Information Eileen Connolly

Eileen Ivers (Eileen Connolly) and Immigrant Soul kick off the 2009 Shenandoah Valley Music Festival Eileen Ivers, the woman who defines Celtic fiddle playing for many Americans, returns to the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival with her band Immigrant Soul this month. The Music Festival concerts are held in Orkney Springs, Va. on the grounds of Shrine Mont Camp and Conference Center.
Ms. Ivers grew up in the Bronx, New York as the daughter of Irish immigrants. She’s played the fiddle since she was eight-years-old and was a founding member of the band Cherish the Ladies, the Celtic group that rocked the Festival’s stage last summer. She was also the musical star for the now iconic show, Riverdance.
For almost two decades, Eileen Ivers has changed the way people think about the Celtic fiddle. A nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, she and her Immigrant Soul, are best known for their musical styling. Her Celtic tunes are infused with Latin, jazz, Caribbean, and world music flavors. This led to the Boston Globe’s opinion of her as “a beautifully inventive fiddler.”
Greg Anderson is a multi-instrumentalist and producer who has worked in many musical genres and adds to the diversity of the group. Bass guitarist Leo Traversa is a founding and current faculty member at the Bass Collective in New York City. This year is a special milestone for the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival, says executive director Dennis Lynch, as it is the 30th anniversary of the annual Fairfax Symphony Orchestra concerts at the festival. “It’s such a noteworthy anniversary, both for the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and the Music Festival have grown and developed so much since then. They were frankly little more than a very earnest, very well-meaning group of part-time musicians. Shrine Mont is a renovated 19th century resort complex, centered around a historic hotel that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Ticket prices are $30 reserved pavilion, $25 general admission lawn. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.musicfest.org or by calling (540) 459-3396 or (800) 459-3396.
Gates will open at 6 p.m. Picnics are welcome for all guests, although pavilion seat-holders must picnic on the lawn before taking their reserved seats. It is an extremely family-friendly atmosphere in a unique setting. Parking at the festival is free.