Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School Instructors
Note: All times are listed in CENTRAL TIME ZONE. Thank you!
Brian Ó hAirt
Instructor Website: http://www.buamusic.com/brian_hart.html
Teaching S01: Sean-nós Song
Brian Ó hAirt is the only American to have won the coveted senior title in traditional singing at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Listowel, County Kerry, in 2002. In his teens, Brian’s introduction to Chicago’s Irish-speaking community allowed him to cultivate a rich understanding of the sean-nós singing tradition even before his immersion in the language while living in the Connemara region of western County Galway. This experience has left him with a vast repertoire of song and rich store of language that continues to inform and inspire his singing. Since 2007, Brian has also recorded and toured extensively with famed County Antrim singer Len Graham, cultivating considerable knowledge about the Ulster tradition through this collaboration. He has performed and taught extensively in North America and Ireland and has been featured on various NPR and RTÉ radio programs. Brian is also an award-winning sean-nós dancer (Cruinniú na mBád, 2003) and accomplished instrumentalist on concertina, accordion, and whistle. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches Irish and helps develop language learning games for Language Hunters, a non-profit organization.