Called "three of the finest folk violinists anywhere" by The Washington Post, Celtic Fiddle Festival celebrates the violin in all its globe-trotting variations. Fiddlers Kevin Burke (Ireland), Yuna Léon (Brittany, France) and Capercaillie’s own Charlie McKerron showcase a fascinating juxtaposition of international and individual styles.

Sold-out tours and standing ovations give testimony to the electricity and excitement generated by the group. Along with acclaimed guitarist Nicolas Quemener from Brittany, the quartet combines their talents, musical traditions, and spontaneous humour for an evening of dazzling energy and subtle grace. These traditional masters showcase their regional repertoires and together conjure an experience of breathtaking performances.

Kevin Burke is a world-renowned Irish fiddler whose formidable career includes the seminal Irish groups The Bothy Band and Patrick Street. Playing the fluid, highly-ornamented style of County Sligo, Kevin is a recipient of the NEA's National Heritage Award. Yuna Léon is the most recent addition to the group. An accomplished and exciting musician, she grew up with traditional music from an early age and has become one of Brittany’s foremost fiddlers. Charlie McKerron is one of Scotland’s finest fiddle players, having touring the world with Capercaillie amongst his many other projects.

In concert each artist plays a solo set, showcasing their individual musical styles and traditions, followed by a collaborative set featuring all three fiddlers. Together, they play with such relentless precision and fire that the tunes transcend all cultural and geographical barriers, leaving the audience with a memorable musical experience.

Celtic Fiddle Festival was originally conceived as a unique touring project in 1992, with Burke, Lemaitre, and the great Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham. The group proved such a success that a live recording was released. That first album, simply titled Celtic Fiddle Festival (1993, Green Linnet), received glowing critical reviews and racked up impressive sales. Four albums and numerous international tours later, the ensemble is now one of the most popular on the Celtic circuit.

Kevin Burke is a world-renowned Irish fiddle master, playing the beautifully fluid, highly-ornamented style of County Sligo. Kevin has been a mainstay of several seminal Irish supergroups, from The Bothy Band to the all-star Irish group Patrick Street, and has toured and recorded with countless artists including Kate Bush, Arlo Guthrie, Paul Brady and Christy Moore. Born in London to Irish parents, Kevin moved to Ireland in the 1970s. Now a resident of Portland, Oregon, Kevin was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the NEA in 2002, America's highest honor in the traditional arts. His most recent recording is Suite, with guitarist Cal Scott, on his own Loftus Music label.

Yuna Léon is the daughter of the famous Breton guitarist, Alain Léon. As a very young girl she became enamoured with tradtional music and, with her father’s encouragement, was greatly influenced by the wonderful Breton singers and sonneurs. One of Brittany’s most recognised musicians, her music is endowed with a deep sincerity and generosity as is evident in her performances with Dan Ar Braz , Ampouailh, the Kreiz breizh Akademi and many other notable players. It is a thrill and a privilege to have her as the latest member of The Celtic Fiddle Festival .

Normally heard within the heavyweight line-ups of Capercaillie and Session A9, the Daily Record Golden Fiddle Awarded Scottish fiddler Charlie McKerron is also an accomplished composer. Charlie’s music has been widely recorded and he has contributed to the film “Rob Roy” and more recently “Four Men and a Malt” and “Gruth is Uachdar” (Crowdie and Cream) which he co-wrote with Donald Shaw for which they received 2 RTS awards. Charlie also co-produced the album “Big Sky” which involved some of Scotland’s top contemporary Celtic musicians. Charlie can also been seen performing with Marc Clements, Finlay MacDonald Band, Maggie MacInnes and has been involved in projects with Kevin MacKenzie and Aidan O’Rourke.

A master open-tuning guitarist, Nicolas Quemener grew up in Angers, France and studied percussion in the National School of Music. Emigrating to Ireland in 1990, he joined the celebrated Irish group Arcady, remaining with the group until 1994 when he joined the Belgian band Orion. Relocating to Brittany in 1993, he co-founded the traditional Breton dance band, Skeduz. In 1997 and 1998, Quemener toured with the great Breton guitarist Dan Ar Braz and his fifty-piece group, Heritage Des Celtes. In addition to working with Kornog, he continues to play and record with a number of acclaimed Breton and Irish artists.