Eileen Ivers "Jimi Hendrix of the Violin" to play Rockwell Hall

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The 2003-2004 Great Performers Series continues at the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall with famed Irish fiddler Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul on Saturday, May 1, 2004 at 8:00pm for one performance.

Tickets are $29.50 general public; $24.50 for seniors; and $15.00 for students. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Rockwell Hall Box Office, 1300 Elmwood Ave. or by calling 716-878-3005. Box Office hours are Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm.

From her star musical turn in Riverdance and her thirty-plus medals in the All-Ireland Championships to her session work and appearances with such diverse artists and ensembles as Paula Cole, the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Chieftans and Paddy Maloney, fiddler Eileen Ivers has established herself as the pre-eminent exponent of the Irish fiddle in the world today.

She's been called a "sensation" by Billboard magazine and "the Jimi Hendrix of the violin" by the New York Times. "She electrifies the crowd with a dazzling show of virtuoso playing" says The Irish Times. Ivers' recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores, including Titanic. Her latest CD, entitled Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul, was released in 2003 on Koch Records, continues to display why Ivers is hailed as one of the great innovators and pioneers in the Celtic and World music genres.

A founding member of the all-woman folk group Cherish the Ladies, Eileen Ivers has toured the world to great acclaim, not only with Riverdance and Cherish the Ladies, but as a featured player with such popular contemporary performers as Hothouse Flowers, Luka Bloom, Hall and Oates and Patti Smith, as well as with her own band. Ivers has toured throughout Europe, the United States, Russia, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and has made numerous appearances on network television both in the United States and elsewhere.

Born in an Irish community of the Bronx, New York, Eileen Ivers began playing fiddle at the age of eight. She proceeded to represent the U.S. and win nine All-Ireland fiddle championships, a tenth on tenor banjo and over 30 championship medals, making her one of the most awarded persons ever to compete in these prestigious competitions. She graduated with honors from Iona College and continued on to post-graduate work in the field of mathematics.

Perhaps it was the mathematical mind coupled with her passion for seeking parallels in certain traditional music styles which contributed to what has become Eileen's signature sound. This sound is respectful of and grounded in traditional Irish music while it embraces the rhythms of African, Latin and American roots music in a natural way. The development of this sound on Eileen's recordings and tours since the late 1980's has received international critical acclaim.

Eileen Ivers’ appearance is sponsored by M&T Bank, WBFO, and the Buffalo News.

Media Contact:
Jeff Marsha, Director of Operations, Performing Arts Center | 7168783032 | marshajl@bscmail.buffalostate.edu