House Concert This Saturday - More Great Irish Music

THE MIDDLETOWNHOUSE CONCERT SERIES presents:

John Whelan with Flynn Cohen
Saturday, November 21st, at 8pm

Suggested donation: $25 general in advance ($28 at the door), $12 students, $7 children 12 & under
Please call Jody Cormack 860-983-7963 for reservations
or email jcormack@wesleyan.edu

Although he grew up near London in Dunstable, England, John Whelan was raised on the fiddle and pipe music of Ireland. At the age of 14, already a seasoned winner of numerous accordion championships, John recorded his first album. Named in honor of his father, Pride of Wexford was no passing fancy - the album is still in print and selling steadily.

John's artistry blossomed in America. He moved to the U.S. in 1980 and soon was performing with Riverdance fiddler Eileen Ivers in one of the most celebrated Irish duos of the decade. His solo album From the Heart became a 1991 finalist in the Celtic/British Isles category of the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers (NAIRD) awards. In 1996 he signed with Narada and released his first solo album on the label, Celtic Reflections. His next release Celtic Crossroads spent more than two months in the top 10 of Billboard's world music charts.

In late 1997 John formed the JOHN WHELAN BAND. In 1998, the band enjoyed a milestone year, thrilling audiences at such major American music events as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Washington Irish Folk Festival, as well as throughout Europe on a junket sponsored by Virgin Records, Narada's parent label. Going solo, John appeared in the critically acclaimed "Once Upon an Accordion" North American Tour. Additionally he appeared in his first motion picture Ride With The Devil directed by Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, Ice Storm).

Named Traditionalist of the Year by Irish Echomagazine in 1998, John won high praise from Celtic music authority Earle Hitchner "As an instrumentalist, composer, producer, and arranger who brings both passion and playfulness to his music while respecting the tradition it's rooted in. John Whelan has richly earned the Irish Echo's highest honor for traditional music in 1998."

John's latest album, "Come To Dance", serves notice to genre purists that the seven-time All-Ireland Champion is as instrumentally agile as ever. It also reveals his consummate understanding of a centuries-old repertoire. The album was recorded live in his hometown church, St. Gabriel's in Milford, Ct. John says, "There were no fixes, no second chances, no overdubs - everything is as live as it can be. Sometimes I would check the tracks by dancing to them. If the rhythm is there, if the feel is there, people are going to enjoy…" He continues, " many of these tunes have a personal significance to me. The Concert Reel is a tune I played for my first All-Ireland Championship, and Father O'Flynn is the very first tune I ever learned to play".

A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Flynn Cohen is an acoustic guitarist who performs primarily as an accompanist for traditional fiddle music. He has a BA in Music from Dartington College of Arts in Devon, England and an MA in Music Composition from Mills College in California.
He performs with the band Annalivia, Irish accordion legend John Whelan, progressive fiddle band Halali, and acclaimed dance band The Sevens, in addition to duo performances with fellow trad guitar player Matt Heaton and old-time fiddler Matt Brown.

He's also worked w/ Cathie Ryan, Aoife Clancy, Skip Healy, Adrienne Young & Little Sadie, Revels, Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, Malibu Storm, Jilly Martin, Gail Davies, Airdance, Boston City Limits, Matt Glaser, John McGann, Joe Derrane & Frank Farrell, Ruthie Dornfeld, Karen Tweed, Jake & Taylor Armerding, Bruce MacGregor, Lissa Schneckenburger, Laura Cortese, Mark Simos, Todd Denman & Aniar, etc.

Flynn was formerly a visiting lecturer in Music at Bridgewater State College and is presently on the Music faculty at Keene State College in New Hampshire.