Winifred Horan

Last updated

Winifred Horan
OriginNew York City
GenresClassical Celtic, Irish folk
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Violin/Fiddle
Labels Compass, Shanachie

Winifred Horan is an American violinist/fiddler of Irish descent. After classical training, she played with the all-female Celtic music ensemble Cherish the Ladies before becoming an original member [1] [2] of the Irish traditional music group Solas. [3]

Contents

Biography

Horan was born in New York City [4] to Irish parents [5] and studied piano (taught by her father, a carpenter and musician) [6] and Irish fiddle playing at a young age. [7] She attended and graduated from the New England Conservatory [8] in Boston, Massachusetts, where she studied classical violin, [7] [9] and the Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, Colorado. [5] She played with multiple orchestras, including the Boston Pops Orchestra, and string quartets, before joining the all-female Celtic music ensemble Cherish the Ladies in 1990. [7] She co-founded [2] [10] [11] Solas in 1994, [12] and is on fiddle and backing vocals. [8] [13] On her participation in Solas and, in particular, touring with the group, Horan expressed in a 2008 interview: "Traveling the world with Solas has been one of the best things about being in the band." [12]

Outside of her work with Solas, Horan was a member of and toured with The Sharon Shannon Band, [8] and also performed with Irish singer-songwriter Pierce Turner. [7] She was "featured fiddler" on When Juniper Sleeps, a 1996 solo album by Séamus Egan, and co-writer of certain tracks for the 1995 film The Brothers McMullen . [7] She is also a nine-time champion Irish stepdancer and an All-Ireland fiddle champion, [14] [15] having won an All-Ireland Junior Championship at age eleven. [7] In a December 2001 interview, Horan identified Liz Carroll, Egan, and Sharon Shannon as her top musical influences. [6]

Horan released her first solo album, Just One Wish, in October 2002 on Shanachie Records. [7] [16] In 2006, she and fellow Solas member Mick McAuley, an accordionist, released Serenade on Compass Records, [17] with covers of "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young and "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan. [18] Siobhán Long, writing for The Irish Times , listed Serenade as fifth on her list of top five Irish traditional music albums released in 2006. [17] Horan composed two of the album's tracks: "Little Mona Lisa" and "A Daisy in December", [19] which was featured during the third season of the American reality television competitive dance series So You Think You Can Dance . [20]

Horan lives in Dover, New Hampshire and is currently a member of the faculty of The New England Conservatory. [21]

Selected discography

with Cherish The Ladies

with Solas

Solo and other selected albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of immigrant communities in the United States</span>

The vast majority of the inhabitants of the United States are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. This article will focus on the music of these communities and discuss its roots in countries across Africa, Europe and Asia, excluding only Native American music, indigenous and immigrant Latinos, Puerto Rican music, Hawaiian music and African American music. The music of Irish- and Scottish-Americans will be a special focus, due to their extreme influence on Appalachian folk music and other genres. These sorts of music are often sustained and promoted by a variety of ethnic organizations.

Daniel Edward Lapp is a Canadian folk musician based in Victoria, British Columbia and Pender Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Linnet Records</span> American independent record label

Green Linnet Records was an American independent record label that specialized in Celtic music. Founded by Lisa Null and Patrick Sky as Innisfree Records in 1973, the label was initially based in Null's house in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 1975 the label became Innisfree/Green Linnet and Wendy Newton joined Null and Sky as operating officer. In 1976 Newton took over control of the now Green Linnet label and moved it to Danbury, Connecticut in 1985. Newton became sole owner in 1978. Newton's love of Irish music had been sparked during a visit to Ireland where she heard traditional music for the first time in a small pub in County Clare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie MacMaster</span> Musical artist

Natalie MacMaster is a Canadian fiddler from Troy, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, who plays Cape Breton fiddle music. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma. She has appeared at the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Scotland and MerleFest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karan Casey</span> Irish folk singer

Karan Casey is an Irish folk singer, and a former member of the Irish band Solas. She resides in Cork, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherish the Ladies</span> American Celtic music group

