Dave Bainbridge & Sally Minnear -An Evening of Iona Music & more

Award winning multi-instrumentalist Dave Bainbridge joins forces with Lord of The Dance vocalist, instrumentalist Sally Minnear to bring a spellbinding evening of music that will, in equal measure have you jigging in (or out of!) your seat or bring a tear to your eye. A compelling mix of powerful and ethereal vocal songs (including the occasional emotive Gaelic ballad). instrumental tracks (jigs / reels / slow airs / evolving soundscapes and virtuoso improvisation on keyboards, electric guitar, bouzouki and cowbell! Dave Bainbridge & Sally Minnear An Evening of Iona Music & More…

Dave and Sally first toured together as a duo in July 2015. Such were the incredibly positive reactions that they have continued work together whenever their busy schedules allow, bringing their magic to audiences far and wide. ‘Live in the Studio’ (2018 - dvd) received amazing reviews and audience reactions. October 2023 saw the duo gain many new fans after their first USA appearance, at the iconic ProgStock Festival.

Check out this video:  https://youtu.be/LayO3HHNYPI?si=uUtVfG8oGraFCfFd

Dave Bainbridge (Piano, keyboard, electric & acoustic guitars, bouzouki, looping)
Dave’s multi-faceted career as a solo artist, keyboardist, guitarist, bouzouki player, composer, improviser, producer, arranger, teacher, musical director and sound mixer has led him into many musical genres and work with numerous artists including: Lifesigns, Strawbs, DBA (with Geoff Downes of Buggles/Yes & Asia), Chris Braide (writer/producer for Sia, Beyonce, Lana Del Ray etc)), Jack Bruce (Cream), Buddy Guy, Phil Guy, Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Nick Beggs, Gloria Gaynor, Moya Brennan, Robert Fripp, David Paton, Annie Haslam, Eric Bazilian, Neal Morse, Mae McKenna, Phil Keaggy, Paul Jones, Damian Wilson, Snake’ Davis, PP Arnold, Mollie Marriott, The Original Alan Parsons Project Band, Norman Beaker, Michael Ball, Pete Brown (Cream lyricist), Paul Bielatowicz, Fernando Perdomo, Dave Brons, his own band Celestial Fire and many others.

Winner of the BBC Radio 2 Best Jazz Soloist Award (piano) and the Sam Hood Rosebowl for Outstanding Performance during his time at Leeds Music College in the UK (where he graduated with a First Class Pass, including Distinction in Arranging), Dave is regularly voted as one of Prog Magazine’s Top Ten Guitarists in their annual Readers Poll, coming in 3rd behind Steve Hackett and John Petrucci in their Best of 2021 poll, and 4th in their Best of 2022 poll.

Dave has released four critically acclaimed solo albums: ‘To The Far Away’, (November 2021),’The Remembering’ (2016 - his first solo piano album), ‘Celestial Fire’ (2014), ‘Veil of Gossamer’ (2004). He is currently working on material for solo album number 5, to be released later in 2023. He has also released several collaborative albums with Troy Donockley (Nightwish), David Fitzgerald (Iona) and Sally Minnear (Lord of the Dance). ‘The Eye of the Eagle’, with woodwind player David Fitzgerald and the St Edmundsbury Boys Choir, was premiered in front of a sell out audience in Norwich Cathedral at the prestigious Norwich Festival in the UK, and was also the subject of a documentary for Anglia TV. Dave cowrote a guitar concerto with classical guitar virtuoso Nick Fletcher, released on the album ‘Cathedral of Dreams’ (2009), which Dave also produced.

IONA
Co-founder of UK Celtic progressive/folk/rock/band IONA, Dave toured the world with the band between 1989 and 2015, releasing 13 critically acclaimed albums, 12 of which Dave also produced. Book of Kells’ album was voted Best Album (Billboard Magazine Critic’s Choice), Best International album (GMA Awards & Syndicate Magazine USA) and won a Dove award. ‘Journey into the Morn’ was voted amongst ‘Q Magazine’s top 5 Folk Albums and Top 50 Albums. Keyboard legend Rick Wakeman cited IONA as his favourite band and wrote an appraisal in the bands box set ‘The River Flows’. IONA headlined several major US festivals, playing in front of up to 35,000 and twice played at the UK’s prestigious Glastonbury Festival. The band were one of the first western artists to tour in the Baltic States after the fall of the Iron Curtain. 

Sally Minnear (Vocals, vocal loops, acoustic guitar, drums, percussion, tin whistle, recorder, keyboard)
Daughter of multi instrumentalist Kerry Minnear of the hugely respected and influential ’70’s progressive band Gentle Giant, Sally has been steeped in music throughout her life. She had a minor hit with the song “For You” aged just 18, before forming the acoustic duo ‘Creatures of Habit’ as a vehicle for her own songs. After completing a music degree, during which time she played fiddle and sang in a popular traditional Irish band, Sally secured the featured vocalist role in Michael Flatley’s hugely successful dance spectacular ‘Lord of the Dance’. Sally toured the world with the production for several years, before leaving to start a family. She has recorded with many artists, including Misty’s Big Adventure, Dave Brons, John Holden, Peter Gee & Pablo Ortiz. Sally is also lead vocalist, multi instrumentalist in Dave’s band Celestial Fire, and sings backing vocals with iconic prog band Pendragon.

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Chloe Mogg
Delivering a colourful cocktail of musical influences, Worcestershire’s Chloe Mogg creates a spacious journey that will take you through all the emotions of music. A driving force in the West Midlands music scene wherever that’s in journalism or creating music, Chloe’s a singer-songwriter who aims to bring life and her vibrant colour to every project.