Dan Foster & Eric McDonald in Concert

Join us for our first virtual summer concert, with Dan Foster and Eric McDonald, and special appearances from the Irish dancers of Scoil Rince Luimni. We can’t all be out on the lawn at CMCH, but you can enjoy this performance anywhere, showing at 5pm, Thursday June 25 on the CHS Youtube Channel.

Dan Foster and Eric McDonald play traditional Irish music. With Dan on the fiddle and Eric playing guitar and singing vocals, their repertoire includes music that goes back generations as well as contemporary combinations, proving that Irish music is a very much a living tradition here in New England.

Both musicians have unique entry points into the Irish tradition. Growing up in Northern England, Dan Foster developed his music in the lively session scene there, then took Newcastle University’s Folk Degree course before honing his fiddle style in Limerick under master musicians. Foster, a Connecticut resident, has taught Irish fiddle techniques to an apprentice through the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, an initiative based at the CMCH.

Eric McDonald has been a professional performer and instructor of traditional and acoustic music for a decade. He developed as a folk mandolinist in the Boston area, honing his technical skill at Berklee College of Music, and eventually found his way into traditional music through playing for contra dances. He developed a sincere appreciation for the music of the Celtic folk revival in England, Ireland and Scotland, and was quickly drawn into collaborative projects with fellow musicians.

We are also happy to welcome a special guest appearance by dancers from Scoil Rince Luimni (“Limerick School of Dance”), based in South Windsor, Connecticut, which is led by world-class Irish dancer Courtney Jay TCRG.

This concert is made possible through the support of the Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Trust Fund, Bank of America N.A., Trustee, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the CT Office of the Arts/DECD.