Irish music great Dervish enchants with energy and charisma at Diana Wortham Theatre - Feb. 22nd

With traditional Irish instruments that interweave with singer Cathy Jordan’s captivating voice, Dervish transports audiences to the pubs and wild hills of the west of Ireland, Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre. One of the most sought-after Irish acts on the international stage, Dervish has performed around the world, playing for heads of state, an audience of 240,000 in Rio de Janeiro, at the Great Wall of China and at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Dervish’s concert performances offer a myriad of tones and moods ranging from high energy tunes, played with fluidity and intuitiveness, to beautifully measured songs, from charming lyrics of life and love, to inspiring melodies that lift audiences from their seats. Vocalist Cathy Jordan’s masterful stage presence draws people into the music in a way very few performers can achieve. “Simply a brilliant and uncluttered testimonial to music imagination and talent,” says The Irish Times.

Dervish originally formed in 1989 as a group of five musicians who came together to record an album of local music, released as The Boys of Sligo. Inspired by the project, they decided to develop this informal gathering into a working band under the name Dervish. Twenty-five years since coming together Dervish is more in-demand than ever. The band has recorded ten albums and two DVDs that have topped Folk, World and Roots Music charts in Ireland, and readers of top music magazines have awarded Dervish “Best Overall Irish Roots Act” on several occasions. The Sligo City Council (the city where Dervish was formed) bestowed on them the Freedom of the City of Sligo for their contribution to the region’s vibrant artistic culture. Dervish’s colorful career has taken the band to every corner of the globe and has seen it share the stage with acts such as James Brown, the Buena Vista Social Club, Oasis, Sting, REM, Beck and many more.

Dervish is: Brian McDonagh on mandola and mandolin; Liam Kelly on flute and whistles; Tom Morrow on fiddle and viola; Shane Mitchell on accordion; Michael Holmes on bouzouki; and the enchanting Cathy Jordan, who also plays the bodhrán, bones, and tenor guitar.

Dervish’s Asheville performance is presented in partnership with The Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College, and made possible by Celtic Series Sponsors Don & Nancy Ackermann Cole, First Citizens Bank and Ward & Smith, P.A.; with additional support from Media Sponsor WNCW 88.7 FM.