www.musicnetwork.ie

Brace yourself for the wildly virtuosic playing of Darol Anger and his all-star ensemble Republic of Strings on tour from 3rd to 13th May in a fitting climax to Music Network’s Spring 2017 season. Toes are sure to tap as this cutting edge crew whip through a hoedown, a waltz and grooving swing tune in quick succession. Details at musicnetwork.ie.

With his unique genre-bending blend of bluegrass, jazz, folk and classical styles, Grammy-nominated fiddler Darol Anger is a master of the unexpected, darting from Swedish polkas to Brazilian choro before segueing seamlessly into a soul classic – all delivered with the rollicking abandon of a hootenanny.

Anger developed his signature sound working alongside great improvisers such as Stéphane Grappelli, Martin Hayes, Jerry Douglas and Béla Fleck, and over the past 40 years has produced an array of critically-acclaimed albums, including 17 with the legendary Turtle Island String Quartet alone.

For this journey into uncharted musical waters, he is aided and abetted by a trio of nimble-fingered pioneers. Long-time collaborator and 5-time Grand National Fiddle Champion Tristan Clarridge is co-founder of the chamber-grass group The Bee Eaters. Acclaimed multi-instrumentalist John Mailander has performed with such renowned artists as the Alison Brown Quartet, Victor Wooten and Steve Martin, while the riveting vocal sound of Emy Phelps has graced the albums of a long line of folk stalwarts including Patrick Brayer, Chris Darrow, Norma Tanega and Brian Ransom’s Ceramic Ensemble.

As part of Music Network’s Learning and Participation programme, members of the group will be facilitating workshops for music students around the country, connecting our work in music performance to music education giving rich, holistic musical experiences.

Music Network’s mission is to make live music available and accessible to as many people as possible and is funded by the Arts Council. This tour is presented in association with RTÉ lyric fm and in partnership with Baltimore Fiddle Fair. Tickets for all regional concerts are available from individual venues around the country. Single tickets for Dublin are available from €15 and can be purchased by calling Music Network on (01) 475 0224 or booking online at www.musicnetwork.ie.

“Darol Anger is to fiddle what Béla Fleck is to banjo.” Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A cutting edge string quartet…wildly virtuosic” Los Angeles Times

“On the front edge of progressive acoustic music” Fiddler Magazine [on Darol Anger]

“Ground-breaking” San Francisco Chronicle [on Republic of Strings]

Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings

Darol Anger, 5 string fiddle
Tristan Clarridge, cello, fiddle
Emy Phelps, guitar, voice
John Mailander, octave mandolin, fiddle

On tour 3rd – 13th May:
Wednesday 3rd May, The Sugar Club, Dublin 2, 8pm, €20/€15 (senior citizens) / €10 (students) (online booking fees apply) Tel. 01 6787188/musicnetwork.ie
Thursday 4th May, The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, 7.30pm, €14 / €12 Tel. 0402 38529/courthousearts.ie
Friday 5th May, National Opera House (Jerome Hynes Theatre), Wexford, 8pm, €16/€14 Tel. 053 9122144/ nationaloperahouse.ie
Saturday 6th May, Fiddle Fair Marquee, Baltimore, 9pm, €35/€30/ €25 Tel. 086 3753380/ fiddlefair.com
Tuesday 9th May, Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray 8pm, €16/€14 Tel. 01 2724030/ mermaidartscentre.ie
Wednesday 10th May, glór, Ennis 8pm, €18/€16 Tel. 065 6843103/ glor.ie
Thursday 11th May, Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar 8pm, €17/€14 Tel. 094 9023733/ thelinenhall.com
Friday 12th May, McGrory’s Hotel (The Back Room), Culdaff, 9pm, €15/€12 Tel. 074 9379104/ mcgrorys.ie
Saturday 13th May, Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, 8pm, €15/€12 Tel. 045 448327/ riverbank.ie
Full touring information at www.musicnetwork.ie