Eileen Ivers
Grammy awarded, Emmy nominated, London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, guest starred with over 50 orchestras, original Musical Star of Riverdance, Nine Time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, founding member of Cherish the Ladies, movie soundtracks including “Gangs of New York”, performed for Presidents and Royalty worldwide…this is a short list of accomplishments. Fiddler Eileen Ivers has established herself as the pre-eminent exponent of the Irish fiddle in the world today.
Harp Twins Ft. Volfgang Twins
Morgan Bullock
Morgan Bullock is a 24-year-old African American professional Irish dancer from Virginia USA.
She began various forms of dancing at the age of three and started Irish dancing at ten years old because she was instantly drawn to the intricate footwork and discipline it requires to masterthe steps. A champion level dancer, she went viral during the early stages of the pandemic when she posted a self-choreographed dance showcasing her Irish step dancing. Her choreography and dancing gained worldwide attention and put Irish dancing in front of people who would have never thought of seeing it performed to popular music. Professionally, she joined the cast of the long running, theatrical stage show, Riverdance, becoming the first black female touring dancer since its beginning almost 30 years ago. In 2022, Morgan was the honored recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award presented by President Michael D. Higgins, recognizing service to Ireland and its reputation abroad. Currently, she attends university in Ireland studying law and media studies. Morgan is ecstatic to be living in the country she considers her second home – Ireland.
Ally the Piper
Ally is a multi-instrumentalist out of New York. She specializes in celtic instrumentation, such as the Highland Bagpipe, Scottish Smallpipe, Irish whistles, and vocals. At age 16 Ally became a world champion performing on the Highland Bagpipe, and holds several domestic and international titles. Ally has a Bachelor’s Degree in music from Penn West, where she triple focused in Bagpipe, Vocal, and Piano performance. She performs professionally, and virtually through her various social media platforms where she has amassed over three million followers, making her the most followed bagpiper on the internet.
Katie Grennan and John Williams
Katie Grennan’s traditional fiddle playing carries the articulation of a gifted classical musician tempered by the soul of a champion Irish dancer. Her wide-ranging experience as an international touring performer in both live stage productions and television have given her a unique platform as an ambassador for the music of her heart.
Born and raised in Wexford, PA though residing in the Chicagoland area for over a decade, Katie was the fiddler in the popular celtic-fusion band Gaelic Storm for over five years, has recorded a number of solo albums, and currently plays in a number of musical projects at the forefront of the Celtic and Irish Traditional genres, including Reverie Road, The Bow Tides & Chicago-based STEAM Quartet. She has also appeared regularly with artists such as Aoife Scott, The Trinity Irish Dance Company, Riverdance singer Michael Londra, the dancing Gardiner Brothers, and more. In 2024, Katie was recognized for her work in the genre and was named Female Musician of the Year by Chicago-based radio program Ireland Tonight.
Katie is committed to sharing the gift of music with others. She is the current Executive Director of Sharing Notes, a Chicago-based non-profit that brings joy and comfort to hospital patients through the power of live music. Katie holds a Masters in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. in Accountancy and Psychology from the University of Notre Dame.
John Williams is internationally regarded as one of the foremost players of Irish music today. With five All-Ireland titles to his credit, John is the only American-born competitor ever to win first place in the Senior Concertina category. His additional talents on flute, button accordion, bodhran, and piano distinguish him as a much sought after multi-instrumentalist in the acoustic scene around the world.
Born and raised on the Southwest Side of Chicago, John spent his summers during college on the Southwest coast of Ireland in his father’s village of Doolin, Co. Clare. Like Chicago, Doolin became a major musical crossroads for John and countless other local and international musicians to meet and exchange music. Gigging every night in the pubs of Doolin and Lisdoonvarna soon led to performances in Galway, Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Paris, Britanny, Zurich, and New York City.
Forming the groundbreaking Solas in 1995 with Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, Karan Casey and John Doyle, Williams received wider recognition playing to sold out audiences internationally and earning two NAIRD awards and Grammy nominations for the ensemble’s 1996 and 1997 releases Solas and Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers. The Irish national broadcasting network RTE has featured Williams as the subject of the radio program The Long Note, the television series The Pure Drop, and the Gaelic language and music programs Geantrai and Failte.
On the silver screen, John Williams appears as a bandleader, music consultant, and composer in Dreamworks’ classic Chicago thriller Road to Perdition. Centrally featured in the Academy Award-Nominated score by Thomas Newman, Williams’ autumnal Perdition Piano Duet was released on the 2002 Universal soundtrack album as performed in the film by stars Paul Newman and Tom Hanks. Regarding the original piece by Williams, The Los Angeles Times wrote “Closeness is beautifully and wordlessly conveyed in a quiet piano duet…a lovely thing.” Reviewing the entire score, The Denver Post printed “Brilliant, beautiful, brutal…the music in the film feels almost like a character itself.”
Katie and John reside together in Chicago where they are active leaders in and contributors to the rich Irish traditional music scene. They founded the genre-defying band Reverie Road together in 2022 alongside fiddler Winifred Horan and raga pianist Utsav Lal, which immediately made waves in the Irish and Celtic genres with the release of their debut album in 2023. Katie and John are looking forward to their debut together at BRIGID 2025!
Bell School of Irish Dance
