Fiddle sensation Eileen Ivers brings traditional Irish music to life
A whirling, upbeat evening celebrating the influences of Celtic tradition ushers in the Moss Arts Center’s 2022-23 season. Nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Eileen Ivers and her band, Universal Roots, bring traditional Irish music to life on the Moss stage on Friday, Sept. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
In the hands of Ivers, the violin pushes fiddling tradition boundaries from a folk music staple to an intensely driving world stage experience. Her Moss performance will feature traditional pieces dating back hundreds of years alongside her own original pieces written in the same style. Ivers celebrates the journey of the immigrant and showcases how Irish music, together with other roots music, became a fundamental building block of Americana music.
One of the most awarded All-Ireland Fiddle and Banjo champions ever, Ivers has been called a “sensation” by Billboard magazine and "the future of Celtic fiddle” by the Washington Post. A celebrated guest soloist with over 50 symphony orchestras, she has a celebrated career as a performer, composer, producer, songwriter, band leader, educator, and multi-instrumentalist, connecting American, Irish traditional, jazz, blues, and world roots.
Grammy-awarded and Emmy-nominated, Ivers has performed with Sting, Fiddlers 3 with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Regina Carter, Patti Smith, Al Di Meola, and The Chieftains. She was the groundbreaking musical star in the “Riverdance” theatrical shows, a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, a former member of the Hall and Oates band, and was a featured instrumentalist on many soundtracks, including “Gangs of New York” and “Back to Titanic.”
Ivers’ new, energetic, joyous, and passionate band, Universal Roots, connects music, cultures, stories, and emotions that tie people together, celebrating the fact that people are more alike than dissimilar. The ensemble, with a broad array of instrumentation, features Matt Mancuso (lead vocals, guitar, trumpet, and fiddle); Buddy Connolly (button accordion, whistles, piano, and vocals); Lindsey Horner (upright and electric bass, baritone sax, and vocals); and Dave Barckow (lead vocals, percussion, and guitar). Ivers completes the ensemble on fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bodhran, and live looping.
This performance is supported in part by gifts from Erv Blythe; Ms. Elizabeth Hahn and Mr. Douglas Chancey; and Mr. Edwin H. Talley and Mrs. Melinda P. Talley.
Post-performance question-and-answer session
Immediately following the performance by Eileen Ivers and Universal Roots, engage with the musicians in an open discussion.
Ticket information
Tickets for the performance are $20-$45 for the general public and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
Paid parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Virginia Tech also has partnered with ParkMobile to provide a convenient, contactless electronic payment option for parking, which may be used at any parking meter, campus parking space, or lot with standard F/S, C/G, or R parking.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.
