Harpist

Join us for this year’s nautical adventure as we traverse the Atlantic Ocean from shore to shore. We present the firepower of the Pine Tree Flyers, a quartet from Portland, Maine that has sourced and reignited repertoire from the state of Maine. We welcome back local Sea Shanty star David Coffin as well as the Rasa String Quartet, who will be collaborating with our artist in residence Jeremy Kittel, as well as sharing some sea-themed repertoire from the Western Classical canon. Returning for a second night, US-based Scottish fiddler and singer Hannah Read shares her take on a number of traditional songs of the sea with accompaniment by Maeve Gilchrist and bassist Logan Steele Coale.

EPSG:4326

Transatlantic

Shalin Liu Performance Center

Grab a drink at the bar, bring your dancing shoes and join host Maeve Gilchrist for an exhilarating evening of fiddle music and dance! Enjoy the traditional session hosted by Boston-based Scottish fiddler Katie McNally, pianist Neil Pearlman and fiddler/accordionist Emily Troll along with some surprise special guests. And be prepared to grab a partner and dance as Katie teaches some easy-to-learn traditional Ceili-dances. Pure-drop fun!

Festival Club: Ceilidh 

In tonight’s wonderfully eclectic program, we hear a selection of music that spans the breadth of Celtic and Celtic-adjacent music from its most traditional form to the most cutting edge! We start the evening with the stunning solo Sean Nós voice of Madelyn Monaghan before shifting gears to the rip-roaring virtuosity of fiddle virtuoso Jeremy Kittel and his incredible trio. We’re also thrilled to present US-based Scottish fiddler Hannah Read’s new project “The Fungi Sessions” in which she presents an ecologically-inspired suite of fiddle and banjo music with accompanying visuals to immerse us all in the world of the underground mycelium networks. Rounding the evening off are American music icons Darol Anger and Bruce Molsky bringing together their respective experience in Old Time, jazz and bluegrass music. Prepare to be transported!

From The Ground Up

Salon host Maeve Gilchrist visits with some of the Festival’s artists to discuss traditional music, techniques, collaboration and more. Hear American traditional music icons Bruce Molsky and Darol Anger discuss innovation vs tradition and share some stories from the road! Hannah Read talks to us about her mycologist father’s influence on her current Fungi project and the artistic inspiration found in the natural world.

Salon Session With Maeve Gilchrist

This night celebrates polskas, polkas and everything in between as we highlight the strong connections between our Swedish neighbors and their lasting impact on American culture and music. Few musicians alive today hold such influence over the Global acoustic music scene as Swedish folk group Väsen. Joining them are influential American instrumentalist duo Bruce Molsky and Darol Anger and Boston-based Uilleann piper, Joey Abarta.

Opening Night: Westbound From Sweden

Hailed as a phenomenal harp player with unparalleled purity, Maeve Gilchrist has revolutionized the Celtic harp by stretching its harmonic limits and improvisational possibilities. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, and now based in Brooklyn, New York, Gilchrist‘s innovative approach to her instrument transcends genres. She is equally at home performing as a soloist with renowned orchestras as she is playing with traditional Irish folk groups or exploring electronic augmentation.  

Maeve Gilchrist

The Mansion At Strathmore

The Silkroad Ensemble’s new program, Uplifted Voices, shines a light on previously under-recognized voices to change our perspectives on the history and migration of music. Audiences will be led on a musical journey that connects the music of indigenous North America to the world, drawing inspiration from folk and ancestral music of Japan, China, Armenia, Ireland and the Hebrides, and native populations across North America.

Artist Recital Series: Silkroad Ensemble—Uplifted Voices

Oberlin College

GatherNYC presents the Edinburgh-born, New York-based harpist and composer Maeve Gilchrist who has taken the Celtic harp to new levels of visibility. Sought after as both a soloist and collaborator, she has released 5 albums and enjoyed high-profile collaborations with the Silkroad Ensemble, Arooj Aftab and many others. Her most recent album was hailed by the Irish Times in its five-star review as “Buoyant, sprightly and utterly beguiling…a snapshot of a musician at the top of her game.”

