Susan McKeown’ has recently been performing as a trio. The shows are a reminder of how expansive folk music can be in the hands of a fearless artist. Anchored by McKeown’s commanding, emotionally transparent voice, the trio format creates space for deep listening and subtle interplay, allowing traditional Irish songs, original compositions, and global influences to breathe and evolve onstage. The arrangements are spare but richly textured, moving effortlessly from moments of hushed intimacy to surging, full-bodied release.
Rather than leaning on nostalgia, McKeown uses tradition as a living language, reshaping old melodies and narratives with contemporary urgency and poetic insight. Her bandmates respond in kind, weaving guitar and multi-instrumental colors around her vocals with restraint and imagination. The result is a set that feels both timeless and unmistakably present.
At a time when folk festivals increasingly value authenticity and depth over spectacle, McKeown’s trio stands out for its musical integrity and emotional clarity. This is music that rewards close attention—rooted in heritage, open to the world, and delivered with the confidence of an artist who knows exactly who she is and what her songs are meant to carry
Susan McKeown — Award-Winning Irish Folk Singer, Songwriter & Producer
Susan McKeown (born February 6, 1967, in Dublin, Ireland) is a Grammy-winning Irish-American folk singer, songwriter, producer, and arranger celebrated for her powerful voice, inventive interpretations, and cross-cultural musical vision. Dubbed the “Celtic High Priestess,” she has built a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, contributing to over seventy albums and performing on stages around the world. Wikipedia
McKeown grew up in a musical family in Dublin, where her mother, a composer and pianist, nurtured her early interest in music. She briefly studied classical voice but soon turned to folk, rock, and world music, busking in Dublin and exploring a diverse range of styles. After earning a degree in English and Philosophy from University College Dublin, she moved to New York City in 1990, immersing herself in the East Village music scene and launching her career as an original artist. susanmckeown.com+1
Her band Susan McKeown & The Chanting House gained international recognition with the 1996 album Bones, described by Time magazine as bridging Ireland’s musical past with its future. McKeown’s eclectic work blends traditional Celtic music with influences from mariachi, klezmer, African and contemporary songwriting. Her collaborations include work with The Klezmatics on Wonder Wheel (2006), which won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album. Wikipedia
She has released numerous acclaimed albums, including Sweet Liberty, Blackthorn: Irish Love Songs, Singing in the Dark, and Belong—whose single “Everything We Had Was Good” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Folk Singles Chart. McKeown’s music has been featured on PBS, NPR, BBC and RTÉ, and she’s performed at major venues and festivals like Glastonbury, Carnegie Hall, and the Edinburgh Festival. susanmckeown.com+1
Beyond performance, McKeown is a cultural advocate and founder of the Cuala Foundation, a nonprofit focused on community self-care, cultural belonging, and arts programming in Ireland and the U.S. She also co-directs Feis Teamhra, an annual festival of poetry and music at the ancient Hill of Tara in County Meath. susanmckeown.com
Her work continues to push boundaries, blending tradition and innovation while exploring themes of identity, belonging, and human experience through song.
Dominic Desrochers’ passion for sound and movement comes all the way back from those family gatherings, where singers, dancers and accordionists helped create his artistic vision. Over time, Dominic added another passion to music and poetry: percussive dance. Multi-instrumentalist, choreographer and founding member of Zogma, an urban folk group, Dominic is always willing to share his knowledge through educational workshops and master classes. His talent has been widely recognized by various organisations and groups like le Cirque du Soleil, La Bottine Souriante, Loco Locass and Les 7 doigts de la main. His approach is to make percussive dance an extension of oneself. His motto: “Scratch the sky, the earth gives you an itch, then beat the earth and the sky warms you up… All you can beat, bon appétit! There is jig a plenty at the banquet of your two feet”.
Talk about a one-man band! Accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Jean-François Dumas grew up in a family of musicians and singers where his early musical talent bloomed among songs and melodies from times past. At the age of 17, driven by a thirst for freedom, his guitar slung over his shoulder, he chose travelling to learn his trade. His journeys took him through the United-States, Latin America and Europe. There he discovered other peoples’ folk traditions and colors, and nourished his boundless passion for musical interbreeding in which his own roots lie. Several participations to Noël dans le Parc (Christmas in the Park) as a performer and music director enabled him to stage shows convening artists of all cultures to help create ties between people and generations. Somehow, it’s there that the trio Bon Débarras was born. Equipped with a solid musical knowledge and background, Jean-François has performed with many spirited artists among which La Bottine Souriante, Cedric Watson, Juan Sebastian Larobina and Edgar Bori.
Véronique Plasse, a trained actress and a musician, has joined the world of traditional music since a score of years, working at enhancing Québec cultural heritage. Her commitments and involvements are driven by goals which are at the heart of whatever she undertakes: creation, gathering, preservation and diffusion. Endowed with a very sensitive and positive energy, Véronique really enjoys bringing to the public her knowledge and a kind of cultural expertise she acquired through encounters and research. Spurred by her passion for Québec traditional music, this violinist and singer has been active on the international traditional folk scene for about 20 years. Recognized by her fellow trad musicians as a high-calibre performer, Véronique strongly believes that we must carry on the effort of creating moments and places where beauty, sharing and human interaction weave the threads of a sociocultural fabric we can all call our own. Latest addition to the Bon Débarras trad trio, Véronique performs also in several other significant projects: Beaton-Plasse, Les Commandos Trad, Barbo and Hurlevent.