This April, I'll be traveling to Lago Puelo, Argentina, to be part of a team of instructors leading a five-day series of intensive workshops on the uilleann pipes, Irish flute, and whistle, in connection with the Festival de Música Irlandesa de Lago Puelo, and the Club de Gaiteres de Lago Puelo, organized by Argentinian piper and club president Pamela Schweblin. I cannot express how excited I am for this opportunity!

For more information, contact the Club de Gaiteres at:
escuelairlandesa@gmail.com
+54 9 2944 15-9180

The hills will be alive with the sound of…. piping! I'm very pleased to be welcomed to Charlottesville, Virginia, to teach and perform at the Blue Ridge Irish Music School's piping tionól, along with master piper Jerry O’Sullivan, who also happens to be a former teacher of mine! Registration is now open for anyone interested in improving their skills on the uilleann pipes, and there will be a concert as well for anyone wishing to attend.

Follow this link to learn more:
https://blueridgeirishmusicschool.regfox.com/tionol-with-jerry-osullivan-isaac-alderson

This new musical, written by Johnny Reid, Matt Murray, and Bob Foster (also music director) tells the tale of a Scottish woman and her three sons as they struggle with cultural and economic shifts in their country in the second half of the 20th century. I'll have the honor of playing uilleann pipes, flute and whistles for the entire run of this US debut at the historic Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, from August 23 - October 20, 2024.

I had the great honor of performing The Star Spangled Banner at the United Center for the Chicago Bulls’ St. Patrick's Day game vs. the Washington Wizards on March 16, 2024. As a native Chicagoan, I was very excited for this incredible, singular opportunity. Check out the video!

After five years, a global pandemic, and over 1,200 performances, the First National Tour of Come From Away had its last hurrah on stage on May 24, 2023, in Victoria, B.C., with a joyful, if poignant, flourish. Having held the winds chair for the entire run of the tour since it began in September, 2018, this marks the end of an era in my own personal life and career, and the beginning of a new one. My deep thanks and appreciation go out to the the entire CFA family for having me along on this amazing journey since I began as a sub on the Broadway company in April, 2017. It's been a life-changing opportunity, and I've been humbled and honored to have been a part of telling this important and powerful story all over the U.S. and Canada, but I'm also glad to have this moment to revisit my goals as an independent musician. Here's to the bittersweet close of a fantastic experience!

After subbing at intervals for the mighty Ben Power since the show opened on Broadway, I am thrilled to be joining the touring company of the hit new musical theater piece, Come From Away, as the full-time winds player. We’ll be traveling all over the United States and Canada with this heartfelt production, based on the true story of a small town in Newfoundland whose residents took in and cared for 7,000 airline passengers stranded there in the wake of 9/11. I am truly honored to be a part of this production.

Happy Saturday, friends! I hope everyone is feeling good today. If you are a fan of Irish traditional music, and want to do something good for the people affected by the recent natural disasters in Puerto Rico and Mexico, I've got an announcement for you! Myself and Dylan Foley recorded an album over the summer, which we are releasing online today, and donating all of the proceeds to disaster relief in those areas.

https://alderson-and-foley.bandcamp.com/…/the-palace-sessio…

While playing some gigs at John D. McGurk's in St. Louis, we set up a little recording rig in The Palace, which is the apartment in which the house bands stay while playing there. We wanted to give a nod to the traditional Irish music community by putting out an album of unaccompanied flute and fiddle tunes. Today we are releasing 'The Palace Sessions' on Bandcamp. There are 13 tracks, all totally unaccompanied, unedited, and presented mainly in the order in which they were recorded. You can name your own price, and know that all of our share for the time being will go to Fondo Unido México / United Way Mexico, and Unidos por Puerto Rico / United for Puerto Rico. Bandcamp has graciously volunteered to lower their take to 10%, and the rest will all go to those charities, until the pressing need for aid in those two areas has passed. We will publish our donation receipts online so that our listeners can be assured that their money is going to charity.

There are a lot of alarming things happening in the world right now, and many recent events that have left me with a feeling of hopelessness and powerlessness. There are so many causes worthy of our concern right now, it is difficult to imagine attempting to address all of them, but with baby steps and choosing one thing at a time, perhaps we can affect some positive change. This is a small way in which we felt we could engage our Irish music community, raise some money for a good cause, and maybe put a smile on a few faces with some tunes. Hope you enjoy!

(Thanks to Neal Warshaw for the photo, Anna Colliton for banner design, and special guest Matthew Mancuso for a surprise appearance!)

I have recently had the great honor of being named as an official designated substitute musician in the new Broadway musical, Come From Away. I have been subbing at intervals for the show's full-time winds player, the mighty Ben Power, and have been absolutely delighted to work with such a talented, professional, and straight-up nice group of people, including my long-time friend and musical partner, violinist/fiddle player extraordinaire Caitlin Warbelow. The show is an absolute grand slam. Here's to hoping it has a long life on Broadway!

Back in January I got together with my good friends Dylan Foley and Jake Charron, to play some tunes in front of the camera at my favorite pub in NYC, The Four Faced Liar. A snowstorm was raging outside, so we were happy to be enjoying the warmth of tunes, pints, and camaraderie inside. Hope you enjoy it, we sure had fun making it! Iain Toft was on hand to provide some still images as well, thanks Iain!

I had a great experience teaching and playing at this year's Portal Irish Music Week. What a great group of people, great classes and vibes, and in such a beautiful location! Other instructors included Brian Conway, Matt Heaton, Marla Fibish, Colin Lindsay, Brian Lanni, and co-organizer Pete Strickler, whom I must thank along with Susan Zazzali Mittelstadt for the great opportunity. Also, Burt Mittelstadt who brought us out on some amazing hikes around the area, an uncommonly lush desert environment which is absolutely teeming with wildlife in the very southeast corner of Arizona.

Before the festival, I had the pleasure of heading to Denver to play a lovely little house concert at Pete Strickler's beautiful home, after which we drove all the way to Portal, taking in some amazing views along the way. As a huge fan of all manner of spicy food, I was delighted to stop in Hatch, New Mexico, the green chile pepper capital of North America! Here are a few photos of the drive, and hiking around the Portal area, which will hopefully inspire viewers to attend this great annual teaching festival sometime!

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This year I was honored to join the faculty at one of my favorite weeklong festivals of music anywhere in the world, Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, NY. I have been at the festival many times as a performer, session leader, and carouser, but this was my first year teaching. I had a fabulous group of students for both my advanced and intermediate flute classes, and as always, found time to play loads of tunes and catch up with many of my best friends whom I rarely get to see outside of this one magical week every year. One of the highlights was playing double saxophones in a céilí band with Aaron Olwell, alongside Billy McComiskey, Laurence Nugent, Joanie Madden, Pauline Conneely, Brendan Dolan, and a host of other awesome players. Here are some photos, from which I'm sure you can imagine the fun that was had!

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Yesterday, along with my fellow bandmates of The Yanks, I had the privilege of performing at one of NYC's many official events commemorating the Easter Rising of 1916, at a beautiful outdoor stage just off Pier A on the Hudson River. Among the other acts on the bill were some of our favorite legends including Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Cherish the Ladies, Mick Moloney, and our friends from Hammerstep. Siobhán Butler was kind enough to dance a few steps for us, making for a very lively set.