$25 advanced, $30 day of show
General Admission (Seated) - Doors open at 6pm
American archguitarist Peter Blanchette and Irish singer Éilís Kennedy Join Forces in an Unforgettable Musical Collaboration.
Acclaimed archguitarist Peter Blanchette and renowned Irish singer Éilís Kennedy join forces in a richly textured program pairing the timeless beauty of Irish traditional song with the evocative power of one of America’s greatest poets, Emily Dickinson.
A native Irish speaker from County Kerry, Kennedy brings luminous interpretations of Irish language songs, while the duo also premieres This World is not Conclusion—Blanchette’s newly composed settings of Dickinson’s poems for his self-designed archguitar and voice. When Kennedy arrived in the Pioneer Valley in 2024, she realized she had passed Dickinson’s home in Amherst en route to Blanchette’s in Northampton. The two soon discovered a shared reverence for Dickinson’s work. Over the past year, they have collaborated in Ireland and New England to create what Blanchette calls “songs inspired by the radical slant of Emily’s genius. I love working conceptually as a composer—what if Chopin were to compose lute-songs to Emily’s brilliant, brief bursts of language?”
Peter Blanchette, based in Northampton, MA, is the inventor of the 11-string archguitar—a distinctive instrument that merges elements of the guitar and lute. His diverse repertoire spans medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music, as well as traditional Irish and Scottish tunes, Italian film scores, and his own compositions. In recent years, Blanchette has delved into new forms of accompaniment for Irish traditional music, incorporating techniques from 17th and 18th century lutenists and even 18th century Bach style counterpoint. In 2023-2024 concerts he has collaborated with West Kerry piper and whistle master Eoin Duignan, harpist Steve Coulter, and violist Niamh Varian-Barry exploring music of O’Carolan and these rich traditions. Blanchette has been featured on many recordings, film scores, and public radio programs such as A Prairie Home Companion and Thistle and Shamrock.
Éilís Kennedy, hailing from Dingle, Ireland, comes from a family where music and the Gaelic language are deeply embedded in daily life. Fluent in both Irish and English, Kennedy has received critical acclaim for her original songs and adaptations of traditional Irish music. Her album, So Ends this Day earned RTE Folk Awards Best Album Nominee 2020. Her performances have graced prestigious venues worldwide, including Dublin’s National Concert Hall, London’s Barbican, Melbourne Recital Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York. Kennedy’s collaborations with renowned Irish musicians like Shaun Davey, Seamus Begley, and Rita Connolly have further proven her reputation in the international music scene.