PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present Celtic-American roots music quintet Runa on Sunday, April 2, at 7 p.m.
Celebrating 14 years together as a band, Runa says on their website their band “continues to push the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats. Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take on traditional music.
Runa has been honored internationally, winning “Top Group” and “Top Traditional Group” in the Irish Music Awards and three Independent Music Awards including “Best Live Album,” “Best World/Traditional Song,” and “Best Bluegrass Song."
“One of the most innovative Irish folk groups of this generation,” continues their website, “Runa creates the backbone of its signature roots sound from the musical and geographical diversity of its individually established band members.”
Vocalist and step-dancer Shannon Lambert-Ryan and fiddler Jake James are from the U.S.; Grammy-award nominated guitarist Fionán de Barra is from Ireland; and percussionist Cheryl Prashker and mandolinist and vocalist Tom Fitzgerald are from Canada. “Together they preserve a traditional culture in a modern age, while blazing a trail for the future of folk music,” organizers say.
Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. For more information, call 802-387-0102. Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar.