We traced our relative back to Sligo, which was funny, because I was taking lessons from a Sligo-style fiddle player named Brian Conway. At the age of three Haley Richardson, born in New Jersey, asked if she could learn to play the fiddle, shortly thereafter she discovered Irish music and by the age of six she had qualified for the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, an all-Ireland music competition. The young musician’s father knew his family had strong links to County Sligo but had never visited now Richardson has not only reintroduced her family to their ancestral home but also plays fiddle in the Sligo style. I have two older brothers. Bill Whelan Riverdance 25th Anniversary Album. Read more: Riverdance triumphantly returns to the stage in Dublin Speaking to IrishCentral, in the VIP room backstage, Richardson explained how music was always very much part of her family life. “Hopefully I can just continue touring with Riverdance for now. I would always go in with my mom. We always had classical music playing all over the house, and that’s what I was drawn to. I think the reason I’ve stuck with it, more than anything, is the community. She has garnered a number of prestigious awards including both Junior and Senior Fiddler of Dooney titles and multiple All Ireland championships. Here's footage of Richardson in action, in May 2019, playing some Irish reels: What brings tourists to Ireland over and over again? I’ve been having so much fun performing. Right after the show, Richardson told her mother, “I want to play like that”. Irish fiddler, Haley Richardson’s virtuosic musicianship has astounded audiences around the world. She has garnered a number of prestigious awards including both Junior and Senior Fiddler of Dooney titles and multiple All Ireland championships. The adults were very eager to have a young musician to share what they knew. This time around, her father only came to stay for a week with her mother chaperoning for the summer. Podcast: Interview with Riverdance Fiddler Haley Richardson – … ", ‘The Band’s Visit’ arrives at the Academy of Music with gorgeous songs and a message that hits home right now, Why is ‘The Push’ so popular? I was transfixed, dead set on learning Irish music from then on. I started with Suzuki lessons at age 3. “It's kind of funny - me learning this specific, particular style and my descendants are also from Sligo. Haley Richardson, 17, joins a group of four at the Merriam Theater as part of the revived, 25th anniversary tour of the Irish music-and-dancing extravaganza. At 17, she is filling some big shoes, playing this summer in the Riverdance band at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. The rest is history. Haley Richardson Music I picked violin. For all those waiting.... New DVD - Riverdance the 25th Anniversary Show: Live in Dublin available for preorder on Amazon UK. See RIVERDANCE Before It Disappears Into the Mist | UrbanMatter Filmed live on 9 February 2020 at the 3Arena Dublin, this Gala performance celebrates 25 years since the first Riverdance show in 1995. I think I was home for maybe a month in November, which was super rare. I’ve always been homeschooled. She was just three years old. Seventeen-year-old Riverdance band star, New Jersey fiddle player Haley Richardson. My parents were homeschooling all three of us. We moved to North Carolina a couple years ago. Delighted to have joined up with the amazing Haley Richardson in this video! John was raised in the vibrant London Irish music scene of the 1970s, and learned his craft from legends Lucy Farr, Roger Sherlock, Paddy Taylor, Mick O’Connor and his teacher Brendan Mulkaire. Haley is a true virtuoso of the highly ornamented Sligo fiddling style; she was already playing with many of the biggest names in Irish music before she was old enough to drive, and continues to blaze a bright trail of musical energy and dynamism. She went on to win multiple championships at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, numerous MidAtlantic Championships, and the coveted Junior (2015) and Senior (2018) Fiddler of Dooney awards. Haley is already incredibly accomplished. Later, when I was traveling, I found you can always find a community of Irish musicians or people passionate about Irish culture. Irish fiddler, Haley Richardson’s virtuosic musicianship has astounded audiences around the world. Growing up, I did sessions around the city: The Plough & the Stars, Fergie’s Pub. At the age of just 17, she’s also just released the fourth album she’s been involved with – When the Wind Blows High and Clear, where she’s joined by Quinn Bachand. | Book review, ‘The Rib King’: A meaty novel about ambition, race and revenge, Lisa Gardner marks a sharply written return in ‘Before She Disappeared’ | Book Review, Philly’s Acori Honzo couldn’t find figurines of Black folks, so he started sculpting them, ‘Yellow Wife’: An enslaved woman must become her own savior, These are the big books to read this winter, California residents do not sell my data request. Then, my mom and I were in the library one day, picking out books. Riverdance, Gen Z: This South Jersey teenager stars in a new … She recalls all the children always being curious about music that was played in the house, specific instruments and their sounds. She and her brothers were all homeschooled, in New Jersey. The first to go to New York in the 1920s and 30s and his recordings came back to Ireland and still exist today. When Riverdance made its theatrical debut, Haley Richardson was eight years away from making her world debut — as in, being born. They split us into groups of three and teach us a tune. Now Richardson’s hope it that her run with Riverdance can last forever. Episode 2 They’re so accepting and so welcoming, especially of young musicians. Everyone is so enthusiastic about the show. New Jersey native Haley Richardson, a young fiddle player well-known within the Philadelphia traditional Irish music community, where her love of the genre first took root, joined the cast of Riverdance at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin this summer. Riverdance's 25th anniversary tour comes to the Merriam Theater from Jan. 21-26. Haley Richardson stops by the WYLA studios for a quick performance and interview. They’re not treating me as if I’m 17. The second Sunday of every month, Kathy DeAngelo and her husband Dennis [Gormley] and Chris Brennan-Hagy welcome this huge group of young musicians. Now at the age of just 17, accompanied during her tour with Riverdance by her mother, the talented Richardson is a crowning jewel in the beloved Irish dance show. © Copyright 2021 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. FEIS App Sign Riverdance Star Haley Richardson We couldn’t be more proud to share this news!