MCTA Happenings

 The Jeremiahs Return to Frostburg’s Mountain City Traditional Arts, Sunday, Nov. 5

Frostburg State University’s Mountain City Traditional Arts will present the Jeremiahs on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. at 25 E. Main St. in Frostburg. The live entertainment is open to the public through general admission with a suggested donation of $15. 

Calling their music folk-traditional with an urban twist, the band has rapidly built a solid reputation in Ireland and beyond. They shape their sound with Dubliner Joe Gibney’s vocals, joined by vocalist Niamh Varian-Barry on fiddle, Julien Bruneteau from Brittany on whistle and flutes and Dublin-based James Ryan on guitar and bouzouki. They have travelled extensively, with a wonderful mixture of newly composed songs and tunes in the folk genre and a well-selected catalogue of older folk songs. 

A talented singer and songwriter with a melting pot of influences, Gibney, with his instantly recognizable timbre, offers a diverse repertoire of songs, from rousing sea shanties to emotional traditional songs of hardship, love and loss. 

Former lead singer of American supergroup “Solas” and multi-instrumentalist Varian-Barry is a musician and composer from Cork City with a unique and individual style. She has a reputation as an exceptional communicator of the arts. Her powerful vocals have been praised worldwide and she is a trained viola and fiddle player. 

Bruneteau hails from Bordeaux in France and began playing the flute at age 11. While studying jazz at the Conservatoire of Agen and attending the prestigious Didier Lockwood school in Paris, he immersed himself in the works of great artists such as Chris Potter, Stéphane Guillaume and Benoît Sourisse. Bruneteau is a flute player of great sensitivity with an amazing ability to improvise. 

Accompanist Ryan has amassed a wealth of experience, having already performed in more than 14 countries. He draws on a wide a range of influences from different genres and traditions, which is evident is his unique percussive backing style. An established teacher, Ryan is also an experienced sound engineer. 

MCTA is a program of FSU and a founding member of Maryland’s Folklife Network. It receives support from the Maryland Traditions Program of the State Arts Council. 

For more information, call 301-687-8040. 

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-3035 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.