Laurel Martin

Traditional Irish fiddle player Laurel Martin learned her music from Master fiddler Seamus Connolly, a highly respected musician from County Clare with whom she studied from 1990-1993 under a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Laurel has served on the faculty of the Boston College Irish Studies program since 1994 as an instructor of Irish fiddle. She is the Director of the Fiddleheads traditional Celtic music ensemble at Wellesley College, teaches privately and has led many workshops in the United States and abroad. In 2002, Laurel was again awarded a Traditional Arts Master-Apprentice grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, this time as a master teacher. Laurel is co-author with Seamus Connolly of the acclaimed book/CD Forget Me Not: Fifty Memorable Traditional Irish Tunes which was published in 2002 by Mel Bay Publications. She performs frequently in the Boston area and throughout New England, has appeared on several recordings including the Childsplay Live and Heaven and Earth CDs of the fiddle ensemble "Childsplay" of which she is a member, and her first solo recording, The Groves, was released in November 2006.

Elizabeth Simmons

Ms. Simmons is a traditional and contemporary folk singer who is well respected in the Boston Irish and acoustic music scene. She has a strong background in Irish traditional singing, and was taught and mentored by internationally renowned Irish singer Karan Casey. She performs regularly with Irish accordionist John Whelan, Annalivia (with Flynn Cohen), and Long Time Courting. Liz grew up listening to her mother sing traditional songs, and although Liz spent her teen years studying classical voice, she has since chosen to devote her teaching and performing career to folk music. "A honey voiced singer.... Simmons sings with winsome ease and genuine feeling." Dirty Linen Magazine.