Kieran O'Hare

Uilleann pipes, whistles, flute

Kieran O’Hare is a highly respected and sought-after performer of Irish traditional music on the uilleann pipes, concert flute, and tin whistle.

In 1994, Kieran received the honor of being the first American-born player of Irish music invited to perform in the annual ‘Ace and Deuce of Piping’ concert, held in Ireland’s National Concert Hall. Since then, he has made countless appearances at festivals and concerts in North and South America, Japan, China, and Europe. Among the many artists with whom Kieran has performed, toured or recorded are Mick Moloney and The Greenfields of America; fiddler Liz Carroll; Cape Breton fiddlers Jerry Holland and JP Cormier; Nashville songwriter Gordie Sampson; Irish vocalist Danny Doyle; the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; Bonnie Raitt on VH1 Storytellers; The Paul Winter Consort; Josh Groban; and Don Henley.

Kieran has worked extensively in designing music for the stage, and is in great demand as a session musician and as a teacher of Irish music. In 2002, Kieran appeared in a musical role in the Sam Mendes film Road to Perdition. In 2006-2007, Kieran was the featured uilleann pipes and tin whistle player on Broadway for the new musical The Pirate Queen, written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, and produced by John McColgan and Moya Doherty of Riverdance. In 2007-8, Kieran was a featured performer on the PBS special presentation “Celtic Origins” with the Irish choral group ANÚNA. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2010 as a soloist with the New York Pops Orchestra under the baton of Steve Reineke. Most recently, with his wife the fiddler Liz Knowles, Kieran toured the world for over four years as musical director, contractor, and performer with the France-based show Celtic Legends.

Kieran serves on the Board of Directors of Na Píobairí Uilleann in Dublin, Ireland, an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of uilleann piping worldwide.