electronic press kit
Live Show Trailer:
Downloadable Photos (click photo to download):
photo by Dan Jentzen
photo by Dan Jentzen
photo by Sasha Pedro. Click photo to download.
photo courtesy of Groton Hill Music. click photo to download
photo by Sasha Pedro. click to download.
photo by Dan Jentzen
photo courtesy of Groton Hill Music. click photo to download
Full Bio Download
Violinist Maura Shawn Scanlin and guitarist Conor Hearn unite to form “Rakish.” The pair gets their namesake from the traditional Irish tune Rakish Paddy, an origin that aptly suits the duo and their shared background in traditional Irish and Scottish music. Yet “rakish” itself also suggests something strikingly unconventional in its appearance, and Maura and Conor knowingly embrace this wealth of connotation in their music, drawing on the music they grew up with and performing it with their own slant. In a performance that toes the line between concert music and session music, Rakish explores tunes and songs from Irish and American folk traditions in a way that reflects their shared interest in and love for old traditional tunes and chamber music. Maura Shawn, a two-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and a winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Competition, wields the technical range of a classical violinist and the deep sensitivity of a traditional musician. Conor, a native to the Irish music communities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD, makes his home in Boston, MA playing and teaching guitar. As a duo they have performed at venues and festivals across North America, and can be found teaching at fiddle camps across the country.
DOWNLOAD RAKISH STAGE PLOT 2024
Press Quotes:
“Naturally nimble and stylistically well-matched, with a genuinely infectious sense of delight, heart, and jubilation.”
“The two play wonderfully together.”
“Lush arrangements...deliver an intimate but bold sound.”
“Guitar and fiddle lock in together like puzzle pieces”
Recent Shows and Tour History
Festivals:
2023 Rockport Celtic Festival, MA
2023 Festival of Small Halls, PEI
2022 Steelstacks Irish Fest, Bethlehem, PA
2022 Irish Fest in the Barn, Madison WI
2020 Brian O’Donovan’s Christmas Celtic Sojourn
KVMR Celtic Festival - Conor/Maura Separately
2020 Boston Celtic Music Festival
2019 Rockport Celtic Music Festival
2019 Bellingham WA Celtic Festival
2018 Front Row Boston
Northeast
Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous Tour, Canada
Burren Backroom MA
Fire In The Kitchen, Weston, CT
The Dance Hall, Kittery ME
Blue, Portland, ME
Club Passim, Cambridge, MA
Cambridge Boat Club MA
Groton Hill Performance Center MA
Stanley Whitman House Music in the Garden Series CT
Roxbury Arts Group Fiddlers! 26th Annual Event NY
Chatham Fiddle Company MA
Camden Opera House- SoundCheck Series - Camden ME
Groton Hill Performance Center - Groton MA
Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend - Camp - Groton MA
9/14 Rockport Celtic Music Festival - Rockport, MA
9/16 The Linda WAMC’s Performing Arts Theater - Albany, NY
9/27 artXnyc - Manhattan NYC
9/29 Peaks Island House Concert - Peaks Island, ME
5/04/2022 Burren Backroom Series, Somerville MA
3/12/2022 Fire In The Kitchen, Weston, CT
2/26/2022 The Dance Hall, Kittery ME
2/09/2022 Blue, Portland, ME
2/02/2022 Club Passim, Cambridge, MA
1/14/2022 Boston Celtic Music Festival, Cambridge MA
Southeast
Charlotte Folk Society
White Horse - Black Mountain NC
Eno House - Hillsborough NC
Greater Washington Folklore Society
Hill Center Washington DC
Hamlin Street Diner (Washington, D.C.)
Bethabara Highland Games (Winston-Salem, NC)
Converse College, Spartanburg SC
Purple Fiddle, WV
Mountain Home Music NC
Song of the Wood NC
Jack of the Wood NC
The Jones House NC
Mid Atlantic
3/19.2022 Steelstacks Irish Fest, Bethlehem, PA
City Winery Philadelphia - Philadelphia PA
Princeton Folk Society - Princeton NJ
MidWest
Irish Fest in the Barn - Madison WI
West Coast
St. Mary’s By The Sea (Pacific Grove, CA)
Abbie Weisenbloom House Concert (Portland, OR)
KVMR Celtic Festival
Fiddle Camps
Sierra Fiddle Camp CA
Folk College PA
Fiddle Hell MA
Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend MA
Boston States Fiddle School MA
Swannanoa Gathering (Conor) NC
Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling (Maura) NC
Fall Fiddle Festival (Maura) NH
Global Musician Workshop MA