Valerie Rose |
Irish fiddle + vocals in the San Francisco Bay Area |
Welcome
A fiddler and vocalist in the San Francisco Bay Area, Valerie plays and teaches Irish traditional fiddle. She also sings in Celtic and other world styles.
Valerie performs in several ensembles, from a duo to a 40-voice choir, one of which is sure to be a perfect fit for your wedding, party, or corporate event!
“Valerie is a phenomenal vocal talent…her voice is lucid and moving, her fiddling sultry and strong.” – Chris Caswell
Valerie Rose Band at the 2010 KVMR Celtic Festival
Listen
Down by the Salley Gardens
Lyrics by Irish poet William Butler Yeats. (Vocals, guitar, flute.)
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Mhaire Bhruinneal/Dunmore Lasses
A song of unrequited love in Irish Gaelic, followed by a reel. (Vocals, guitar, fiddle, whistle)
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Dever the Dancer/The Man Who Will Never Be Able
A set of slip jigs. (Fiddle, whistle, guitar)
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Pretty Peggy-O
American version of a Scottish ballad. (Vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle, bass.)
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Learn to Play Irish Music
Valerie offers private Irish fiddle lessons as well as “facilitated Irish sessions” — providing a supportive group environment for beginning players on all instruments who want to learn to play Irish music in a session. Location is on the San Francisco peninsula.
Valerie works with adult and teen students, from beginners to advanced-intermediate players. For students in the East Bay, she recommends these fiddle teachers: Paul Chaffee and Darcy Noonan.
For those with a background in other musical styles, an important part of Valerie’s fiddle teaching is helping you with “sounding Irish”. Explore the rhythms, ornamentation, and the nuanced phrasing of Irish music, and hear your playing really come alive!
Petals of Stone
Valerie’s Celtic rock CD, Petals of Stone, is available at CD Baby and Amazon.
“With innovative arrangements of traditional material, Valerie’s new CD, Petals of Stone, is bursting with passion and fire.” -Lief Sorbye of Tempest
“Petals of Stone is a rare flower well worth seeking out!” – Michael Devlin, Music Matters Review
“Valerie has the voice of an angel and clearly one who is not afraid of electricity.” – George Maida, The Electric Croude, WCVE 88.9 FM
“Rose’s pure, sweet voice should please fans of Annie Haslam, Maddy Prior, or Sandy Denny. An auspicious debut.” – Larry Nai, Progression: The Quarterly Journal of Progressive Music
Irish music for your wedding
Irish music is a wonderful choice for your special day.
Lilting Irish airs provide elegant ambience before the ceremony, and after the ceremony while photos are being taken. One of the graceful compositions by 18th-century Irish composer Turloch O’Carolan makes for a lovely processional, while nothing beats a joyous Irish jig for a recessional as the bride and groom come back down the aisle. Then, at the reception, lively Irish reels and hornpipes are sure to get your guests up and dancing.
You can opt for fiddle with flute, harp, or guitar.
Press Imagery
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Biography
“Valerie is a phenomenal vocal talent…her voice is lucid and moving, her fiddling sultry and strong.” – Chris Caswell
Valerie Rose is a fiddler and singer in the San Francisco Bay Area who presents music from the great Irish / Celtic tradition. Hearkening back to the pioneers of the Celtic folk music revival such as Clannad and Altan, Valerie’s arrangements of traditional tunes and songs are spiced with rich harmonies and playful interchanges between voice and instruments. Audiences find captivating the pure, haunting quality of her voice and the vibrant intensity of her fiddling. With each piece, she brings to life the transcendent beauty of Celtic melodies and the joyous energy of the tradition’s jigs and reels.
Valerie grew up playing guitar and singing folksongs in three-part harmony with her family. After moving to California, she performed at San Jose’s Center Stage as a solo folksinger, and served as lead soprano and music director for the Saratoga Madrigal Singers. Later, after getting bitten by the Irish music bug, she formed The Owner’s Daughter with guitarist Steve Baughman, and in 1993 the two released a CD to favorable reviews. She then went on to play with Four Shillings Short, Chris Caswell’s Celtic Light Orchestra, Benita Kenn Band, Djerdan with Yugoslav violinist Slavko Śilič, and festival favorites Molly’s Revenge. She has also made guest appearances with Patrick Ball, Kevin Carr, Tipsy House, and Shay Black.
In 2003 she co-founded the Irish trio Thornhill Road, which was for several years the house traditional band at Santana Row’s iconic pub Rosie McCann’s. Of Thornhill Road, Danny Carnahan said, “Thornhill Road is a rarity — an American Celtic trio whose uncluttered and confident instrumental interplay and sparkling vocal harmonies are an easy match for the best coming out of Ireland these days.” Their recording of Mhaire Bhruinneal/Dunmore Lasses was chosen as one of the “Best of 2007″ by Marc Gunn’s Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.
Valerie’s solo CD, Petals of Stone, explored edgier territory, successfully mixing Irish and English traditional ballads with hard-rock instrumentation. “Rose’s pure, sweet voice should please fans of Annie Haslam, Maddy Prior, or Sandy Denny. An auspicious debut,” said Larry Nai in Progression: The Quarterly Journal of Progressive Music. Guest musicians included Sylvia Herold, Phil Campbell, David Balakrishnan, Kris Yenney, Paul Revelli, Vince Littleton, John Land, and Preston Carter. A track from this CD was selected by Silicon Valley Walk for AIDS to appear on its sampler CD, Sounds for Hope.
Most recently Valerie has teamed up with flute player Jason Pollack. The pair, along with Mark Unger and Del Eckels, performed at the 2010 KVMR Grass Valley Celtic Festival.
Valerie is also a conductor, soloist, and arranger for the Gryphon Carolers, a unique holiday choir that presents world, jazz, and Americana music for the holidays.
Discography
Petals of Stone
Valerie Rose
Valerie Rose
Living Tradition
David Brewer
David Brewer
Roads
Benita Kenn
Benita Kenn
Urban Folk Music of the Former Yugoslavia
Djerdan
Djerdan
One December Night
The Gryphon Carolers
The Gryphon Carolers
Metamorphosis
Tom Rigney
Tom Rigney
Notable Venues
Palace of Fine Arts
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
KVMR Celtic Festival
Grass Valley, CA
Grass Valley, CA
Freight & Salvage
Berkeley, CA
Berkeley, CA
Sonoma Celtic Festival
Sebastopol, CA
Sebastopol, CA
Calaveras Celtic Festival
Calaveras, CA
Calaveras, CA
Livermore Scottish Games
Livermore, CA
Livermore, CA
San Francisco Irish Arts & Music Festival
Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
Loch Lomond Highland Games
Ben Lomond, CA
Ben Lomond, CA
Bay Celtic Festival
Oakland, CA
Oakland, CA
Villa Montalvo
Saratoga, CA
Saratoga, CA
Fox Theater
Redwood City, CA
Redwood City, CA
Spangenberg Auditorium
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA
McKenna Theater
SFSU, San Francisco, CA
SFSU, San Francisco, CA
The Plough & Stars
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
The Starry Plough
Berkeley, CA
Berkeley, CA
Espresso Garden & Café
San Jose, CA
San Jose, CA
Booking Inquiries
Contact Information
2033 Ralston Ave. #200
Belmont, CA 94002 USA
info@vrosemusic.com
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