..:: Elysium Arts Folk Club ::..

Sarah McQuaid
February 24, 2010 ~ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Cost: Concert $15 ~ Workshop $25 ~ Concert & Workshop $35

Ronald Rietman ©

We are delighted to announce a concert and a DADGAD Guitar Workshop featuring acclaimed singer/guitarist Sarah McQuaid on Wednesday February 24th. The Guitar workshop is at 4:30 pm and the concert is at 8:00 pm. Admission is $15 for the concert, $25 for the workshop and $35 for the workshop and concert together. Call early for reservation because seating is limited 603-743-4700.

Madrid-born Sarah McQuaid was raised in Chicago, studied philosophy in Strasbourg and spent many years in Ireland before pitching up in Penzance, Cornwall, in 2007. Drawing on the traditions of Ireland, America and the UK, her music is sublime and compelling, characterised by warm, velvety vocals and a distinctive acoustic guitar style. In 2007 she re-released her album When Two Lovers Meet to critical accaim: “Sarah McQuaid’s debut album offers a masterclass in restraint and subtlety,” wrote fRoots magazine. Sarah is also the author of a highly-regarded guitar tutor, The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book.

For more information, visit her website: www.sarahmcquaid.com.

“Sparkling guitar and compelling alto voice ... reminiscent of Pentangle’s best efforts ... a gentle and magical recording that I will return to time and again.” — Tom Druckenmiller, Sing Out!

“Likely to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.” — Aled Jones, BBC Radio 2

“Her singing has shades of Baez minus the operatic warble and Gillian Welch without so much Nashville twang.” — Spiral Earth

“Beautifully spare ... a melancholy but somehow celebratory collection.” — The Irish Times

“One of those rare things, a very lovely personal album but also an incredibly good introduction to Appalachian folk music. Highly recommended.” — Americana UK

“Quietly expressive and supremely affecting performances ... Not a weak link anywhere in earshot ... This is a truly lovely record.” — NetRhythms

“Truly spine-tingling ... A touching album from a genuine artist.” — Hot Press

“A rare beauty of an album.” — FATEA Magazine

“Pure magic!! We are running our folkclub for 16 years now but I never experienced such a thrilling interaction between artist and audience who rewarded you with three encores!! You have the ability to create an intimate atmosphere with your stories, songs and guitar playing and make the audience part of the gig.” — Piet Snellen, De Fookhook, Sevenum, Netherlands

Sarah is also the author of a guitar tutor, The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book, described by The Irish Times as "a godsend to aspiring traditional guitarists," and has developed a 90-minute workshop entitled "An Introduction To DADGAD", which will be presented at the club at 4:30 pm. A comment from one attendee:

"I really enjoyed your workshop and I liked the way you made sure there was something for everyone. Each one of us had come along with widely different expectations and experience but you overcame this by adapting to the way the flow was going. For me it was useful to have read your Irish DADGAD Guitar Book beforehand but this was by no means a necessary requirement for a participant to benefit from the workshop. I liked too the impromptu illustrations using guitar parts taken from songs and instrumentals on your CDs. Your insight into chord structures and scales cast a new light on the reason why an open tuning like DADGAD works, in contrast to my previous hit-and-miss, limited attempts at picking out chords that sound nice. I'm sure I speak for other participants when I give a big thank you for an excellent workshop, which I would recommend to any guitarist."

--Adrian Vranch (Devon, UK)