Steph Geremia

★★★★ Songlines     ★★★★ RnR

“as good an album of top-drawer Irish tradition as is imaginable” RnR

“fabulous flute playing… a masterclass in Irish flute” FolkWorld

“effortless… a peach of a record that demands your attention” Living Tradition

“flawless… a must have for your collection” Irish Music Magazine

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Steph Geremia is an Irish multi-instrumentalist and singer highly regarded as one of the finest traditional musicians of her generation. Perhaps best known for her vibrant and versatile Irish flute playing and as a mainstay of the critically acclaimed Irish group, Alan Kelly Gang, she has also impressed as a singer, presenting her own identity of a breathy Celtic vocal style mixed with a hint of her American roots. 2023 will welcome an exciting new chapter with the release of her first solo album fully dedicated to song. The album is produced by renowned multi-instrumentalist, John McCusker (Mark Knopfler Band) and will include a star-studded cast of musical friends and cohorts.

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As a founding member of the Alan Kelly Gang, with whom she has worked for the past 14 years, Steph has toured extensively around the globe and performed at top world and folk music festivals including: WOMADelaide (Australia), Edmonton Folk Festival (Canada), Guinness Irish Festival (Switzerland), Port Fairy Folk Festival (Australia), Celtic Colours (Canada), Shetland Folk Festival (Scotland) and Cork Folk Festival (Ireland) to name a few. 2018 onwards saw stand out solo performances with her own touring line-up at Celtic Connections (Scotland), Doolin Folk Festival (Ireland), Galway International Arts Festival (Ireland) and Stonehaven Folk Festival (Scotland).

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In the past, Steph has notably toured with the Grammy award winning, The Chieftains, on their 2007 tour of America in partnership with all female group, Líadan. She toured as a member of Scottish songstress, Eddi Reader’s band from 2018-2020 where she was featured on flutes, whistles, sax and vocals and also in collaboration with the Alan Kelly Gang & Eddi Reader from 2010 to present. A special performance highlight was stepping in for renowned Irish flutist, Kevin Crawford, to perform with Lúnasa, Ireland’s “hottest acoustic Irish band on the planet” in 2022. Steph has also toured, performed and recorded with critically acclaimed artists including Kris Drever (Lau), Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh (De Dannan), Alan Kelly, Steve Wall (The Stunning), Ian Carr, Jim Murray (Sharon Shannon Band), John McCusker and Heidi Talbot, Manus Lunny (Capercaillie), Seamie O’Dowd, Donogh Hennessey (Lúnasa), Martin Brunsden (Hot House Flowers), Sea Road Sessions, Aaron Jones (Old Blind Dogs), John Joe Kelly (Flook), Sean Smyth (Lúnasa), Donal O’Connor, Michael Rooney, Ryan Molloy, Connla and West of Eden. She has joined forces with prestigious theatre companies from Edinburgh to Galway to the US including Galway’s An Taibhearc and the New York based, award winning & avant-garde, Mabou Mines, in their production of Peter and Wendy, on the original score composed by the late Scottish fiddle player, Johnny Cunningham. Other highlighted festival appearances include Shrewsbury Folk Festival (UK), Dublin Ohio Festival (USA) and Milwaukee Irish Fest (USA). Highlighted TV appearances include: Féilte (2008), Geantraí (2009, 2011 & 2012), Blas Ceoil (2010), Bosca Ceoil (2014), Fleadh TV (2017 & 2019), Doolin Folk Festival (2018) and Highlights from Celtic Connections (2011 & 2015).

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To date, Steph has released two critically acclaimed solo flute albums, The Open Road (2009) and Up She Flew (2018) in addition to collaborative albums with the Alan Kelly Gang: Small Towns and Famous Nights (2011), The Last Bell (2014) and an EP with the Irish, Scottish, Swedish collaboration, Sea Road Sessions (2015). After nearly a decade since the release of her debut solo album, The Open Road, which was described by Irish Music Magazine as “an unexpected treasure” June 2018 welcomed the release of Steph’s sparkling second solo release, Up She Flew, which features music from Irelands own rich Sligo, Leitrim & North Connaught tradition. Up She Flew has been described as “a masterclass in Irish flute”, “as good an album of top-drawer Irish tradition as is imaginable”and “a vivid blending of New World energy with Old World vibrancy”, demonstrating once again Steph’s lyrical and technical prowess, breath control and ability to bring an innovative approach without losing the heart of the tradition to which she is intrinsically connected. Steph says “for me, everything is in the small details… This album has not only been inspired by the rich North Connaught repertoire and particular tune settings from the players from this region, but also from a time when these great musicians breathed life into the tunes with their slight variations and subtle re-phrasing of every bar; when variations mimicked the landscape and one could get lost in the modal discrepancies, shifting from c’s to c#’s at will… Up she flew and the cock flattened her!”

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“a vivid blending of New World energy with Old World vibrancy” Songlines

“she proves a formidable ensemble player, providing passages of silvery, lyrical brilliance lifted by superb breath control and dexterous, dancing fingerwork” Songlines

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Though having spent the majority of her life in the West of Ireland, Steph was born in New York, where she first began playing traditional and classical music; she emigrated home to Ireland in 2001. During her time in America, she studied World Music at the prestigious, Wesleyan University at which time she worked with people such as the legendary experimental jazz hero, Anthony Braxton. After a brief stint living in India, studying the Bansuri (North Indian Flute) under PT Ginde, disciple of the legendary Panal al Gosh, Steph settled in Co. Sligo and further immersed herself in the Sligo/Roscommon style of flute playing. She spent many years surrounded by great traditional stalwarts such as Peter Horan and she holds a Master’s Degree in Traditional Irish Music Performance, which she completed at the University of Limerick. Steph is a highly sought-after teacher who continues to teach masterclasses at many international festivals, Royal Conservatory of Scotland, University of Limerick, has developed both a wooden and silver flute course for the Online Academy of Irish Music and teaches regularly via Skype and in Galway, Ireland through the Galway Music Academy and Athenry Music School.

 

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 Top Ten Trad Albums of 2009 [The Open Road] Folk World

“Geremia’s spark is undeniable” The Irish Times

“the first voice on the album belongs to Steph Geremia, proving as nuanced and talented a singer as she is a flautist…one of the album’s highlights” Bright Young Folk (UK)

“Her sprightly, breathy style pays homage to the great Peter Horan and that buoyant Sligo flute style to which she has been inexorably drawn.” The Irish Times

“an unexpected treasure…an outstanding recording” Irish Music Magazine

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