Cherish the Ladies is an American female super group that plays Celtic music. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985. It was the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in America in what had been a male-dominated scene. The group took its name from a traditional Irish jig called "Cherish the Ladies", and the series opened to sold-out concerts. Their leader Joanie Madden plays flute and tin whistle. The other members of the group play a wide variety of instruments. Their albums contain both tunes and songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solas (group)</span>

Solas was an American musical group officially formed in 1996, playing Irish traditional music as well as original compositions influenced by the country, rock, and Americana genres. With several members who are prominent performers, both solo and in other constellations in the Irish traditional music scene, Solas has been described as a "Supergroup". Their name comes from an Irish word meaning "light".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Séamus Egan</span>

Séamus Egan is an Irish-American musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Ivers</span> American fiddler (born 1965)

Eileen Ivers is an American fiddler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antje Duvekot</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1974)

Antje Duvekot is a German-American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Somerville, Massachusetts. She holds three top songwriting awards including the Kerrville New Folk Competition's Best New Folk Award, Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act, and Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Fields of America</span> Irish-American musical ensemble

The Green Fields of America is an ensemble that performs and promotes Irish traditional music in the United States. It was formed in 1977 in Philadelphia, led by musician and folklorist Mick Moloney. They perform Irish and Irish-American culture with American musicians and dancers. They are named after the traditional ballad The Green Fields of America.

Johnny Cunningham was a Scottish folk musician and composer, instrumental in spreading interest in traditional Celtic music.

Patrick "Packie" Duignan was an Irish flute player, very well known by music lovers of his time. He was born in Aughabehy, in the Arigna Mountains of County Roscommon, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Glackin</span> Musical artist

Paddy Glackin is an Irish fiddler and founding member of the Bothy Band. He is considered one of Ireland's leading traditional fiddle players.

<i>Red=Luck</i> 2003 studio album by Patty Larkin

Red=Luck is singer-songwriter Patty Larkin's tenth album. Produced by Larkin, Bette Warner, and Ben Wittman in 2003 and distributed by Vanguard Records, it contained the following songs:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Carroll</span> American fiddler and composer

Liz Carroll is an American fiddler and composer. She is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship Award. Carroll and collaborator Irish guitarist John Doyle were nominated for a Grammy Award in 2010. She is considered one of the greatest contemporary Irish fiddlers.

James Keane is an Irish traditional musician and accordion player. The Italian Castagnari company issued and continues a line of signature instruments called keanebox in his honor.

Jimmy Keane is a London-born English musician of Irish origin and a specialist piano accordion player. In addition to his solo career, in the 1980s he was part of the folk trio Moloney, O'Connell & Keane, then in ensemble Green Fields of America. In the 1990s, he was in Aengus and formed the group bohola with Pat Broaders and Seán Cleland. He has recorded and produced a number of albums.

Liam O'Connor is an Irish fiddler, collector, researcher and teacher from County Dublin. He is the current director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA). O'Connor has been described by The Journal of Music as "one of the outstanding fiddle-players of his generation".

