Isaac Alderson - Irish and Celtic folk music

I was born and raised in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago, surrounded by all kinds of music, especially the blues and jazz my father would play. At the age of 12, I discovered Irish traditional music and began obsessively practicing the uilleann pipes, learning from such players as Al Purcell, Patrick Cannady, Kieran O'Hare, and many others. At 14, I began to study the flute and whistle with Laurence Nugent from Co. Fermanagh.

Many trips to Ireland over subsequent years helped to fan the flames of my enthusiasm for the music and gave me the opportunity to study and play with many outstanding musicians. At 18, I moved to New York in order to attend college and dive into the city's phenomenal Irish music scene. In 2002, Iwon the All-Ireland Senior Championships on all three of my main instruments. After finishing college, I toured for two years with Eileen Ivers as part of her band, Immigrant Soul, and afterwards with such diverse groups as Jameson's Revenge, Runa, Millish, and many others, and also played extensively around New York with many of the city's top local Irish and folk musicians. In 2010 my touring career began to take off, and I have since played with many illustrious names from both sides of the Atlantic.

I currently perform with his band The Yanks, and also the international quartet Comas, Irish bar band The Bronx Boys, and chamber folk group Ensemble Galilei. I have toured in the US, Canada, Ireland, England, Colombia, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Italy and Spain with various projects, and recently did a three-month tour in China as the piper in the famed show, Riverdance. I also did a stint performing in the pit orchestra for Sting's Broadway musical, 'The Last Ship'. For five years, I was a permanent member of the touring show Celtic Crossroads. I have also performed as a guest artist on many recordings in addition to the albums I have put out with my bands. Recently, I have had the honor of performing as the designated substitute musician for the winds chair in the new hit Broadway musical, 'Come From Away'.

I am a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 802, New York City.

As a teacher, I have led workshops in flute, whistle, and uilleann pipes at the Great Northern Irish Pipers' Club tionól, the Northeast Tionól, the St. Louis Tionól, the Re-Jigged Festival in Nova Scotia, the O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat in Texas, MAD Week in the D.C. area, the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival in Canada, Common Ground in Maryland, the Corofin Trad Fest in Co. Clare, and also have led small workshops for students in Rio Negro and Villa de Leyva, Colombia. I teach private lessons online and in person, mainly to advanced students. I pride myself on being a patient and compassionate teacher, and enjoy seeing my students develop and grow as musicians.