Deeply rooted in Irish traditional music, Boston-based flute player/singer/composer Shannon Heaton has appeared on stages in four continents, in sessions, and on recordings… mostly with guitar & bouzouki player Matt Heaton.
Matt & Shannon Heaton have been playing Irish music together since before the turn of the millennium. They started learning tunes and songs in Chicago and spent several winters in County Clare before moving to their adopted home of Boston in 2001.
With care and humor, they’ve created a body of work—original tunes, re-imagined traditional favorites, recordings, podcasts. Along the way Shannon was named Massachusetts Traditional Artist Fellow in 2016, she co-founded Boston’s Celtic Music Fest, and launched the Irish Music Stories podcast. Matt forged a calling as a kid musician and formed surf rock band The Electric Heaters.
In addition to their performance duo, the Heatons are devoted to sharing Irish tunes with other players of all levels. They have instructional books, videos, and resources for leaders and community builders. In 2020 when venues were shuttered, thy created the Virtual Guided Session for learners and seasoned players. A way to share tunes and encouragement. They continue to share videos and occasional pop-up livestreams on the ShannonHeatonMusic YouTube page, and companion session resources on their Guided Session Patreon page.
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“Their playing is masterful and inventive, their arrangements city-smart and spacious. Still, they never forget that Irish music is, at its heart, a neighborly form, meant for sharing, not showing off.” —The Boston Globe
“Matt and Shannon Heaton’s music is like making a pot of tea and lighting a candle on a dark afternoon.”
SHANNON
Irish flute player Shannon Heaton was exposed to a variety of music traditions early on. By age 16, she’d lived in Nigeria, Thailand, and all over North America. She received a flute degree from Northwestern University. After several winters in County Clare, she settled in her adopted home of Boston in 2001, where she taught for Comhaltas for 10 years, co-founded Boston’s Celtic Music Fest with Laura Cortese, was named 2016 Traditional Artist Fellow by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and was twice named Live Ireland’s Female Artist of the Year.
Shannon is a wildly creative and empowering teacher and excels at making Irish music relevant and accessible to a wide variety of audiences. She hosts the Irish Music Stories Podcast, performs in a duo with guitarist husband Matt Heaton, and brings people together from around the world through her ShannonHeatonMusic YouTube channel.
MATT
Matt Heaton found the guitar after a disastrous start on the trumpet. For $35, he landed a Harmony Electric at a rummage sale in his neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Before landing in Irish traditional music circles, he played in rock bands, fronted a tango quartet, and turned pages and sang in the choir for his organist father Charles Huddleston Heaton. Irish music is home for Matt now, and has taken him around the globe with his wife Shannon, singer Karan Casey, the Boys of the Lough and many others. He also performs music for kids and has received multiple awards for his engaging family music performances. And his instrumental surf rock trio The Electric Heaters gives him an outlet for all his musical ideas that don’t fit anywhere else.
Because of his versatility and diverse profile, Matt is really good at simplifying elevated musical concepts. He’s contributed indispensable accompaniment-centered content and dry wit on the ShannonHeatonMusic YouTube channel.
MATT & SHANNON HEATON
Updated and traditional Irish music
Matt and Shannon Heaton combine old traditional songs and bright, driving Irish rhythms—like making a pot of tea and lighting a candle on a dark afternoon.
With voices, flute, guitar, and bouzouki, the Boston-based duo carries old music into new light. Together they are known for their inventive interplay of music and storytelling, and their deep respect of the roots of old ballads and dance tunes,
Matt and Shannon understand America’s abiding connection with Irish music and culture, navigating the steady pull of the past, keeping the pulse of the present, and ultimately bringing audiences close to the heart of the Irish tradition.
Shannon was named Massachusetts Traditional Artist Fellow in 2016, co-founded Boston’s Celtic Music Fest, and hosts the culture podcast Irish Music Stories. Matt has performed with numerous Irish ensembles, plays in a surf rock band, and is an acclaimed performer for children and families.
Matt and Shannon are world-class American performers with Irish roots and universal appeal.
“Their playing is masterful and inventive, their arrangements city-smart and spacious. Still, they never forget that Irish music is, at its heart, a neighborly form, meant for sharing, not showing off.” —Boston Globe
LINKS
A few performances with Matt Heaton:
Live at Lexington’s Music Emporium
D.C. Millennium *KENNEDY* Stage
Holiday Live-stream from the Heaton home
Live at SRU, Surathani, Thailand
Live at Acadia Trad School
Cabin Boy Music Video