Solas, a bold new generation of Irish musicians will capture your soul with their haunting Celtic refrains when they take the stage on Friday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m., in Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Each player is a master soloist and, as a group, they remain faithful to traditional sounds yet intertwine new and global influences into their music.

No band in Irish music today has risen faster and further in such a short time than Solas, whose most recent Shanachie album, "The Words That Remain," has cemented their reputation as one of the premiere Irish groups in the world. Formed a little more than four years ago, this versatile, virtuosic group has already received three consecutive awards from the Association for Independent Music (AFIM) for Best Celtic recording for "Solas," "Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers," and "The Words that Remain."

With similar speed, Solas progressed from clubs to theaters to headliner status at festivals. They continue to fire on all cylinders, landing the opening slot for the recent summer-long Mary Chapin Carpenter tour.

The members of the group include John Doyle, a Dublin-born guitarist and singer, who is one of today's most in-demand Irish musicians. Seamus Egan plays flute and banjo and, though born in Pennsylvania, was raised in County Mayo, Ireland. There he won the All-Ireland championships on four instruments: flute, tin whistle, mandolin and tenor banjo.

Also, fiddler Winifred Horan, a native New Yorker and graduate of Boston's New England Conservatory of Music, has toured and recorded with Cherish the Ladies and the Sharon Shannon Band. Mick McAuley, from Kilkenny, Ireland, plays accordion and the tin whistle. One of Ireland's finest box players, he has performed with Ron Kavana and Niamh Parsons. And, on vocals, Deirdre Scanlon was originally introduced to Irish music through Irish dancing. Born in Tipperary, Scanlon's earliest lessons were on flute and fiddle but she switched to guitar and voice training at age 15. She is now considered one of the best of her new generation of Irish singers.

Tickets for the Solas concert, part of the Emerald Isle series, are $25 with discounts available for seniors, students and groups. To reserve, call the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.

Posted On: 10-02-2000 09:10 AM

Volume: 33 Number: 62