Celtic vocalist Maura O’Connell comes to Durango Nov. 15

Special guest, John Mock will open the show at the Community Concert Hall

Durango, CO – Maura O’Connell, a singer known for blending the Celtic and folk sounds from her formative years in Ireland, and filtering them through contemporary American country and bluegrass music, comes to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. Her special guest, guitarist John Mock, takes the stage at 7 p.m.

Called a captivating stylist, introspective chanteuse, musical explorer and songwriter’s singer, O’Connell began her professional musical journey as a vocalist for the traditional Celtic group De Dannan. While in Dublin, and on later trips to Nashville, she met a series of leading acoustic players, including Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien and Jerry Douglas. She discovered the music of these talented Americana artists resonated with her, and ultimately it influenced her then ground-breaking musical penchant for weaving her Celtic traditions with a wide variety of other genres.

Wrote the Dallas Morning News, “Maura O’Connell brings great songs to passionate life with her voice: a sturdy, melodic, from-the-soul instrument. Her interpretive powers are near-perfect as is her ability to make someone else’s personal lyrics universal.”

Stepping outside her personal music world, O’Connell was cast by Martin Scorsese as an Irish immigrant street singer in the epic The Gangs of New York, released in 2002. O’Connell has also collaborated with numerous Celtic, folk, pop and country artists including Shawn Colvin, Van Morrison and Dolly Parton.

With a self-imposed mandate to always bring something new and exciting to everything she sings, O’Connell’s multi-decade career has earned her international acclaim, as well as two Grammy nominations – including one in 2010 for her most recent release Naked With Friends, her first a cappella album revered for its undiluted statement on the art of singing.

O’Connell’s special guest, John Mock is an artist who draws inspiration for his music and his art from the sea and its coasts. With muses found from New England to Ireland, Mock shares this heritage of the sea with audiences through his unique presentation of original instrumental compositions on the guitar, concertina, mandolin and tin whistle combined with his own photographs. Through sound and image, Mock is said to create all-encompassing atmospheres that capture these special landscapes and their stories. Audiences enjoy the casual narration and storytelling, which enliven the characters and places upon which the music is based.

A native of Connecticut’s eastern shore, Mock will take the Concert Hall stage with O’Connell as her guitarist. He is also known throughout the world for his classical arrangements, which have been performed by numerous symphony orchestras, including the London Symphony and the symphonies o

Tickets for Maura O’Connell, with special guest John Mock, ($24/$29) are available on-line at www.durangoconcerts.com or call 970.247.7657, or visit the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at 8th St. and Main Ave., Downtown Durango. All sales final.

The Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.