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Shannon Heaton holding flute., Irish flute and tin whistle player, 2016
Shannon Heaton
Medford, Massachusetts
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"No matter how well any of us play, our Irish cred lies in how tightly we can play with others. Irish music is social."
Shannon Heaton is highly regarded in Irish traditional music circles for her beautifully expressing playing, composing, and dedication to teaching and promoting the music. She was fortunate to learn firsthand from musicians in Chicago's rich traditional Irish music scene and later in repeated trips to County Clare, Ireland. For National Heritage Fellow, Seamus Connolly, Shannon's playing encapsulates the tradition, "In it I hear so many elements of the old styles, such as the playing of Kevin Henry from County Sligo, Ireland, who lived in Chicago and whose music goes back to another time."
Shannon co-founded the Boston Celtic Music Festival in 2001, a festival that continues to bring Irish musicians together with other Celtic styles. Live Ireland, an Irish music radio show broadcasting from Dublin, nominated Shannon -Female Musician of the Year" twice. In addition to performing regularly, Shannon is a sought after teacher, not only of tunes and technique, but also of the tradition's social and musical customs, e.g., the importance of session etiquette.
Shannon Heaton was named a Traditional Arts Fellow in the 2016 Mass Cultural Council Artist Fellowship Program.
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