Sharon Shannon

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THIS EVENT IS A CO-PRODUCTION WITH CELTICFEST VANCOUVER!

Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician best known for her work with the accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 self-titled debut album was the best-selling album of traditional Irish music ever released there. Beginning with Irish folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences, including reggae, Cajun music, Portuguese music, and French Canadian music. Her single What You Make It (da, da, da, da) featured hip hop music artists. She won the lifetime achievement award at the 2009 Meteor Awards.

Sharon's career began with the internationally acclaimed Irish folk/rock group The Waterboys in 1988. It has blazed a fearlessly eclectic path beginning in traditional music but emerging somewhere entirely new. While never losing sight of her roots in Irish folk music, she has undertaken a musical journey which includes collaborations with Bono and Adam Clayton, classical violinist Nigel Kennedy, reggae legend Denis Bovell, the Kodo drummers of Japan as well as Steve Earle, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris and Alison Krauss. Her cross-global collaborations have lead to successful concerts the world over, including performances in the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia, the United States, Canada and Africa.

Reviews

“Sharon Shannon defines casual brilliance. She plays accordion with carefree fluidity, virtuosic but not flashy. She performs traditional Irish music with a contemporary freshness and an ear to compatible ethnic influences... subtle and sublime music.” - The Boston Globe

“Sharon Shannon has the energy and stage presence of rockers and the unpretentious traditional roots of a pub musician... as exciting a live band as you’ll find coming out of post-Celtic-revival Ireland.” - Dirty Linen

“The fact that she’s risen to the cusp of pop stardom without betraying a single note of her traditional roots makes her success even more amazing.” - j poet

Sharon Shannon may be diminutive in size but has a huge amount of talent. Accompanied in this concert with her fellow Irish countryman Alan O’Connor she revisited her last 21 years of recording and delighted this sell-out crowd. Sharon wowed this appreciative audience from the outset playing her favoured 2-row button accordion as though her life depended on it. Slipping seamlessly from jigs to reels to slow airs, Sharon showed why she has been at the top of her business for over two decades. Tunes were played from Portugal, Finland, Scotland as well as Ireland. Not satisfied with playing traditional tunes, Sharon again showed her enormous talent and repertoire by playing some classical tunes as well. Most tunes were from previous albums although some had been altered to fit in with her latest album. Whilst the accordion is her favoured instrument, it is not her only one. She is also very adept on the whistles and fiddle, both of which were played on this entertaining evening. - Celticmusicradio.net

Please note that the admission price for this concert includes a $2 Venue Improvement Fee that we are required by the St. James Square to collect from every patron. Starting in September 2016, the proceeds from this temporary fee will be used for construction projects such as ventilation, flooring and washrooms that will make the hall a nicer place for you to visit in the future. If you wish, you can make a secure donation by clicking on the big blue button at the bottom of the page at www.sjcommunitysquare.org. For information on donating by phone or post, please contact the St. James Square office at 604-739-9373.