Global Spice World Music: Dale Russ, Irish fiddle and Tom Creegan, Irish piper

Disability Accommodations

Equal Opportunity Institution. 24+ hours advance notice is appreciated for accommodations.

Tom Creegan

Tom first started playing pipes in his native Dublin, where he attended the Irish Piper's Club in Thomas Street. He played extensively in Europe and Canada before moving to Seattle. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost pipers in North America.  

Tom was proclaimed champion at the Irish Piper's Convention in Seattle in 1984. His concert appearances have included numerous dates with such luminaries as Kevin Burke, Gerry O'Beirne, Micheal O'Dhomnaill and Johnny Cunningham, among others. He teaches tin whistle and pipes in the Irish Piper's Club and has served on the teaching staff of the Lark in the Morning summer school in California, the O'Flaherty retreat in Texas and many piping conventions in the U.S. and Ireland. Tom is in high demand for recording and has appeared on many recordings by Northwest and Hawaiian artists.

Dale Russ

Dale Russ started playing the fiddle in 1973 when first moving to Washington State from his native Connecticut. He is self-taught, which contributes to his abilities and renown as an excellent fiddle instructor.

Dale taught for fifteen years at the Lark in the Morning Summer Camp in Mendocino. He has taught and performed at many workshops and music camps, including the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington, The Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina,, and the Shasta Music Summit.  He has also played for ceilis, set dances and dance competitions for many years.

In 1990 he was invited to perform at the first Boston College Irish Music Festival "My Love is in America" featuring 16 of the finest Irish fiddle players living in the States. The concert was recorded and released by Green Linnet Records and won an award from the Smithsonian Institute as "Traditional Recording of the Year".

He performed for 15 years with the traditional Irish band "The Suffering Gaels", appearing at the Milwaukee Irish Festival in 1993 and '94. In April of '96 he spent two weeks touring Japan with the then-newly-formed trio "Jody's Heaven", and has since returned to Japan yearly.  Currently he plays with Mike Saunders and Tom Creegan in the trio Crumac. He is featured in the Spring 1997 issue of Fiddler magazine.

Dale is the Irish Fiddle instructor for the online lesson website PegheadNation.com, has an instructional videotape in the Lark in the Morning video series; a solo CD, “Soul Food”; a duet CD with Mike Saunders accompanying on guitar and vocals, “Celtic Dance Music and Song”; two recordings with the "Suffering Gaels"; a fiddle and uilleann pipe duet CD with Todd Denman, “Reeds and Rosin”; a duet album with Suffering Gaels’ guitarist Finn MacGinty, two CDs with "Jody's Heaven" and two CDs with the trio “Setanta”.


    "No theatrics, just solid, clean fiddle embellishments, warm tone and listenable, danceable tempos."

    -- Lou Alcorn, Victory Music Review

    "...plays with precision, fluidity and grace...Is one with the music he creates."

     -- Lisa Fusch, Victory Music Review

    "Mr. Russ is well-known as the shining jewel of Northwest fiddle players."

    -- Jams O'Donnell, Victory Music Review

    "...Dale is one of the most important players in America today."

    -- Dan Collins, Shanachie Records

    "Dale Russ is at the top of his field."

    -- Peter McCracken, Folk Arts Director, CENTRUM

    “…no-nonsense Irish fiddle music of the highest quality,  by one of the best fiddlers anywhere.”

     -- Bill McGill, California Traditional Music Society Journal

    "Dale Russ is one of the greatest fiddlers I know in Irish traditional music."

    -- Martin Hayes

    "…in the top echelon of traditional fiddlers in the country, one of the very best."  

    -- Mick Moloney

    “Dale Russ is a first-rate fiddler, gifted with an expressive touch.  Russ’ fiddling is a sweet, expressive voice.”

    --Bob Buckingham, Fiddler Magazine

    (Dale’s playing is) fresh and dynamic, expressive and easy.  His style is refreshingly wild, inventive, creative and inspired.   

    -- Una Pett, Victory Music Review


Part of the Global Spice Concert Series

Special thanks to the 2019-20 Global Spice Media Sponsor AdventuresNW