Leahy opens Appalachian Summer June 27

Appalachian State University’s premier summer arts attraction, An Appalachian Summer Festival, opens its

25th Anniversary season with Celtic sensation Leahy’s return to the festival stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, at Farthing Auditorium. This performance is a SkyBest Mainstage Series event on the Schaefer Popular Series.

Leahy, is a dynamic, eight-member group of brothers and sisters, who create whirlwind of fiddle-driven music, dance and vocals augmented by keyboards and percussion, leaving onlookers breathless from the moment they hit the stage. The pride of Lakefield, Ontario, this fresh, vibrant and talented band brings to the stage a distinct repertoire that they write, arrange and produce. Leahy wowed their audience at An Appalachian Summer Festival in 2005, receiving standing ovations and roaring applause.

Known for their unique blend of musical styles and genres, Leahy combines the influence of their Irish and Scottish roots with a rare level of energy, originality and musicianship. The band’s three acclaimed CDs – Leahy, Lakefield and In All Things – have garnered significant critical acclaim, several awards, worldwide sales of more than half a million copies and touring success throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.

Performing in Leahy’s eight-sibling group are: Donnell (fiddle, dancer); Maria (guitar, piano, fiddle, singer, dancer); Frank (drums, fiddle, dancer); Agnes (dancer, piano, fiddle, singer); Doug (fiddle, dancer); Angus (fiddle, piano, dancer) Siogheann (bass, piano, fiddle, singer, dancer); Erin (keyboards, fiddle, singer, dancer).
Growing up, each of the Leahy children learned to play fiddle from their father; their champion step-dancing mother taught them to sing, dance and play piano. As teenagers, the siblings traveled across Canada playing at fairs and festivals, gaining recognition with the release of an Academy Award-winning documentary profile about the family entitled Leahy: Music Most of All.

Leahy’s musical prominence soared dramatically when, in 1997, they recorded a self-titled debut CD for Virgin Records. The double-platinum Leahy album and subsequent touring earned them three Juno Awards: Best Instrumental Group and Best New Group in 1997 and Best Country Group or Duo in 1998. It was the 1998 Juno Award telecast that seized the attention of pop/country star Shania Twain, which lead to extensive touring gigs for the group—predominately as the opening act for Twain’s two-year worldwide tour. While on tour with Twain, they performed in stadiums and amphitheatres and were rewarded with standing ovations every night, catapulting Leahy into an international spotlight and proving that the Leahy sound travels well.

Their genuine love for a diverse range of music fuels their own uncompromising creativity, and today they perform at jazz, bluegrass, country and Celtic festivals, play for classical audiences and with heavy metal bands. The multi-talented clan continues drive themselves to forge new paths with their category-defying brand of music; a sound and style known to their many fans as simply “Leahy.”

In addition to the Leahy performance on June 27, the festival hosts a full slate of the finest artistic talent between June 27 and July 25, including Joan Baez (July 23); the Eastern Festival Orchestra with Sarah Chang, violin (July 12) and Horatio Gutierrez, piano (July 19); Buckwheat Zydeco (July 11); the Halpert Biennial, a national juried competition and exhibition; Pilobolus Dance Theater (July 7); Melissa Manchester (July 2); Paula Poundstone (July 17); the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble Concert Series (June 28, July 1, 6, 15 and 20); Triad Stage’s production of Oleanna (July 21 and 22); Mike Cross (July 18); the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Pops (June 30); the 23rd Annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition; Paul Taylor Dance (July 14) “Dinner and a Show at Westglow” featuring Sophie B. Hawkins (July 5); films, lectures, workshops and several special events, including a history party, Family Day at the Turchin Center and a spectacular silent auction.

An Appalachian Summer Festival’s success is due in large part to generous support from loyal private donors, as well as a dedicated group of corporate and media sponsors, many of whom have supported the festival for over a decade. Festival sponsors include: Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Westglow Resort and Spa, SkyBest Communications, Inc., McDonald’s of Boone, Mast General Store, Best Western – Blue Ridge Plaza, Allen Wealth Management, Footsloggers Outdoor & Travel Outfitters, Peabody’s Wine & Beer Merchants, Chetola Resort, the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center, WBTV, WCYB, Charter Media, The Mountain Times, All About Women magazine, the Winston-Salem Journal, the High Country Press, Mac 100.7FM, Mix 102.3FM, WHKY AM 1290 Talk Radio and WHKY-TVDT, Mountain Television Network, WDAV 89.9FM, WFDD 88.5FM, WETS 89.5FM, WNCW 88.7FM,WASU 90.5FM and WNC magazine.

Advance tickets to the June 27 performance by Leahy range from $10-$25. Ticket prices increase at the door on show nights. Tickets for most festival performances range from $5-$30, and most visual arts and educational events are free of charge. The festival offers two flexible ticket passes: the “Pick 5” offers a 15 percent discount off of ticket purchases in multiples of five; the “Festival Pass” offers a 25-percent discount and priority seating for those who purchase a ticket to each performance. For tickets and information, call (800) 841-ARTS(2787) or (828) 262-4046 (M-F, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) or visit www.appsummer.org.