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John Williams Biography
John Williams has been hailed by the Irish Times as "a musician of remarkable sophistication even for his day and age, moving easily between opposites - from box to concertina, and from dense filled-in spaces to masterful understatement to seamless duet playing." With five All-Ireland titles to his credit, John Williams is the first American-born competitor to win first place in the Senior Concertina category. His additional talents on flute, whistles, bodhran, and piano distinguish his as a much sought after multi-instrumentalist in the national session scene. John has appeared on numerous recording and soundtracks, including the PBS special Out of Ireland, The Brothers McMullen, and Traveller. His solo debut release on Green Linnet Records was included in the Irish Echo's Top Ten traditional releases for 1995.
As a founding member of the groundbreaking band Solas, John Williams received wider recognition playing to sold out audiences internationally and earning both a NAIRD award and a Grammy nomination for the ensemble's self-titled 1996 release on Shanachie Records. Some of John's dynamic solo performances have been captured on two award winning compilation discs, Dear Ol' Erin's Isle (Nimbus) and The Twentieth Anniversary Collection (Green Linnet). The first received the Library of Congress honorary distinction as an outstanding folk recording in 1992; and the second, a double CD of the finest Green Linnet recordings, occupied the top 15 of the Billboard World Music Charts for an unprecedented 17 weeks in 1996. John has also collaborated with friends Martin Hayes, Seamus Egan, and Joannie Madden on their individual albums.
John Williams has performed at the Barns of Wolftrap in the Folkmasters Concert Series, as well as The World Accordion Festival in Montmagny, Quebec. Other festivals include the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Montreaux Jazz Festival, and the National Folk Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He has played concerts in New York, London, Paris, Brittany, Zurich, Dublin, Belfast, and Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, Ireland. National Public Radio performances include Mountain Stage, A Prairie Home Companion, and the 1997 broadcast of the July 4th Concert on the Mall in Washington, D.C. He has been the subject of the Irish radio program The Long Note and television program The Pure Drop. John has also been interviewed and recorded on BBC and CBC radio.
John Williams performed at taught at the prestigious Willie Clancy Summer School in Co. Clare, Ireland, the Augusta Heritage Workshops in Elkins, West Virginia, and the Swannanoa Gathering at the Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. At home in Chicago, John has taught for seven years at the Irish American Heritage Center and performed to thousands of Chicago area school children in Urban Gateways, the country's leading arts and education agency. John was a guest soloist with Chicago's Symphony of the Shores and served as music consultant and principal recording artist for the Goodman Theatre's production of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa in 1994
As a founding member of the groundbreaking band Solas, John Williams received wider recognition playing to sold out audiences internationally and earning both a NAIRD award and a Grammy nomination for the ensemble's self-titled 1996 release on Shanachie Records. Some of John's dynamic solo performances have been captured on two award winning compilation discs, Dear Ol' Erin's Isle (Nimbus) and The Twentieth Anniversary Collection (Green Linnet). The first received the Library of Congress honorary distinction as an outstanding folk recording in 1992; and the second, a double CD of the finest Green Linnet recordings, occupied the top 15 of the Billboard World Music Charts for an unprecedented 17 weeks in 1996. John has also collaborated with friends Martin Hayes, Seamus Egan, and Joannie Madden on their individual albums.
John Williams has performed at the Barns of Wolftrap in the Folkmasters Concert Series, as well as The World Accordion Festival in Montmagny, Quebec. Other festivals include the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Montreaux Jazz Festival, and the National Folk Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He has played concerts in New York, London, Paris, Brittany, Zurich, Dublin, Belfast, and Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, Ireland. National Public Radio performances include Mountain Stage, A Prairie Home Companion, and the 1997 broadcast of the July 4th Concert on the Mall in Washington, D.C. He has been the subject of the Irish radio program The Long Note and television program The Pure Drop. John has also been interviewed and recorded on BBC and CBC radio.
John Williams performed at taught at the prestigious Willie Clancy Summer School in Co. Clare, Ireland, the Augusta Heritage Workshops in Elkins, West Virginia, and the Swannanoa Gathering at the Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. At home in Chicago, John has taught for seven years at the Irish American Heritage Center and performed to thousands of Chicago area school children in Urban Gateways, the country's leading arts and education agency. John was a guest soloist with Chicago's Symphony of the Shores and served as music consultant and principal recording artist for the Goodman Theatre's production of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa in 1994
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