAD Weekend is a natural outgrowth and more broadly accessible and compact celebration of traditional Irish music and dance that continues to this day.   

Mitch is also the founding executive director of the Baltimore-Washington Academy of Irish Culture (BWAIC), a music, dance, and cultural academy for children and teens. The Bog Band was both the initial enrollment as well as the performance practicum at the academy. Since stepping down from executive directorship nearly three years ago, BWAIC has changed its name to Baltimore Irish Music School and primarily serves the Baltimore metro area.

Mitch also earned a TTCT certification in Irish music from Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann’s teacher training course (2014) in Dublin. He teaches traditional Irish fiddle and classical violin at his home-based studio in Silver Spring, MD and teaches classes in traditional Irish fiddling for violinists at Washington Conservatory of Music. He performs regularly at the Irish Inn at Glen Echo with his fellow Inn Mates and at other venues throughout the area. 

PLAYING IN SESSIONS WORKSHOP

Josh Dukes is an All-Ireland champion accompanist and a highly sought-after music teacher in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. A multi-instrumentalist whose talents embrace the guitar, bouzouki, bodhran, flute, and tin whistle, Josh has established a reputation for providing sensitive, tasteful support for traditional Irish music. As a young high school student, Josh studied the oboe, tenor/alto saxophone, drum set and baritone horn. 

Outside of the classroom, he learned the art of ancient rudimental drumming under the tutelage of Dominick Cuccia, a widely respected instructor/performer in the fife and drum community. In 1997, Josh enlisted in the Army and has since earned the rank of Master Sergeant, where he served as one of three Drum Majors for the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, “The Official Escort to the President,” the only military unit of its kind. Josh continues to perform Irish music, having shared the stage with such renowned musicians including John Doyle, Paddy Keenan, Billy and Sean McComiskey, Brendan Mulvihill, Skip Healy, Zan McLeod, and Myron Bretholz. Josh lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Judy and two daughters, Mya and Olivia.

SEAN NOS DANCE WORKSHOP

Kate Bole is a step dancer, sean nos enthusiast, and choreographer. She began dancing at age six with Theresa Burke in Youngstown, Ohio. Upon moving to Washington, D.C. in 2002, she studied with Sean Culkin and Nicki Bayhurst at the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance. In recent years, she has been lucky to study alongside the brilliant DC area dance master Agi Kovacs. With the guidance of these amazing teachers, she has developed a love for choreography, performing with live music, and teaching students of all ages. Kate has choreographed and performed for productions at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the Strathmore Performing Arts Center in concert with Eileen Ivers, the Blackrock Center for the Arts, the Montgomery College Performing Arts Center, and the Washington Performing Arts Society Gala. She has been featured as a guest dancer with many Irish music touring ensembles, including Natalie MacMaster, Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, Lúnasa, Téada, Lilt, Kevin Burke, and The Rovers.

TUNE TEACH/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Jessica Zito is an Irish fiddle player born and raised in the DC area. She grew up in a musical household, attending ceilis and summer camps with her sister, Jacqueline Zito. She began learning fiddle from MAD Weekend founder, Mitch Fanning, and took lessons for over a decade with All-Ireland champion Brian Conway. Under their guidance, she earned multiple Mid-Atlantic Fleadh titles and competed at the All-Ireland Fleadh. Today, you can find Jessica teaching and playing gigs up and down the East Coast. 

TUNE TEACH/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Patrick Winch is multi-instrumentalist residing in Washington, D.C. Growing up, Patrick was surrounded by traditional Irish music, which can be primarily attributed to his father, Jesse Winch. In the 1970s, Jesse co-founded the award-winning Irish traditional band Celtic Thunder - so in many ways, Irish music is a family tradition for the Winches. Patrick has studied the tenor banjo, DADGAD guitar, and bouzouki under many renowned musicians, and performs/teaches each at a professional level. Patrick is featured on the Winch Family Band album "The Irish Riviera" and on the newly released album “All Will Be Well” with his band the Good Folk. Patrick has placed first at the Mid Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil in the senior tenor banjo and the senior accompaniment competitions, and has recently taught as a core instructor at the 2025 Baltimore Irish Tenor Banjo Summit. Patrick is the co-artistic director for CCE O’Neill Malcom’s MAD Weekend, helping to promote Irish music and culture across the East Coast.

IRISH HISTORY & CULTURE WORKSHOP

Francesca (Ches) Winch is the chair of the O'Neill Malcom Branch of CCE. A dual Irish-American citizen, Ches started designing and leading tours of Ireland in 1992. Now retired after 36 years as a high school English teacher, Ches has her own tour company: Eire-Go Tours. She specializes in small group tours that focus on Irish history, music, dance, and culture. This Power Point presentation will cover Irish history and culture from the Neolithic Era to modern times. Join me on a virtual tour of the Emerald Isle!