San Miguel Fraser

Celtic + Castilian fiddle duo, María San Miguel and Galen Fraser, are multi-instrumentalists and educators who celebrate the values of community and traditional music in their unique chamber music style.

San Miguel Fraser is a project that will always stand for connection, celebrating the joy of music and shared inspiration. The dynamic duo was born as a result of the 2020 quarantine with the “Stay At Home Festival”. Thanks to the beautiful and universal folk community, they raised over $60,000 with the aim of bringing light to the world, maintaining morale and financially helping musicians around the globe. The “Stay At Home Festival” family lives on today with San Miguel Fraser.

As a lifelong fiddler and the son of Alasdair Fraser (Scottish fiddle champion), Galen Fraser continues the tradition of bringing us the traditional music of Scotland while adding contemporary tunes, some of which he has written himself. Maria San Miguel adds the voice of traditional Spanish music to the mix.

John Doyle and Mick McAuley

Irish musicians extraordinaire,

John Doyle (guitar) and
Mick McAuley (accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles, guitar),

both previous members of the Irish-American supergroup Solas, and now soloists on the international stage, will perform a concert of instrumental music and songs in Corvallis before heading to the Yachats Celtic Festival. John Doyle is considered one of the best guitar players of traditional music in the world and is well-known for his guitar accompaniment of Liz Carroll, Karan Casey, and many others.

John Doyle & Mick McAuley have been playing music together on the international stage for over twenty years. As multi-instrumentalist members of Irish-American supergroup Solas, they combined to create part of the group’s unmistakable early sound which garnered critical worldwide acclaim with the Boston Herald heralding Solas as “The Best Traditional Band in the World”.

John Doyle is the most influential Irish American guitarist of his generation. Born in Dublin, John came up in a family where “everybody played something,” and his father, singer and song collector Sean Doyle, nurtured his interest in the deep wellspring of Irish song.

Kevin Burke

is an Irish master fiddler considered one of the finest living Irish fiddlers. For nearly five decades he has been at the forefront of Irish traditional music and Celtic music, performing and recording with the groups The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, and the Celtic Fiddle Festival. He is a 2002 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.  He has been living in Portland for decades but this is his first concert in Corvallis in many years.

GALLOWGLASS

Gallowglass, a Contemporary Celtic Folk Band from Bellingham, WA will present a fundraiser concert for The Corvallis Celtic Festival and the South Benton County Food Bank. Presented by the Corvallis Folklore Society, the show is at Heritage Hall in Monroe (the old Methodist Church, 648 Orchard Street, Monroe) on Saturday May 24.

With a combination of emotional vocal delivery, fresh melodic arrangements, and airtight accompaniment, Gallowglass has developed a style of contemporary Celtic folk that Irish Music Magazine calls “an inspired approach to the tradition.” The group, featuring Jan Peters (vocals, harmonica), Mishon Kirkland (vocals, Irish flute), Zach Bauman (Irish Bouzouki) and David Pender Lofgren (Bodhrán), has become one of the Pacific Northwest’s most celebrated Celtic music

They will be joined by Corvallis fiddler Erika Nagamoto.

• 6pm-dessert potluck, wine available for purchase to benefit the South Benton Food Bank
• 6:30pm- doors open
• 7-9pm- concert

There will be an open Celtic session with the band after the show. All instruments and abilities welcome!

Tickets $25 with $5 going to the South Benton Food Bank. Tickets online at corvalliscelticfestival.org or at the door.

Please join us at this lovely concert space for what promises to be a great community concert and jam!

Kalos

Kalos is made up of three innovative interpreters and composers of Celtic roots music: Eric McDonald, Ryan McKasson and Jeremiah McLane. They are masters of tradition who purposefully explore the dark corners floating on its edges, delivering an alluring musical complexity full of spontaneity and joyful exuberance. They set the standard for traditional repertoire with an underlying drive and pulse charged with rhythmic electricity and integrity, forging a new musical path that draws on Celtic, Breton, American and other musical traditions on accordion, guitar, fiddle, and vocals. The title of their new album, Headland, which refers to a point where land meets sea, is a fitting analogy for the exploratory space Kalos inhabits — one that calls forth driving, heartfelt music journeying through unknown territory to seek and find its essence – the enduring, resilient experience of the human heart.

Rated: G

Breabach

Twenty years on from winning the Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections, Breabach remain securely ranked amongst Scotland’s most skilled & imaginative contemporary-folk acts and at the forefront of the burgeoning traditional music scene. The band unite deep roots in Highland and Island Gaelic tradition alongside progressive musical influences and have cultivated a unique sound, anchoring double bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, step-dance and song with energetic double bass and guitar accompaniment.

Versatility, love of experimentation and a willingness to push the boundaries of Scottish roots music have endured as the core values of the band over the past two decades. They have embraced and pioneered many cross-genre collaborations, linking up with artists including Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord, BAFTA award-winning animator Cat Bruce, indigenous Australasian artist Moana & the Tribe, video game composer Big Giant Circles, Cape Breton powerhouse Beòlach and most recently the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

With 8 critically acclaimed studio releases to date, an extensive global touring schedule and having received recognition with 6 BBC ALBA Traditional Music Awards, a 2023 German Record Critic’s Award and as European Folk Group of the year finalists in the prestigious Songlines Awards, Breabach’s journey shows no sign of slowing. They continue their adventures throughout this special anniversary year with performances and festivals across the UK, USA and Europe.

