Our annual flute concert is a highlight in the festival programme and this promises to be another belter with some of the best flute and whistle players on the planet filling the Black Box in the Cathedral quarter!

Kevin Crawford is best known as a founding member of Moving Cloud and current member of Ireland’s cutting edge traditional band Lúnasa. He remains high in demand as a multi-instrumentalist having collaborated with many artists and released several critically acclaimed solo albums.

Catherine McEvoy was awarded TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year in 2019. She was a member of the first all-female traditional group Macalla and is now considered one of the best exponents of the Sligo - Roscommon style of flute playing.

Gary Hastings from East Belfast is an exceptionally talented flute player who has been influenced by legendary musicians Cathal McConnell, Len Graham, Joe Holmes, Mick Hoy and Eddie Duffy. Gary has recorded CDs with Fr Séamus Quinn — 'Slán le hÉirne', The Chieftains and Frankie Gavin.

Mary Bergin – ‘Just about the best Tin Whistle player this century’ is how the Irish Times referrs to Mary. She was born into a very musical family and began playing at an early age winning many awards in Oireachtas and Fleadh Ceoil competitions, including the All-Ireland Championship at Junior and Senior level.

Robbie Harris is a highly sought-after bodhrán player and percussionist. Over the years he has recorded and performed with many world-renowned artists Bobby McFerrin, Afro Celt Sound System, Clannad and Bob Geldof, to name but a few. Robbie has also guest lectured at The Julliard and The New School, NYC he will also perform at Belfast TradFest with his bands Jiggy & Pólca 4.

Éimhear Flannery began playing music at the young age of two. In 2015, Éimhear was the youngest ever finalist to compete in the Bonn Óir Seán Ó Riada, and in 2024 she was named winner for her outstanding performance on the Tin Whistle.

Ed Boyd joined Lúnasa in 2012, is widely regarded as the finest acoustic guitarist on the European folk circuit. He is a founding member of the BBC Folk Award-winning group Flook, with whom he recorded four critically acclaimed albums, and has toured with many of the folk acts, such as singers Cara Dillon and Kate Rusby, Michael McGoldrick, and Irish band Buille.

Belfast is synonymous with the sound of the flute. Energy and creativity are very much the hallmarks of the Belfast style. The music of this city invariably has a persistent and hypnotic pulse which draws the listener into a trance-like state, reminiscent of that cast by the chanting of Buddhist monks. This concert features some of the world’s best traditional flute players and whistlers on the planet and it promises to be a spectacle of brilliant solo and collaborative performances.