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Jon Pilatzke

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Jon Pilatzke BIO

Hailing from the Ottawa Valley of Ontario, Canada, Jon Pilatzke has been stepdancing and playing the fiddle for over two decades. With his original musical training in the style of Canadian Old Tyme fiddling, Jon garnered himself countless awards across Canada in the competition circuit. He is also the three-time winner of the Canadian Open Stepdancing Championships.

Jon has had the pleasure of performing in many different musical and theatre productions, the most recent being Bowfire – a virtuosic display featuring ten of Canada’s best violinists from all different genres. Jon also created his own ensemble called Quagmyre – a group of six musicians and dancers who creatively melded Celtic styles with contemporary themes such as funk, reggae, rock, and blues. Quagmyre was honoured in 2005 when their sophomore release Of Cabbages and Kings was nominated Best Instrumental Album for a Canadian Folk Music Award.
For the past eight years, Jon has been ecstatic to stepdance and fiddle all over the world as a permanent fixture with The Chieftains. Performances with them have included everything from Late Night with David Letterman to the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Awards. In recognition of their talents, Jon and his brother received a Gemini Award (the Canadian equivalent of an American Emmy) in 2005 and performed alongside The Chieftains for the 2006 Grammy-nominated album The Chieftains Live From Dublin: A Tribute to Derek Bell. Jon’s playing can also be heard throughout the most recent recording project for The Chieftains entitled San Patricio, featuring the great Ry Cooder. This recording is set for release in March 2010.

Jon was very happy to expand his horizons in the summer of 2009 as the violinist for Canada’s own instrumentalist and vocalist Loreena McKennitt, playing at some of the most prominent outdoor music festivals across Canada.

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Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival Announces Final Week Highlights


Now in its final week, the 14th annual Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival, running through January 31,will host two in-person events, including the world premiere of a new play by John Kearns and an online curated Irish language theater salon. 

The Chieftains 55th Anniversary Tour comes to The Town Hall in NYC March 10th


'55 years, wow, where have they gone as we're still going strong', says Paddy Moloney, leader of the six-time Grammy Award winners, The Chieftains.  The Chieftains have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale. 

Photo Coverage: The Chieftains Celebrate their 55th Anniversary at The Kupferberg Center


'55 years, wow, where have they gone as we're still going strong', says Paddy Moloney, leader of the six-time Grammy Award winners, The Chieftains. The Chieftains have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale. The Chieftains were formed in Ireland in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, one of the top traditional folk musicians in Ireland and around the world. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music has notably hailed them as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day. BroadwayWorld was there to cover their 55th Anniversary at The Kupferberg Center. Check out the photos below:

The Chieftans Bring 55th Anniversary Tour to NJPAC


"55 years, wow, where have they gone as we're still going strong", says Paddy Moloney, leader of the six-time Grammy Award winners, The Chieftains.  The Chieftains have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale.  The Chieftains were formed in Ireland in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, one of the top traditional folk musicians in Ireland and around the world. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music has notably hailed them as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day.

The Chieftans Celebrate 55th Anniversary Tour at The Kupferberg Center


"55 years, wow, where have they gone as we're still going strong", says Paddy Moloney, leader of the six-time Grammy Award winners, The Chieftains.  The Chieftains have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale.  The Chieftains were formed in Ireland in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, one of the top traditional folk musicians in Ireland and around the world. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music has notably hailed them as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day.

The Pacific Symphony Presents THE CHIEFTAINS This Weekend


Highly regarded for popularizing traditional Irish folk music across the world, "The Chieftains" bring their bagpipes, banjos and exciting musicality to Pacific Symphony Pops for an extension of this year's St. Patrick's Day celebrations! Co-founder Paddy Moloney and his band have won six Grammy Awards, released 58 albums and performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Great Wall of China. By collaborating with contemporary musicians across multiple genres-Pavarotti, Van Morrison, Ziggy Marley and Elvis Costello, to name a few-The Chieftains have enjoyed more than 50 years at the top of the modern music charts. Their international fame stems from their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music. The music on their new album, "Voice of Ages," remains as fresh and relevant as when they first began.

The Pacific Symphony Presents THE CHIEFTAINS, 3/19-21


Highly regarded for popularizing traditional Irish folk music across the world, “The Chieftains” bring their bagpipes, banjos and exciting musicality to Pacific Symphony Pops for an extension of this year's St. Patrick's Day celebrations! Co-founder Paddy Moloney and his band have won six Grammy Awards, released 58 albums and performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Great Wall of China. By collaborating with contemporary musicians across multiple genres—Pavarotti, Van Morrison, Ziggy Marley and Elvis Costello, to name a few—The Chieftains have enjoyed more than 50 years at the top of the modern music charts. Their international fame stems from their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music. The music on their new album, “Voice of Ages,” remains as fresh and relevant as when they first began.

The Chieftains to Play Marin Center, 2/20


Over the course of 53 years and 58 albums, seminal Irish exports THE CHIEFTAINS have uncompromisingly popularized their country's rich musical heritage, collaborating with some of modern music's biggest names, and ultimately earning the group six Grammys and 18 Grammy nominations. THE CHIEFTAINS are not only the world's most famous traditional Irish musicians, they are some of the most beloved. As comfortable playing spontaneous Irish sessions as they are headlining Carnegie Hall, they make the music their own with a style that is as exhilarating as it is definitive. Thursday, February 20 at 8:00 pm at Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, 10 Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center Drive in San Rafael, CA 94903. Tickets are $50, $40, $25, Premium Seats $75, Students 20 and under $20, Bargain seats (rows 25-34) $20; and can be ordered through the Marin Center Box Office at 415-473-6800 or visit www.marincenter.org

Internationally Acclaimed THE CHIEFTAINS Celebrate St. Patrick's Day At Boston Symphony Hall, 3/17


A time honored tradition returns to Boston for St. Patrick's Day as the internationally acclaimed Irish Band THE CHIEFTAINS bring their definitive style and traditional Irish music to The Boston Symphony Hall on March 31.

Paddy Moloney & The Chieftains Celebrate 50th Anniversary Tour In Philly 3/9


The Chieftains celebrate their 50th Anniversary Tour with Philadelphia performance at the Kimmel Center on March 9, 2012 at 8 p.m. in Verizon Hall.

Bowfire World Broadcast Premiere on WLIW21 NY Public TV


This Sunday, November 18 at 8PM on WLIW21 New York Public Television, check out the exclusive world broadcast premiere of Bowfire.

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