Eileen Ivers will change the way you think about the violin.
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Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated, Eileen Ivers continues to push traditional fiddling boundaries from a folk music staple to a fiercely fresh, powerfully beautiful, intensely driving world stage experience. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Ivers has performed and/or toured with such diverse artists as Sting, Patti Smith, Al Di Meola, Hall and Oates and The Chieftains.
She has guest starred with the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, over 60 symphony orchestras to date. She was the groundbreaking musical star of Riverdance, a featured instrumentalist on “Back to Titanic,” and contributed to film soundtracks including “Gangs of New York.”
She's been called a "sensation" by Billboard magazine, "the Jimi Hendrix of the violin," by The New York Times, “the future of the Celtic fiddle” by The Washington Post, and “a virtuoso” by The Irish Times.
The daughter of Irish immigrants, Eileen was born and raised in the culturally diverse neighborhood of The Bronx, NYC. She is a 9-time All-Ireland fiddle champion, and one of the most awarded All-Ireland Fiddle and Banjo champions ever. Proclaimed “a national treasure” by the NCTA chair, she celebrates her renowned career as a performer, composer, producer, songwriter, band leader, educator, multi-instrumentalist and revered pioneer in connecting her American, Irish traditional, jazz, blues, and world roots.
Ivers graduated magna cum laude in Mathematics from Iona University. In 2019, Iona University conferred upon Eileen Ivers the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts for her “lifelong commitment to innovation, excellence, and deep dedication to bringing people together through music.” Eileen currently serves on Iona’s Board of Trustees, and, as one of many projects, is further developing Iona’s performing arts curriculum. She also helped establish Iona’s global campus in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland in 2024… not far from where both of her parents were born.
Eileen and her husband and business partner, Brian, formed Musical Bridge, their company to house their numerous creative projects. Musical Bridge is a record label, publishing house, and management company. Eileen continues to record and tour with her two bands, Universal Roots and The Brigideens. She recently released her first critically acclaimed children’s book entitled “Will Someone Play Bluey”, a heartwarming, anti-bullying story featuring talking instruments… and a blue violin. The book was awarded the Family Choice Award for children’s books.
Eileen’s love of connecting her parent’s birthplace of Ireland and her American roots shines through much of what she does… and what she plays. In 2022, Eileen began working with Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Music Tours company and has led eleven sold-out tour groups to Ireland. As part of the tour week, she brings the group to her family homestead in County Mayo.
Eileen Ivers is one of America’s preeminent Irish fiddlers. Noted Irish American writer Frank McCourt sums up Ivers’s genius eloquently: “Eileen is to Irish music as Michael Flatley is to Irish dance—a pioneer, an innovator, a universalist. She grew up in boom-box Bronx and she carries sounds from childhood that are surely embedded in her musical soul…. Like Whitman she contains multitudes, and cannot be contained by Irish music itself.”
Meet the Band
Eileen Ivers, Buddy, Lindsey, Dave and Colin are Connecting the Roots of Celtic and American Roots Music ...from Bluegrass to Country, and French-Canadian to Cajun.
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