Traditional Irish music coming to DePauw Sunday

You don't have to be Irish to enjoy an evening of traditional Irish music being presented by DePauw University at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Well-known artists Liz Carroll and John Doyle are featured in a free concert at the Thompson Recital Hall of DePauw University's Green Center for the Performing Arts.

The duo is highly regarded in the "new traditionalist movement" in Irish music. They perform dance tunes and songs that are often centuries old as well as new compositions honoring the style, form and tradition of Irish music.

Carroll and Doyle have been playing together for nearly a decade off and on. In 2005 they released their first album "In Play" on Compass Records.

Their styles are wonderfully suited to each other with jazzy undertones and quirky syncopation that infuses many of Carroll's original tunes with an air of fun and whimsy.

Their new CD, "Double Play," was just released earlier this month. They will be performing for President Barack Obama at the St. Patrick's Day celebration in Washington.

Doyle was born in Dublin. His father, Sean Doyle, is a traditional singer and is his inspiration. He performed, as a young man, in local Dublin groups and later came to America, where he joined forces with other Irish performers. The group became known as "Solas."

They are probably the best known second generation of traditional/progressive Irish music. The group has recorded four CDs and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

He also did the scoring for the PBS documentary, "Out of Ireland." He has been named as one of the Top 100 Irish-Americans for 2008 by Irish America magazine.

When he is not touring with Carroll, he serves as musical director and guitarist on the international tour of folk legend Joan Baez.

Carroll was born in Chicago to Irish immigrant parents who both played music. She showed a talent for playing old Irish music on her fiddle and began accumulating prestigious awards in the All Ireland Championships. She has won numerous prizes including a National Heritage Fellowship Award.

When she was 18, when she astounded the Celtic music world by winning the Senior All-Ireland Championship. Her recordings and appearances on concert stages, television and radio, have established Liz as one of traditional music's most sought-after performers. "Lost in the Loop," released in 2000, won her new fans around the world, as it garnered an Indie Award. She was named Traditional Performer of the Year in 2000.

Her first solo, in 1988, "Liz Carroll," was chosen as a select record of American folk music by the Library of Congress.

Acknowledged as a master of the Irish fiddle, she is in demand for recordings, as well as national and international tours.

Seating for the concert is limited. For information about the evening contact Ron Dye at 658-4689 or email him at rdye@depauw.edu