Téada - Irish Ensemble to Perform at MCTA

Téada

Irish Traditional Music with a World-Wide Reach

Téada, a traditional Irish ensemble with a world-wide reach, will perform at Mountain City Traditional Arts, 25 E. Main Street, Frostburg, on Tuesday, March 6th at 7:30 pm. This is event is open to the public with a suggested donation of $15.

Dedicated to bringing the music of Ireland to audiences around the globe, Téada has appeared as a frequent headliner at major music festivals throughout the US, Canada, Téada Mexico, Europe, Africa, Russia, the Middle East and Australia. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, with funding from Culture Ireland, the group is making Frostburg a stop on its month-long tour of the Eastern US and Mid-Atlantic region.

This leg of the tour features a four piece line-up including Oisin Mac Diarmada, fiddle, Séamus Begley, vocals/button accordion, Seán McElwain, guitar, and Samantha Harvey, dance and accordion.  Together, they’ll deliver an exhilarating performance highlighting the enduring appeal of traditional Irish music and dance.

A graduate in Music Education from Trinity College Dublin/RIAM, Oisín Mac Diarmada has been described by The Irish Echo's Earle Hitchner as "one of the most gifted and creative traditional fiddlers playing today." Founder of noted group Téada in 2001, he is also a regular solo performer, having appeared as guest soloist with the Southern Georgia Symphony Orchestra (USA) and Würtembergische Philharmonie Orchestra (Germany) along with having an extensive recording history. He has recently published a new book – Fiddlers of Sligo Tunebook – along with fellow-Sligo musician, Daithí Gormley.

West Kerry legend, Séamus Begley, is the quintessential Irish musician, famous for his sharp wit and the beautiful sweetness of his voice, recognised in his recent 2013 Gradam Ceoil TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year award. Displaying a wonderful spontaneity in his accordion-playing, he has toured extensively with performers such as Altan, Steve Cooney and Mary Black. He has recorded numerous duet albums with guitarists such as Steve Cooney, Jim Murray and Tim Edey, and in early 2012 released a duet album with Oisín Mac Diarmada.

Seán McElwain from Monaghan brings a strong string dimension to Téada through his dynamic contributions on guitar. He is actively involved in the organizing and running of an annual weekend of music 'Scoil Cheoil na Botha' in his native county Monaghan and recently completed PhD research on the music of his local area. The CD project which emerged from this research received a prestigious TG4 Gradam Ceol Award for Collaboration in 2016. 

Samantha Harvey is an award-winning step dancer, pianist and accordionist. She has performed throughout the world. Most recently Samantha performed in RTÉ's Centenary 2016, broadcast live from the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin and with the Omaha Symphony in A Celtic Journey.

Dedicated to the sales, education, documentation and perpetuation of the traditional arts, Mountain City Traditional Arts is a program of Frostburg State University, which receives support from the Maryland Traditions Program of the Maryland State Arts Council. For more information, call 301-687-8040.