Reputed to be the best traditional Irish band playing today, the quintet Altan will appear in concert at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 30.
Altan's music ranges from traditional Irish ballads and folk songs to Scottish Highland reels and children's tunes. Critic Luke Clancy of the Irish Times called them "traditional music superstars."
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, the lead vocalist, will sing in English and Gaelic, backed by musicians on the accordion, fiddle, guitar and bouzouki.
Other members of the band are Ciaran Tourish, Ciaran Curran, Daithi Sproule and Dermot Byrne.
Altan was formed in 1986 and since then has produced seven albums. Their most recent effort, a collection titled "Altan: The First Ten Years 1986-1995," traces their evolution from the local Dublin scene to their rise to international recognition, even through the death of founding member Frankie Kennedy.
A critic in the New Yorker wrote, "It's difficult to imagine traditional Celtic music sounding any more vital than when it's being performed by this electrifying young supergroup ..."
The group is especially known for its technical proficiency and emotional depth. They have played in the United States, Ireland and across Europe, combing original pieces with a repertoire of music passed down from generations ago, according to a Hopkins Center press release.
These musicians have played their respective instruments for years. Mhaonaigh told the Wall Street Journal about their somewhat unconventional choice in music.
"The reason we would never play another type of music is we don't know it and we don't come from that background," she said.
Mhaonaigh draws most of her material from Donegal and the Gaelic-speaking town where she grew up learning songs from friends and neighbors.
Additionally, she plays the fiddle, having learned from her father, who in turn picked up the skill from his mother.
She recently guested on Mary Black's "The Holy Ground" as a backup vocalist.
Tourish, also from Donegal County, began playing tin whistle at age six and later took up the fiddle, now his preferred instrument.
He also does solo and session work in Ireland and has recently guested with Dolores Keane and Martin O'Connor.
Curran, who was born in Fermanagh, Ireland, began playing traditional music in college. When playing with Altan, he plays the bouzouki, a mandolin-like instrument of Greek origin.
Sproule, originally from County Derry, Ireland, first learned to play the guitar in his native land. Now living in Minneapolis, he works as a professor of early Irish language and history when he is not performing.
Byrne, who joined the group in 1993 and plays the accordion, adds a new flavor to their sound. He was also influenced by the traditional music of the Donegal area and by his father.
He also performs alone when not touring with the group.
Altan, which has been compared to the Chieftains, signed a contract with Virgin Records in October 1995, and will release "Blackwater," an independently-recorded album, in April.