GatherNYC: Maeve Gilchrist

Museum of Arts and Design

Originally from Scotland, Maeve Gilchrist has been making her mark as a ground-breaking harpist in the US for the last 17 years through her collaborations with artists such as Ambrose Akinmusire, The Silkroad Project, Nic Gareiss, Viktor Krauss, Darol Anger, Solas and Okkyung Lee. But this album breaks new ground for her as she steps into her own as a composer and producer to illuminate her roots as a traditional folk musician through the prism of luscious string parts, electronic manipulation and an archived recitation of "The Ballad of the Harpweaver," by the poet who became a celebrity of jazz-age America, Edna St Vincent Millay.



Overture Center for the Arts

Don your green attire and join Eric Jacobsen and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration! Acclaimed Celtic harpist and composer Maeve Gilchrist will perform her very own Celtic Harp Concerto, and Irish folk singer-songwriter legend Karan Casey will showcase her soulful interpretations of Irish traditional singing. With expressive ballads, rousing reels, and familiar tunes like Londonderry Air and The Irish Washerwoman, this is an event not to be missed!

St. Patrick’s Celtic Celebration

Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

Silkroad’s newest initiative, American Railroad, illuminates the impact of African American, Chinese, Irish, and Native American communities on the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad and America’s Westward Expansion. Exploring the dissemination of cultures across the United States, the railroad was to North America what the Silk Road was to China, the Far East and Europe.

American Railroad: Silkroad Ensemble With Rhiannon Giddens

Soka Performing Arts Center

For over three decades, Brian O’Donovan has been hosting A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH, a program exploring traditional and contemporary music from around the Celtic world. He’s also well known for his live concert series A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, as well as many other presentations around New England.  In partnership with Rockport Music and working in close collaboration with fellow Artistic Director, Edinburgh-born harpist/composer Maeve Gilchrist, Brian is proud to present the third annual Rockport Celtic Festival- Exploring Celtic Roots and Branches. The Festival brings crossover and collaborative work between musicians from different genres including classical, jazz, and American Traditional.

Words & Music: The Celtic Spirit

Features the stunning voice of Irish singer Eilis Kennedy from Dingle, Ireland. In 2020, Kennedy, inspired by a series of letters written by Whaling fisherman that she found in the New Bedford Whaling Museum, wrote an album of songs inspired by the sea and the men and women who make their lives around it.

 ‘A wife left behind , a wife on board, an adventurous young man , a brave and wise captain , an ill- fated voyage, a drowning , a rescue, an elegy , and a song of hope in times of despair’

Letters from the Sea

For over three decades, Brian O’Donovan has been hosting A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH, a program exploring traditional and contemporary music from around the Celtic world. He’s also well known for his live concert series A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, as well as many other presentations around New England.  In partnership with Rockport Music and working in close collaboration with fellow Artistic Director, Edinburgh-born harpist/composer Maeve Gilchrist, Brian is proud to present the 4th annual Rockport Celtic Festival- Exploring Celtic Roots and Branches.  The Festival brings crossover and collaborative work between musicians from different genres including classical, jazz, and American Traditional.

This evening features an all-star cast of some of the most innovative string voices across the globe. Featuring Maeve Gilchrist on the Celtic Harp, the groundbreaking guitarist Yasmin Williams and innovative Old-time duo, Tatiana Hargreaves and Allison De Groot- this evening will have the audience reimagining what acoustic string music means as we take our respective time-old traditions and reframe them in a contemporary light. This is simply going to be a party that you’re not going to want to miss!

Global Strings

Bringing together some of the brightest lights in the Cape Breton, Quebec and Newfoundland Music scene, this evening celebrates the melting pot of traditions that make up the unique and diverse musical traditions of Eastern Canada. French settler culture, the Irish fishing industry, Mass migration from Scotland and of course, the indigenous music of the first nations in Canada will feature in this foot stomping evening of music!

Opening Night: Quebec to Newfoundland

Described by one critic as “a phenomenal harp player who can make her instrument ring with unparalleled purity,” Maeve Gilchrist has taken the Celtic harp to new levels. Caramoor’s lush Sunken Garden provides the perfect setting to meditate and then luxuriate in the sounds of harp strings as they mingle with nature.

Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic harp

Sunken Garden

Boston Conservatory students perform side-by-side with Silkroad artists Maeve Gilchrist and Edward Perez.

Maeve Gilchrist

Harpist

Events

Past events

Sep 15, 2024

Transatlantic · Rockport Music

Sep 14, 2024

Festival Club: Ceilidh · Rockport Music

Future and recently performed repertoire

Harp in Far Down Far by Gilchrist

Oberlin Conservatory of Music

About

Maeve Gilchrist hasn't added a bio