IAHM Trad/Folk Performance Series - Sorcha Costello

Awarded with the prestigious Gradam Ceoil TG4 Young Musician of the Year 2021, Sorcha Costello is a traditional Irish fiddle player from Tulla in the County Clare. Sorcha hails from a family emersed in traditional Irish music. From a young age, Sorcha has enjoyed performing nationally and internationally, including recent tours of New Zealand, Australia and America. Sorcha is also in high demand as a teacher of music, especially in her home area of East Clare, due to her ability to transmit her unique style which has the trademark rhythm and swing qualities which has been handed down from one musical generation to the next of Sorcha's family.

Sorcha has taught students in the United States - recently and regionally - in the renowned Catskills Irish Arts Week.

The Irish American Heritage Museum is delighted to have Sorcha so beautifully perform and so graciously both describe and present her musical influences. The following comment is brutally honest and is not presented to you from a written "bio" or artist description provided to the writer of this "Overview." So, the writer of this "Overview" was the sound engineer at a large, outdoor concert that featured Sorcha. The writer of this "Overview" was struck in a way similar to that when he first heard other fiddlers that Moved His World: Tommy Peoples, Paddy Canny and Martin Hayes. The writer of this Eventbrite "Overview" was so comfortably joyful and numb from that listening.

Released in June 2023, Sorcha’s new album The Primrose Lass is a solo fiddle album which encompasses a unique variety of both old and new tunes. The style and flow of this album resembles Sorcha’s love of the old tradition, evidenced through the swing, rhythm and uncomplicated playing of tunes. Deeply rooted in the East Clare style Sorcha is known for, the album yet contains many of Sorcha's musical influences from around the world. The Primrose Lass keeps the listener engaged throughout. Both accompanists on the album, John Blake (guitar and bouzouki) and Catherine McHugh (keyboard) weave their way around Sorcha’s fiddle playing to create a warm, comfortable atmosphere. This debut solo album has resulted in two RTE Radio 1 Folk award nominations for Sorcha, including ‘best folk instrumentalist’ and ‘’best emerging artist" in 2023.

PLEASE NOTE: Earlier the afternoon of March 22, 2025 (3:00-4:30 PM), Sorcha is providing a traditional Irish music workshop at the Irish American Heritage Museum. Tickets to Sorcha's workshop must be purchased separately on Eventbrite.

Host or Publisher Irish American Heritage Museum