Grammy-Winning Fiddler Eileen Ivers On How the Positive Energy of Music Brings People Closer Together

Ivers has been a guest artist with prominent orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Courtesy of Eileen Ivers

Eileen Ivers uses her violin “Bluey” to help people overcome hardships through music, and to teach them to look for the positive and live life with gratitude.

Ivers—Grammy-winning violinist, composer, producer, educator, author of new children’s book “Will Someone Play Bluey?” and nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion—has loved playing music since she was a child. But the fear of public speaking, of going outside her comfort zone, was a serious roadblock that she had to overcome. Her personal epiphany came when she realized that by speaking to an audience from the heart, as if chatting with a few close friends, she could make a huge and important connection with the story and theme of the music being performed, no matter how large the audience. Still, she had not yet dreamed of playing music as a career.

An Immigrant Tradition, Reimagined

“I am the daughter of Irish immigrants; both my parents hail from County Mayo, in the west of Ireland,” she said. “Like so many in their generation, my parents had to leave Ireland to find work to help support their parents and siblings. They chose to come to New York. My sister Maureen and I grew up hearing recordings of Irish music in the house, as well as many stories of life in Ireland.”

As a family, they traveled to Ireland every summer, and Ivers grew up immersed in Irish culture and music. She started Irish fiddling at the age of 8, learning from an Irish-born fiddler, Martin Mulvihill, at County Bronx, an Irish center in the Bronx, which was also known as “Ireland’s 33rd County.”

At 18, she spotted her famous electric violin Bluey in the window of Manny’s Music store in New York. “It was so different from my acoustic,” she said. The salesperson mentioned that he thought it would be cool to incorporate some electric guitar stomp box effects. Suddenly, she was transported to a magical place, with a vast array of new sounds and possibilities at her fingertips.

As an immigrant’s daughter, education was stressed as a very crucial matter. “I graduated magna cum laude in mathematics from Iona College,” she said. “I continued on for my master’s degree—but the call of music was always there.”

She started playing in diverse musical projects, ranging from Irish-based music to touring with the pop band “Hall and Oates” for a year, after which she recorded several solo albums; collaborated with top artists such as the Chieftains, Patti Smith, and Sting; recorded movie soundtracks including “Gangs of New York”; and was a billed “musical star,” touring the world with the Riverdance dance production company for three years.

Ivers with son, Aidan, and husband, Brian.Courtesy of Eileen Ivers

“It was during the time of Riverdance that I fully succumbed to the calling of music as a career choice and have never looked back,” she said. Her personal life experience and wildly varied professional endeavors inspired her to create a new sound, one that would ultimately receive rave reviews worldwide and become wholly unique to Ivers.

“So much of the world’s folk music contains similarities,” she said. “After all, humans and their feelings are connected through their music, and we all share the same basic emotions. From cathartic slow pieces to mark one’s passing, or a time of struggle in a society, to uplifting, rhythmic pieces that underscore a time of celebration or joy; these are present in so much of the world of music. Apart from the emotional connection, intertwining and complementary rhythm is also very apparent—this is important for connecting the musical roots.”

New Passions

When she left Riverdance, she started her first band, Immigrant Soul, which eventually morphed into her current touring band, unIVERSal roots, approximately seven years ago.

“Although unIVERSal roots has traditional Irish music at its core, we love to celebrate the journey of the Irish immigrant and tell the story of how Celtic music has impacted so much of Americana music such as Bluegrass, Cajun, Old-Timey, and even French-Canadian music,” she said. “In short, we showcase how the blending of traditional roots music leads to these newer-formed, American-based music traditions. A deeper underpinning truth is that we are far more alike than different, and that is reflected in the connection of the music. We won’t leave a theater until everyone is on their feet, singing an inspirational Celtic-gospel-infused, feel-good song, leaving with a big ol’ smile on their face—and hugs when we meet them in the lobby after the performance.”

Her album “Scatter the Light” was released on March 13, 2020, at the start of the pandemic; it is being re-released in 2022 because it is even more relevant now. The array of tracks was inspired by everything from meditations on family, faith, gratitude, and loss, to calls-of-action for living in the moment, taking chances, and finding the strength to survive life’s obstacles.

“Being a person of faith, ‘Scatter the Light’ is a reinforced message in church, and even in Irish culture, and describes the way I try to live,” she said. “I formed my own touring production and band over 20 years ago, and have been full-on with more recordings, producing, writing of songs and music, teaching, guesting with symphony orchestras from Boston Pops to the National Symphony. I live this dream alongside my husband, Brian, who partners with me in our production company, Musical Bridge, and our 13-year-old son, Aidan, has joined the touring entourage.”

Her son was also one of the inspirations of her new book, “Will Someone Play Bluey?” “I wrote the book after he experienced bullying on the school bus,” she said. “I was proud to see him return the next day and stand up for himself, and wanted to write something that would help children not only feel better if they had been the victim of bullying, but would also help children understand the impact of bullying and the importance of recognizing and celebrating our differences. I hope that, through the lessons presented in the book, parents and educators can explore discussions on anti-bullying, diversity, and being kind.”

Ivers is a nine-time all- Ireland fiddle champion and a pioneer for world music. Courtesy of Eileen Ivers

An additional inspiration for the book was the pandemic, which inadvertently provided her the time to write it. “While Covid shut down my concert tour schedule,” said Ivers, “this unexpected pause enabled me to refocus my creative energy into writing this wonderful book.”

Created for children 4 to 10 years old, the book takes place at the magical Eileen’s Music School. When the children go home, Drake the drum, Finn the flute, and other instruments tease and bully Bluey. But the scorned violin soon discovers a true friend in Priscilla the piano, as the story explores the concepts of self-confidence and standing up for yourself.

“I’m just thrilled with how it turned out and how it has been received,” she said. “I stayed focused on the verbal rhythm and true rhyme in presenting the story. I love that the children are drawn to the character of the blue violin, how they feel for him and how he was bullied; and how they are so upset with the others that tease him. This was exactly the reaction and connection I was hoping to make.”

Iona College recently award her the degree of Doctor of Arts, honoris causa, for her “lifelong commitment to innovation, excellence and deep dedication to bringing people together through music.”

Her latest project is leading a musical bus tour of Ireland with an Irish tour company, “Wild Atlantic Music Tours.”

“We’re heading off for our next tour shortly. Sharing my love and knowledge of Ireland through sightseeing and daily sessions of music has become a new passion,” she said. “I create and play music, and share varied emotions with the audience, with the goal of leaving folks feeling joy and renewal after every performance.”

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.