References

  1. ↑ Oksenhorn, Stewart (August 6, 2004). "Sound of Solas: Irish-American band reaches beyond its roots". Aspen Times . Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2010. Of the current quintet, only Egan and Horan are original members.
  2. 1 2 Alarik, Scott (December 18, 2003). "A harpist's trip to the other side". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2010. ... Solas founders Seamus Egan and Winifred Horan ...
  3. ↑ Daley, Dave (August 16, 1996). "Good-time Irish Rovers bring their blarney to Irish Fest". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . CUE 3E. Retrieved February 16, 2010. The group boasts three Americans: ... John Williams; Seamus Eagan ...; and Winifred Horan on fiddle.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Just one word – Wonderful!". The Irish Emigrant. January 30, 2003. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2010. ... Winnie was born in the melting pot metropolis of New York City.
  5. 1 2 Oksenhorn, Stewart (November 5, 2009). "Solas brings its take on Irish folk to Aspen". Aspen Times . Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2010. Winifred Horan, a fiddler, former Aspen Music School student, founding member of Solas and Egan's one-time offstage partner ... was born in New York to Irish parents, and spent extensive time in her formative years in Ireland.
  6. 1 2 Horgan, Candace (December 2001). "Winifred Horan: Classical Fiddling; Interview with Winnie Horan". IrishFiddler.com (republished from Fiddler Magazine). Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2010. My dad was a trumpeter in a jazz band and played piano. ... He was a carpenter by trade. ... I started on piano when I was six and he was my first teacher. ... Seamus[,] Sharon Shannon[, and] Liz Carroll [...] are my top influences.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "World music present Celtic sensation Solas". EDGE Boston. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 Crean, Ellen (March 16, 2002). "Solas: Irish Music Supergroup". CBS News . Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010. Native New Yorker Winifred Horan (fiddle, backing vocals) is a graduate of the New England Conservatory as well as former core member of Cherish The Ladies and The Sharon Shannon Band.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Alan (April 7, 2006). "Cultural ambassadors: Super group Solas looks back on a decade of accolades". Vermont Guardian. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2010. ... fiddler Winifred Horan has a New England Conservatory background in classical music.
  10. ↑ Laban, Linda (December 22, 2007). "A joyous Christmas with Celtic Sojourn". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2010. Solas's founding member, fiddle player Winifred Horan ...
  11. ↑ Doran, Bob (February 17, 2005). "PREVIEW – What we know". North Coast Journal . Retrieved February 26, 2010. Originally founded by Irish American musicians Seamus Egan and Winnie Horan ...
  12. 1 2 Leahey, Andrew (August 29, 2008). "RIFFS: Solas at its best: Veteran band plays traditional Irish-American music with a twist". The Washington Times . Retrieved February 26, 2010. The storied band was formed in 1994 ... Winifred Horan, a fiddler who has remained with Solas throughout the group's existence.
  13. ↑ Day, Suzanne (March 14, 2006). "Celtic musicians make a Lyric performance". Collegiate Times . Retrieved February 22, 2010. The band also includes native New Yorker Winifred Horan (fiddle, backing vocals) ...
  14. ↑ Lay, Jennie (August 12, 2004). "Solas plays contemporary traditional Irish music". Steamboat Pilot & Today . Retrieved February 16, 2010. In addition to being a nine-time Irish stepdancing champion and an all-Ireland fiddle champion, Solas fiddle player Horan has played with Eileen Ivers ...[ dead link ]
  15. ↑ Cook, Robert M (August 16, 2009). "Beautiful day, great music at Americana fest in Portsmouth". Foster's Daily Democrat . Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2010. All-Ireland fiddle champion Winifred Horan ...
  16. ↑ "Just One Wish". Allmusic . Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  17. 1 2 Long, Siobhán (December 15, 2006). "Beginner's luck". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2010. Solas's Winifred Horan and Mick McAuley lost little time in pursuing their own particular pathways through the tradition with the gorgeously understated Serenade (Compass).
  18. ↑ "Franchize Boyz get crunked". USA Today . February 13, 2006. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010. The accordionist and fiddle player from Celtic band Solas ... . The gentle lilt of "The Joyous Waltz" and "Little Mona Lisa" adds charming rhythmic variety, and the duo tops things with a pair of gorgeous covers, Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" and a version of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" worthy of the Everly Brothers.
  19. ↑ Wallis, Geoff. "Mick McAuley & Winifred Horan: Serenade". Irish Music Review (republished from Songlines). Retrieved February 26, 2010. Winifred's two compositions, Little Mona Lisa and A Daisy in December ...
  20. ↑ Scarpa, Gina (August 9, 2008). "So You Think You Can Dance: Top 6 Performance Music". BuddyTV . Retrieved February 22, 2010. Pasha and Lacey were back in the second half of the show with a slow waltz to "A Daisy In December" by Mick McAuley and Winifred Horan.
  21. ↑ "Faculty".[ disputed – discuss ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.