Owen Kennedy Submitted photo

Maine musician Owen Kennedy and his friends Seán Heely and Kevin Elam plan to perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at the Vienna Union Hall, at 5 Vienna Mountain Road, Vienna.

Heely and Kennedy met at the 2019 Acadia Traditional School of Music & Arts in Bar Harbor.  Inspired by Heely’s workshops and performances at Acadia Trad and Fiddle Hell, Kennedy was motivated to dive into the Scottish fiddling tradition. Adding Elam into the mix produces a musical stage presence for the group that will be most powerful and memorable.

Kennedy has been playing the violin since age 4 and now at 18 he is a seasoned performer. He is an award-winning fiddler rooted in the Maine Maritime tradition and immersed in his growing passion for Scottish music, splitting time between Maine and Cape Breton.  He is the 2022 New England Regional Open Scottish Fiddle Champion, and the 2021 Junior US National Scottish Fiddle Champion. Recently, he has begun adding the tenor banjo and traditional songs into his performances. His powerful playing can capture the melancholy of a Scottish air, mimic the sound of pipes in a march, or drive a good ol’ New England contradance tune. His first album ”Oh When: Now” recorded with Owen Marshall and released in 2023, includes songs from the Maine Maritime tradition as well as newer favorites from Scotland, Cape Breton, and Shetland.

Heely is a champion Celtic fiddler and singer and is rapidly emerging as one of his generation’s most creatively versatile and captivating young artists. He is a U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and an award-winning Irish Fiddler and folksinger specializing in Scottish Gaelic.

Elam is a multi-instrumentalist rooted in Irish traditional music, and the 2019 All-Ireland Champion in Men’s Singing. He plays the tin whistle, guitar, mandolin and banjo, and has honed his skills as a singer and interpreter of Irish traditional song.

Tickets cost $15 in advance available at viennaunionhall.org, or $20 at the door.

For more information call 207-293-4321.

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