Laura O'Kelly
Laura O'Kelly would like to tell you she learned to sing and play fiddle from her grandparents who came from County Clare or something like that, but the truth is she grew up in an Irish-American family that listened to a lot of recordings of traditional music. However, you wouldn't exactly call her a "traditional" fiddler. A variety of influences, old and new, make it pretty tough to limit her to one category. As a nod to both her predominantly Irish background and her perhaps unhealthy amount of Virginia pride, she calls her personal style 'blue ridge celtic fiddle.'
Laura leads a diverse musical life, both as a teacher and a performer. She currently plays in the duo "Old Virginia Way," blending celtic music with American folk/bluegrass and original tunes. Before that she could frequently be seen around the state with her most recent group, "Trasna." (Trasna is the Irish Gaelic word for 'across.') Her fiddling helped put the celternative sound in the successful celtic rock group: Jeff Greer Band, and as a singer she was featured at the Kennedy Center as one of "Washington's Best Emerging Irish Artists". She can be heard on numerous CDs, and recently appeared with Gilfanon in a music video produced to be aired on TG4, Ireland's Gaelic language tv station.
Laura has played in festivals, pubs and sidewalks in the US and Ireland. She is a student of Irish Gaelic and has a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from George Mason University. In those rare non-musical moments she can be found in the garden, reading a book, or hanging out with her chickens.