Open the Door for Three

Pat Broaders grew up in Dublin, the son of parents from Wexford. He began his journey in traditional music at the age of eight. He started out on the whistle, and later moved on to the uilleann pipes under the tutelage of Leon Rowsome. He took up the bouzouki in 1988, inspired by the sounds he grew up hearing from bands like Planxty, and the popularity of the instrument in Dublin’s vibrant traditional music scene. Pat’s singing began naturally enough. His father was a singer, and having grown up around Dublin’s singing tradition, it was a natural step for him.

Pat’s repertoire today reflects his interest in the great songs of the Irish tradition as well as songs and ballads from the English and Scottish traditions. In the early 90s, moved to Chicago and on top of holding one of the longest running Irish music gigs in the history of Chicago at Kitty O’Shea’s, he has performed and recorded with Dennis Cahill, Liz Carroll, and Martin Hayes, John Doyle, Paddy O’Brien, Mick O’Brien, Robbie O’Connell, and Danú. He has a long-standing relationship with the Norwegian new age musical group Secret Garden and Kongshavan Studios.

In another long-standing relationship, Pat has toured with Jimmy Keane and Bohola for over 15 years. Pat toured with Celtic Legends in an incredibly demanding role as the sole backer and singer in the show, an Irish music and dance show that has toured Europe, Asia and South America. When he is not performing, Pat teaches the pipes and operates Pipedream Studio. He has engineered albums for Liz Knowles, Larry Nugent, and Celtic Legends, and tracks for Bohola and Liz Carroll.

Liz Knowles has brought her distinctive sound—the fire and finesse of Irish fiddle music combined with the tonal richness of the classical violin—to concert stages and festivals across the world. Her auspicious beginnings as the fiddler for Riverdance and as soloist on the soundtrack for the film Michael Collins established her as a virtuosic and versatile performer, and she has since performed as soloist with such orchestras as the New York Pops, she was a member of the renowned Cherish the Ladies, played on Broadway with The Pirate Queen, traveled the world for over four years as Music Director and performer with Celtic Legends and, today she performs with another all-star female super-group, the highly acclaimed String Sisters, and the newly formed Martin Hayes Quartet.

Liz first distinguished herself as a violinist in New York City, performing in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and Broadway, with such artists such as Marcus Roberts, the Bang-on-a-Can Orchestra, Bobby McFerrin, Paula Cole, Steve Reich, Eliot Goldenthal, Rachel Barton, Don Henley, and Tim O’Brien. It was also in New York that she discovered her true passion for Irish music. Today, she is well respected on both sides of the Atlantic. Liz is also established as a well-known and sought-after teacher of Irish music. She has
taught at many tionols and workshops across the US and in Ireland. Her compositions and arrangements of tunes and songs have been recorded and performed by John Whelan, Flook, Chicago’s Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, Liz Carroll, Beolach, Bachue, J.P. Cormier, Michael Black, John Doyle, and Ensemble Galilei. In 2016, Liz co-produced a cd and performance project alongside Liz Carroll with the Art Institute of Chicago as a part of their special exhibit,
Ireland:Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690-1840. This project, OTD43, String Sisters, and the Martin Hayes Quartet are indicative of a maturity in her music, a conscious choice to incorporate the entirety of her musical life into the music she plays, writes and performs today.

Kieran O’Hare is a highly respected and sought-after performer of Irish traditional music on the uilleann pipes, concert flute, and tin whistle. In 1994, Kieran received the honor of being the first American-born player of Irish music invited to perform in the annual Ace and Deuce of Piping concert, held in Ireland’s National Concert Hall. Since then, he has made countless appearances at festivals and concerts in North and South America, Japan, China, and Europe. Among the many artists with whom Kieran has performed, toured or recorded are Mick Moloney and The Greenfields of America; Cape Breton fiddlers Jerry Holland and JP Cormier; Nashville songwriter Gordie Sampson; Irish vocalist Danny Doyle; the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; Bonnie Raitt on VH1 Storytellers; The Paul Winter Consort; Josh Groban; and Don Henley.

Kieran has worked extensively in designing music for the stage, and is in great demand as a session musician and as a teacher of Irish music. In 2002, Kieran appeared in a musical role in the Sam Mendes film Road to Perdition. In 2006-2007, Kieran was featured on Broadway in The Pirate Queen, written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, and produced by John McColgan and Moya Doherty of Riverdance. In 2007-8, Kieran was a featured performer on the PBS special presentation “Celtic Origins” with the Irish choral group ANÚNA. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2010 as a soloist with the New York Pops Orchestra and most recently, with Liz Knowles, Kieran toured the world for over four years as musical director, contractor, and performer with the France-based show Celtic Legends. Kieran serves on the Board of Directors of Na Píobairí Uilleann in Dublin, Ireland, an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of uilleann piping worldwide.