The Harbor Trio
Sean McComiskey
Button AccordionSeán McComiskey is among the most innovative young performers on the button accordion, with a unique harmonic style that has earned him a spot in the pantheon of Irish accordionists far beyond his native Baltimore. As the son of legendary button accordion player and National Heritage Fellow Billy McComiskey, Sean has been surrounded by Irish Traditional music his entire life and has developed a deep appreciation for the tradition of which he is a part. This has helped Sean establish a reputation as a highly regarded teacher and promulgator of Irish music and earned him teaching positions with the Catskills Irish Arts Week, the Augusta Heritage Center’s Irish Arts Week, the Chris Langan Traditional Irish Music Weekend in Toronto, the CCE Musical Arts and Dance (MAD) Week in Washington, DC, the Baltimore Irish Trad Fest, and the Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival. In addition to being a highly regarded teacher, Sean has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He was recently honored as a silver medalist in the Senior All-Ireland Melodeon competition. He’s recorded albums and toured with groups including NicGaviskey and the Old Bay Ceili Band. In 2014, Sean formed the Baltimore-based acoustic roots group, Charm City Junction, with Patrick McAvinue on bluegrass fiddle, Brad Kolodner on Appalachian old-time clawhammer banjo, and Alex Lacquement on upright bass. When Sean isn’t playing the button accordion, he is the owner and clinic director of a private practice physical therapy office in Baltimore City called Birch Tree Physical Therapy and Wellness. In his work as a PT, one of his areas of special interest is the treatment and rehabilitation of injured musicians and artists suffering from repetitive stress injuries.
Richard Hearn
BouzoukiRichard Hearn is a driving and dynamic guitarist, mandolin and tenor banjo player based in Baltimore, Maryland. He cut his teeth on Irish traditional music while living in Europe, and has toured internationally with several Irish and Scottish music projects, including Billy McComiskey, Steph Geremia, Sarah Collins, Breaking Strings, and Scottish duo Jocelyn Pettit and Ellen Gira. He is currently touring regularly with his trio, the East Coasters..
Richard has performed on festival stages and been an instructor at many teaching festivals & international workshops, including Folksounds Elmstein (Germany), Celtic Folk Weekend Regensburg (Germany), the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat (Texas), the Riley School (Cincinnati), MAD Week (DC) and the annual Irish weekend in Ismaning (Germany).
Richard serves as the director of the Baltimore Irish Music School, where he teaches tenor banjo and guitar accompaniment, and organizer of the Baltimore Irish Tenor Banjo Summit and the Baltimore Trad Fest.
Sarah Collins
FiddleSarah Collins is a fiddle player based in the Baltimore area with deep roots in the Boston traditional music community. After spending part of her childhood in Edinburgh, she grew up immersed in the Scottish music scene, and her playing today blends influences from Irish and Old-Time fiddle styles.
Sarah has taught at a number of fiddle camps, including Hanneke Cassel's Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend, Katie McNally's Boston States Fiddle Camp, Baltimore's Irish Trad Fest, and the CCE Musical Arts and Dance (MAD) Weekend in Washington, DC. Sarah regularly hosts Irish sessions in both DC and Baltimore, creating spaces for musicians to gather and share tunes. She also teaches fiddle and repertoire classes for the Baltimore Irish Music School.
In addition to the Harbor Trio, Sarah currently performs with several bands. She plays an Irish trio with David McKindley-Ward and Marty Frye, and a duo with 5-string banjo player Jonathan Vocke.
