Niamh Varian-Barry

Former lead singer of American supergroup ‘Solas’ and multi-instrumentalist Niamh Varian-Barry is a musician and composer from Cork City with a unique and individual style. She has a reputation as an exceptional communicator of the arts. Her powerful vocals have been praised world-wide and she is a trained viola and fiddle player, holding a Masters in Music Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She is a founding member and leader of Dave Flynn’s Irish Memory Orchestra and the Kerry Scotia Ensemble. She has performed with and alongside Martin Hayes, Máirtín O’Connor, Rhiannon Giddens, Béla Fleck, Dick Gaughan, Lúnasa, Altan, Natalie Haas, Dirk Powell, Josh Ritter, Katherine Jenkins and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Niamh has performed at prestigious venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall. Festival and TV appearances include; The Late Late Show, Celtic Connections, Féile na Bealtaine, West Cork Chamber Music Festival and Other Voices. She is also featured soloist in the groundbreaking dance music project SuperCéilí with Peter Staunton. Drawing from her background and experience spanning numerous genres, she has written, “songs and tunes that effortlessly bridge trad Irish, classical music and contemporary songwriting” - FolkWorld.eu. Her debut solo album, “Wings”, released to critical acclaim in 2018, showcases her wide variety of skills, from intimate vocals to cinematic orchestral arrangements in self-composed songs and tunes. It is a marriage of her heart-felt passion, creative imagination, and technical skill. Niamh now resides in Dingle, Co. Kerry where she is an active member of the vibrant musical community. She is in demand as an orchestrator and arranger to artists such as Walking On Cars and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh.

Photo: Dónal Glackin