RIPTON — The Ripton Community Coffee House welcomes Moira Smiley and Seamus Egan to an online concert on Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m., and invites everyone to enjoy the music from their own comfortable, socially distanced living room. Viewers can find links to the concert at rrch.org as well find ways to donate their “entrance fee” directly to the musicians, if they so choose. 
A composer, instrumentalist, and singer with an expressive and exquisite voice, Smiley is a powerhouse of talent. Born and raised in Vermont, she’s returned to her home state after many peripatetic years as a wandering minstrel. Her voice and compositions have been featured in TED conferences, on BBC Radio and TV, NPR, ABC Australia and live at countless venues from Lincoln Center to the Royal Festival Hall. In addition to performing with her own ensemble, she has toured with pop artist tUnE-yArDs; Irish super-group SOLAS; The Lomax and Folklife Projects; and Billy Childs’s “Laura Nyro Re-Imagined.” Moira premiered her solo album Unzip the Horizon at the Savannah Music Festival in 2018 and published its companion choral songbook in 2019.
Egan is one of the world’s most influential and revered traditional Irish multi-instrumentalists. From his beginnings as a teen prodigy, to his groundbreaking solo work with Shanachie Records, to his founding of Irish-American powerhouse band Solas, to his current wide-ranging project work, Seamus has helped define the sound of Irish music today. His mastery of Irish flute, tenor banjo, guitar, mandolin, tin whistle and low whistle makes his live performances a thrill. As a composer, he was behind the soundtrack for the award-winning film The Brothers McMullen, co-wrote Sarah McLachlan’s breakout hit, “Weep Not for the Memories,” and has scored numerous documentaries and Indie films. 
The music continues online, though sadly without the open mic or delicious baked goods. For more information call 802-388-9782.