Steph Geremia is an Irish- American flute player and singer who lives in

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Career

Steph Geremia was born in an Italian/Irish neighborhood in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. There she learned to play the Irish flute and first came into contact with

traditional Irish music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...

. At age 16 she played in various orchestras. She studied world music and traveled through

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. While there, she studied the

Bansuri A bansuri is an ancient side blown flute originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo and metal like material used in Hindustani classical music. It is referred to as ''nadi'' and ''tunava'' in the '' ...

, a north Indian flute. This was followed by a trip in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where she came into contact with Salsa and

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

music. She then went to

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the loc ...

, where she devoted herself more seriously to studying the Irish flute. She received a master's degree in traditional Irish music at the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...

. Playing in various groups, she soon became a fixture in the Irish music scene. Today she lives in

, where she teaches Irish flute and performs regularly, both nationally and internationally. In 2008 she took part in the Galway Arts Festival as a solo artist. In September 2009 she joined with Johnny Cunningham to perform in the International Edinburgh Festival. In July of that year she released her debut album, titled ''The Open Road''.

Music

Among her particularly strong influences Steph Geremia counts Matt Molloy, Kevin Crawford,

Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guit ...

, Andy Irvine, and

Dolores Keane Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the group De Dannan and has since embarked on a solo career. Background Keane was born in a small village called Sylane (near ...

. Her first album was released in 2009 to high acclaim in the Irish press. Her flute playing is of the Roscommon/Sligo style, known for its fluidity and purity of tone.

Reception

In December 2009, Geremia played a concert with Alan Kelly, which was called "vibrant, versatile". ''Irish Music Magazine'' has called her "one of the most promising young flute players around" and "an unexpected treasure".

Discography

* ''The Open Road'' (2009) *Up She Flew (2018)

References

External links

MySpace

''The Open Road''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geremia, Steph American people of Irish descent Living people 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people Year of birth missing (living people) Musicians from New York City American flautists Alumni of the University of Limerick American emigrants to Ireland Irish flautists People from County Galway