WYO Theater Presents DERVISH

Dervish, one of the world's most imaginative interpreters of Irish folk music and recently recognized with a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, will celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the WYO Friday March 20 at 7:30pm. Having devoted the last three decades to gently reinventing the traditional songs of their homeland, Dervish were widely celebrated in 2019 for their album The Great Irish Songbook which featured such luminaries as Vince Gill, Rhiannon Giddens, Steve Earle and others.

Dervish's founding members were childhood friends in County Sligo-the same creatively fertile region that spawned a group of legendary fiddle players who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s, then recorded the first known Irish-music albums of any genre. As young musicians in 1989, the band members were commissioned to record an album of music from the renowned Sligo tradition. Despite feverish response from all around the world, Dervish turned down record-deal offers and launched their own label, releasing their sophomore effort Harmony Hill in 1993 and immediately seeing the album climb the Irish charts.

Through the years, Dervish has appeared at some of the world's biggest festivals, from Glastonbury to Rock in Rio, with the "great and good" of the entertainment industry including James Brown, Neil Young and Sting while steadily making their name as one of the foremost purveyors of Irish folk music.

As they approach their 30th anniversary, Dervish again prove the enduring significance of even the most timeworn songs. Don't miss this St. Paddy's tradition at the WYO March 20!