The Steam Quartet at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts -- November 22.
Friday, November 22, 7:30 p.m.
Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, 1301 Fifth Street, Coralville IA
With two bands teaming up to deliver one evening of exhilarating Celtic tunes, the Coralville Center for the Performing hosts its concert event Irish Night on November 22, this stage celebration boasting the Midwestern talents of Illinois' four-person Steam Quartet and Iowa's three-person Sorcha.
The Steam Quartet is a powerful combo of the leading exponents of traditional Irish music from the international acoustic scene. Chicago artists John Williams, Katie Grennan, Steve Morrow and Jeff Lindblade have thrilled audiences from Shanghai to Chicago and from Paris to Pittsburgh. Concertina, fiddle, bodhran and guitar ignite to raise the rafters and warm the heart. Appearances on BBC, PBS, Dreamworks, Riverdance and with the Chieftains round out their various backgrounds and their versatility embraces dance, wit, and road-tested musical integrity. With the band recently enjoying performances in Chicago and Naperville, Illinois, the Steam Quartet features Williams on accordion and vocals, Lindblade on guitar and vocals, Morrow on bodhran and vocals, and Grennan on fiddle. The ensemble also finds its inspiration, in part, through a memorable quote by Woody Guthrie: "“Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.”
Born out of love for the Celtic and Folk genres, Sorcha brings originality of arrangements and instrumental material to the forefront. Inspired by the likes of legendary bands such as Flook, Solas, Lunasa, and Capercaillie, the trio is putting their own unique stamp on traditional tunes. Sorcha is comprised of local performers Dan Vaughn (Irish whistle & flute) and Nikki Philbrick (fiddle), along with Conor Hearn on guitar, the musicians having performed within the genre for more than a decade in various groups including Blame Not the Bard and Poor Man's Gambit. Vaughn earned a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance at St. Ambrose University and focused on playing guitar and developing his composition skills during this time, going on to collaborate with musicians from diverse genres. Philbrick has enjoyed appearances at the Iowa Irish Fest, Kansas City Irish Fest, and Levitt AMP Galva Concert Series along with orchestral appearances at Hancher Auditorium, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, and the Paramount Theater. And Carmichael has established a strong reputation as an accompanist in the traditional music scene in the U.S. and abroad, his guitar work being featured on a track of Brian Finnegan's 2021 solo release Hunger of the Skin.
The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts' Irish Night featuring Steam Quartet and Sorcha takes place on November 22, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert event is $18-23, and more information and tickets are available by calling (319)248-9370 and visiting CoralvilleArts.com.
