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Overview


Seán Heely

Champion Fiddler

Gàidhlig Singer

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Overview


Seán Heely

Champion Fiddler

Gàidhlig Singer

One powerhouse of a fiddler...
— Liz Carroll, Irish fiddler and National Heritage Fellow

Champion fiddler and singer Seán Heely is one of the most creatively versatile and captivating young artists of his generation. He is a U.S National Scottish Fiddle Champion as well as an award-winning Irish Fiddler, singer, and harpist in the folk and Gaelic traditions of Scotland and Ireland. Seán holds a degree from University of South Carolina in Classical Violin Performance and was a 2019 Artist in Residence at Strathmore Music Center in Maryland. An educator in demand, Seán is an Adjunct Instructor at American University, he has also been on the faculty at several summer camps such as Acadia Traditional School of Music and ArtsBoxwood Music Festival, Upper Potomac Fiddle Retreat, and Fiddle Hell Festival.  He has performed in Scotland, Ireland, South America, Germany and at prestigious venues in the U.S such as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C and Strathmore Music Center.

Seán has shared the stage with traditional music icons such as Liz Carroll, Bonnie Rideout,
Natalie Haas, Cathy Jordan, Eamon O’Leary, Zan McLeod, Maeve Gilchrist, and Paddy Keenan..

Along with his accolades in Traditional Music, Seán made his Classical solo debut with the Virginia Symphony in 2012 performing Mozart's 5th Violin Concerto. In April 2023, Seán was honored to win the Dan R. MacDonald Memorial Prize from the Clan Donald Trust from the Gaelic Performing Arts.
Seán was awarded 2023 Male Musician of the Year by the Ireland Tonight Radio Music Awards.
Seán has been a featured soloist with the Virginia International Tattoo in Norfolk, VA and the Washington Tattoo.

2018 saw Seán featured on the cover the Fiddler Magazine Winter Issue as well as an interview article on Seán's journey to one of the foremost young performers of his generation.
Sean has recorded three full length internationally acclaimed albums: the latest of which (“Dramagical”) has been featured on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta in Ireland, and NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock. Currently based in Washington DC, Seán performs locally and abroad with the Seán Heely Celtic Band, The Glencoe Lads and Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra. He is a musical and cultural ambassador of the Gaelic culture, performing frequently for the British Embassy Scottish Affairs Office and the St. Andrew’s Society of Washington. He also frequently travels abroad as a solo artist and maintains a private teaching studio in Falls Church, VA.

The finale from Seán's Strathmore Artist in Residence concert with Scottish fiddle legend Bonnie Rideout. Ghillie Callum and The Deil amang the tailors!
“Sean has steeped himself in the Gaelic language and music tradition. He has traveled extensively and studied with the best on both sides of the Atlantic.
His performances are equally as enlightening as they are entertaining.”
— Bonnie Rideout, 3x Grammy-nominated Scottish Fiddler
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Professional Performances for all Occasions