朗 Haley Richardson is an iconic exponent of tradition Irish music. I've played all around the country, usually, I come in for the Fleadh, but a couple of times it's been for other stuff, like the Dooney Awards.”. John Whelan & Haley Richardson Seven-time all-Ireland champion John Whelan is one of the world’s best living Irish button accordion players. … I just love touring and performing and sharing this music with a bunch of other people, said Richardson. That’s the great thing about Irish music: Nobody really cares if you’re genetically connected to it, as long as you’re enjoying it. Haley Richardson young traditional Irish fiddler. Before Richardson’s success at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann her Irish American family had never visited the homeland. For the 16th summer in a row, Riverdance has returned to the stage of Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. © Copyright 2021 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. I went to Dublin over the summer and spent the whole summer there. (Other instrumentalists play percussion, saxophone, and uilleann pipes/concertina/tin whistles.). Those three or four months were the longest I’d been in one place for a good few years. Featuring the combined talent of the Riverdance lead dancers, the Riverdance Irish dance troupe, the live Riverdance band (now including Richardson) the show continues entertains audiences of all ages and cultures. She said “I think Riverdance has become such a phenomenon and it was so many people's introduction to Irish music. Riverdance Fiddler Haley Richardson Interview Riverdance Fiddler Haley Richardson Interview. 0:55. Haley Richardson young traditional Irish fiddler. All Ireland Champion, Junior fiddler of Dooney, and multiple time MidAtlantic Fleadh champion. Haley is also one of the current @riverdance fiddle players It was a pleasure as always to dance to her music! Perhaps because it plays into a mother’s worst fears. I just graduated in December. It’s a huge milestone for Riverdance. 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John moved […] Hear all about her music in March on "Celtic Waves" every Tuesday at 9 p.m. She recorded her debut CD, Heart on a String at only twelve years old and in March 2015, produced … They were pretty full in for a while. The wonderfully talented Haley Richardson, fiddle player in the Riverdance band. My brothers picked drums and guitars. My middle brother Dylan and I, we got into the Irish music. Haley Richardson is a virtuosic musician, whose talents extend to tboth classical and Irish traditional music. I spent a lot of time when I was first getting into Irish music at the Commodore Barry Center [in West Mount Airy]. Tickets begin at €21 ($23.50) and make the perfect itinerary item on any trip to Dublin. I was 5. Morah Ryan Riverdance performance with Don Mescal. Podcast: Interview with Riverdance Fiddler Haley Richardson New Jersey native Haley Richardson, a young fiddle player well-known within the Philadelphia traditional Irish music community, where her love of the genre first took root, joined the cast of Riverdance at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin this summer. It’s so weird to not have any notebooks with me. Haley Richardson, fiddler for the 25th anniversary world tour of the Grammy Award-winning production, Riverdance. Haley Richardson is a virtuosic musician, whose talent has astounded audiences around the world. Next week, the 17-year-old fiddle player from Pittsgrove, N.J., will be at the Merriam Theater as part of the revived, 25th anniversary tour of the Irish music-and-dancing extravaganza. Every Thursday, we'll send you ways to help you live better and stay connected while we’re social distancing. It's a weird coincidence. Riverdance returns for its 16th summer season at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. She has garnered a number of prestigious awards including both Junior and Senior Fiddler of Dooney and multiple All Ireland championships. My oldest brother was a great drum player, but he was more into sports when he got into high school. We have one ancestor we learned about after I got into Irish music. For more information, visit www.riverdance.com. She’s also won fiddling competition after fiddling competition, many in Ireland. All Ireland Champion, Junior fiddler of Dooney, and multiple time MidAtlantic Fleadh champion. She would stand behind the electric piano, which played pre-programmed tunes, and believed she was performing. There’s not much Irish in me, but there’s a little bit. She soon asked for violin lessons and shortly after her mother spotted a flyer for a master Irish fiddle player, Kevin Burke, in concert. I've played here quite a few times. It's so many people's intro to this genre and the Irish culture.”