Achill International Harp Festival hosts a special night of music, song and dance, featuring The Henry Girls (Ireland), Corrina Hewat (Scotland) and Diego Laverde Rojas (Columbia), closing with a Breton Festnoz-Irish Céilí featuring a host of Breton and Irish musicians and dancers.

Donegal sisters The Henry Girls, have a unique rootsy sound which blends their native traditional Irish folk music with hints of Americana, bluegrass and blues. They are renowned for their fine close harmonies and musical arrangements, and have been likened to such great musical acts as Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Dixie Chicks and The Be Good Tanyas. Their songs are tuneful and catchy and their tight three-part harmonies are matched by soulful musicianship across a range of instruments including harp, fiddle, accordion, ukulele, banjo and piano. ‘These sisters have a sensational talent. The quality of their harmony singing goes beyond mere technique. They possess an unerring ability to blend tone and resonance in a seamless fashion’. Eamon Carr, The Evening Herald

Harpist, singer and composer Corrina Hewat is widely recognised as one of Scotland’s most unique and innovative musicians. Hewat achieved recognition and critical acclaim for her work with bands Bachué (with pianist David Milligan), Shine (with Mary Macmaster & Alyth McCormack) before going on to form Scots supergroup the Unusual Suspects, also with David Milligan. The essence of Corrina’s music lies in her passion for Scottish traditional music and song, and her effortless blending of other musical genres – a style shaped by a fascination with experimental music and improvisation. A reverence for tradition and a dedication to innovation. As a singer, her stunningly beautiful and earthy voice, resonates with years of soaking up Scotland’s musical tradition, while echoing jazz and contemporary elements. She is currently Principal Scottish Harp Tutor at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Colombian harpist Diego Laverde Rojas has his premiere Irish performance at Achill International Harp Festival. He plays the arpa llanera, or lowland harp, which is very different to the western orchestral harp and is characterised by fast, syncopated rhythms with a timbre reminiscent of a classical nylon-string guitar. Due to its size and amazingly intricate construction, as well as his virtuosic technique, Diego is capable of creating polyphony; playing melody and intricate accompaniment simultaneously. Diego performs as a soloist and also with various groups and ensembles. He performs with Ensemble Criollo, with percussionist Wilmer Sifontes, blending folk harp playing with Cuban Salsa and Afro Caribbean percussive rhythms, plays with Ensamble Latino, a Venezuelan-Colombian folk group based in London and is also a member of the band The Familiar Strangers with singer Rory MacLeod with whom he has toured extensively in the UK. He has played in the Royal Albert Hall, London and at various harp festivals in the UK and Europe.