Breabach are: 

• Megan Henderson (Fiddle/Vocals/Step Dance)
• James Lindsay (Double Bass/Vocals)
• Calum MacCrimmon (Highland Bagpipe/Whistle/Bouzouki/Vocals)
• Conal McDonagh (Highland Bagpipe/Uilleann pipes/Whistle/Vocals
• Ewan Robertson (Guitar/Cajon/Vocals)

Kate and Brendan

Kate Gregory and Brendan Hearn form an innovative duo that brings together American Old Time, Irish and other folk music traditions on fiddle and cello. They combine their backgrounds from multiple musical styles with their shared appreciation for melody and groove to create rhythmic arrangements of traditional and original tunes and songs. The tunes they play and write live both in the rich and multi-continental history and in the imaginative future of traditional music.
This is a rare west coast appearance that will benefit both the South Benton County Food Pantry and the Corvallis Celtic Festival. Heritage Hall is a warm and cosy venue located at the old Methodist Church in Monroe.

A Night of Scottish Music and Poetry:
Robert Burns Night

Bagpipes, the Corvallis OWD Sunday Session Players, Cucanandy, and Evan Eleven and Friends.

This concert is in collaboration with the Corvallis Celtic Festival (July 16-19 2026). Visit corvalliscelticfestival.org for more information.

St. Paddy’s Day Bash

7:00pm Cucanandy

Cucanandy is a Corvallis band with Katie Maxey on fiddle, Beth Brown on cello and pennywhistle, Riley Neil on guitar and Laureen Urey on Bodhran. They play an eclectic mix of traditional and modern Celtic and Celtic inspired tunes.

8:30pm The Nettles

The Nettles play improvisational music based on traditional tunes. Playing hard, they’re a Celtic jam band that makes audiences move and groove. Playing soft, they’re a lyrical folk-jazz group.

The Nettles blend traditional Irish and American music with modern spices. Laura Brophy’s fiddle forms strong melodies punctuated by soaring improvisation and intertwined with Kevin Nettle’s muscular guitar. The Nettles are propelled by the purring but powerful rhythm engine of Michael Proctor on bass and Tracy Daugherty on drums.

The Nettles play for festivals, dances, bars, and weddings on the West Coast. Their music retains the vital energy of its roots, but The Nettles’ unique interpretations add to The Tradition with every performance. The Nettles joke that “We never play the same tune once.”

This bash is a fund raiser for the

Corvallis Celtic Festival
July 16-19 2026

Solas

Us & Them

Us & Them is a Celtic quartet composed of two couples who love to create musical tapestries together. With twin fiddles, guitar and bodhran, they stitch together music from Cape Breton, Scotland, Ireland, Quebec, among other interesting places. Soaring soulful melody lines slip into groovy foot tapping lines that grow to driving reels. Deep explorers of music, this band loves to be a magpie – picking delicious tunes from the Celtic world and weaving them into a dynamic new mix. David Greenberg brings in baroque violin, Cape Breton and 18th century Scottish music. Maria Blair plays fiddle, cello, and adds some Cape Breton step dancing. Marjorie Sandor rocks the DADGAD guitar, and Tracy Daugherty has condensed his full drum kit down to the portable bodhran.

Laura Zaerr

This concert is a fund raiser for the

Corvallis Celtic Festival
July 16-19 2026

Hanneke Cassel Trio

With a career spanning over two decades, Hanneke Cassel has helped redefine what it means to be a modern fiddler. A driving force in the ever-changing landscape of acoustic music, Hanneke blends originality and innovation with the spirit of Scottish traditional fiddle. Fusing musical roots from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana stylings, Hanneke’s playing has been described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Beyond the strings of her fiddle, it is Hanneke’s hugely generous presence and passion that round out her magnetism as a performer on the world stage of fiddle music.

A native of Port Orford, Oregon, Hanneke found her start in Texas-Fiddling competitions. A two time Junior Scottish Fiddling Champion between 1992 and 1994, Hanneke went on to win the 1997 U.S National Scottish Fiddle Championship. Gracing stages across North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India and East Asia, Hanneke has established herself as a prolific composer and versatile musician. Hanneke’s original material draws gracefully upon her personal experiences with love and loss, weaving together the joys and sorrows of life in times of celebration and hardship. Hanneke’s discography includes six unique solo albums that harness her magnificent presence. Melding more traditional fiddle music with her own compositions, Hanneke’s arrangements evoke the heart and showcase her talent as both a curator of tradition and an eloquent creator in her own right.

A benefit for the July 16-19 2026

Schmid & Guest

Cayley Schmid and Aaron Guest met at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market in 2009. Desperately jealous of each other’s busking success, they neutralized the competition and started a band together. This was the beginning of a decade-long musical partnership that descended into marriage. After the retirement of their band (Polecat) in 2020, Aaron and Cayley suddenly found themselves musically unsupervised by their bandmates for the first time. Together they play instrumental Celtic music on fiddle and piano. Tunes range from lively reels and jigs to sweeping airs and waltzes, drawing from Scottish, Cape Breton, and Irish traditions.

This concert is a fund raiser for the Corvallis Celtic Festival (July 16-19 2026)

Come to play or listen.

All instruments and abilities welcome.

Session leaders David Greenberg and Maria Blair have developed a list of Scottish tunes, but feel free to bring your favorites to share.

The Scottish session is every 4th Sunday.