. Pic: VIPIRELAND.COM. But we all have mutual respect for one another, regardless of age. Here, the poised wunderkind, in a South Jersey accent (she dropped the first “r” in “library”) with Irish expressions (“a good few years”), spoke from a tour stop in Portland, Maine, about how Philly’s Celtic music scene figured into her formation — and why anyone can be Irish, if they want. Five years ago, Dylan and I did an album together. “My parents always had music of different genres playing around the house when I was young,” she recalls via email. Decca Gold announces the release of Bill Whelan’s album Riverdance 25th Anniversary: Music From the Show. She would stand behind the electric piano, which played pre-programmed tunes, and believed she was performing. Richardson has performed and recorded all over the world, released two albums (with one more coming this spring), played with Altan, the Chieftains, Dervish, John Whelan, and more. Haley Richardson Meet the newest addition to the FEIS App team - Riverdance star - Haley Richardson, and enjoy a slip jig that she composed called ‘The Hummingbird’. Riverdance triumphantly returns to the stage in Dublin. It was super casual: Pick one, try it out, you can move onto something else if you don’t like it. Speaking to IrishCentral, in the VIP room backstage, Richardson explained how music was always very much part of her family life. Especially growing up in Philadelphia, there’s this huge Irish music scene. December 6, 2019. We’re FaceTiming all the time, I don’t know what we would do without FaceTime. She recorded her debut CD, Heart on a String at only twelve years old and in March 2015, produced … Richardson said it’s not exhausting, it’s “energizing.” She’s 17. Meet the 16-year-old fiddle player who is taking the Gaiety by storm this summer. I’m the youngest. My teacher is Brian Conway and he is very influenced by the Sligo style [of fiddle playing] and so his teacher would have been a student of Michael Coleman who is the go-to guy for fiddling. The power of the iconic Irish dance show is not lost on her. Haley Richardson is a virtuosic musician, whose talent has astounded audiences around the world. Review: The Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show Makes a Weekend … For super-fans or those seeking a more immersive experience, VIP packages are also available for €116 ($130) and include a premium seat in the Gaiety's Parterre, an exclusive VIP experience, a post-show meet & greet with the Riverdance Principal Dancers, individual photo and autograph opportunities, a pre-show experience with on-stage drills and a cast Q+A, and more. Student of Brian Conway. He went with wrestling. Mick performs “You Lovers All” with Haley Richardson (Riverdance), a song that explores the diaspora of women in post Irish famine era to the United States—seeking love and independence. In Montreal we played to 3,000 people — it was sold out and everything. While Richardson and her mother are now summer residents in Dublin, while touring with Riverdance, the young musician is no longer a stranger to Ireland by any means. The wonderfully talented Haley Richardson, fiddle player in the Riverdance band. Haley is currently touring with the Grammy award winning 25th Anniversary of the production Riverdance. I started doing a lot of online college courses that I could bring with me when I’m traveling. Seeing Riverdance in the place where it all began should be on everyone's Ireland bucket list. According to the Irish Sun, the pair have been romantically linked since November 2019 after connecting at a Shay Healy tribute concert. Richardson’s amazing music career, apart from being quite exceptional for one so young, also has a wonderful symmetry to it. She and her brothers were all homeschooled, in New Jersey. Reflecting on her career to date she told IrishCentral “It's funny how it all started out. "He's probably the most legendary fiddle player ever. We were touring a lot. Jan. 21–26 at the Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. Information: 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org, © 2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC Terms of Use/Privacy Policy/California Notice California residents do not sell my data request. Haley Richardson warms up before our show here in the The Gaiety Theatre. Music was destined to be a part of Irish fiddler Haley Richardson’s life. “My brothers and I were home-schooled, and my mom invited each of us chose an instrument to learn. Student of Brian Conway. My dad is originally from the Wilmington, N.C., area. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2GrLugx, Read more: Riverdance triumphantly returns to the stage in Dublin. Haley Richardson, performing in "Riverdance. Most of the other members are in their 20s. The whole family came to Ireland for the first time when I was six.”. That was the best thing to keep me interested. Outnumbered by the show’s 20-some dancers, the musicians spend most of the two-hour production onstage, playing not only rocking jigs, reels, and airs, but also flamenco and Russian fare. For those familiar with Riverdance, "Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show" boasts some new elements as it transitions into its next twenty-five years.Always music and dance provide the pulse as it charts a journey through heart and history. » READ MORE: ‘The Band’s Visit’ arrives at the Academy of Music with gorgeous songs and a message that hits home right now. ! The pair posed for photos at the event alongside Dave Fanning and his wife Ursala, and Pat Kenny, who attended alongside his wife Kathy. With her highly ornamented Sligo style perfected under the tutelage of fiddler Brian Conway, Haley has garnered a number of prestigious awards and honors, including multiple championships at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All Ireland World Championship) in Ireland, […] “This is actually my tenth of 11th time in Ireland. So many of the musicians who are pure trad musicians who I've talked to about how they got involved in music and they're like "Yeah I saw Riverdance, I heard the music and that's how I got involved." All Ireland Champion, Junior fiddler of Dooney, and multiple time MidAtlantic Fleadh champion. Related Videos. Here are her reflections on Riverdance, her career up to this point, and where she's going. As part of our education, they thought it would be a good idea if we took up an instrument. Reflecting on her career to date she told IrishCentral “It's funny how it all started out. I've basically come full circle.”. 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