Ben Gagliardi: concertina, whistles, vocals
Ben came across traditional Irish music completely by chance, or perhaps
fate, when he stumbled upon an old cassette of the Connecticut-based Irish
band The Morgans about 3 years ago in his attic. After hearing a rendition
a Robert Burns poem made tune, My Love She's But A Lassie Yet, played on
button accordion he was so fascinated that he bought a concertina online
and things have never been the same. He soon discovered local Irish
sessions in Wallingford at The Old Dublin Pub and in Hartford now at
Mckinnon's Pub and has now become deeply entrenched in the traditional
Irish music scene. He taught himself all he knows by ear and never
received a formal lesson in music. He did attend one concertina workshop
taught by one of his idol players Micheal O'Raghallaigh, which proved very
helpful in improving his style. Concertina remains Ben's main instrument,
but his strong penchant for traditional music has expanded his
capabilities to include mandolin, whistles, harmonica, bodhran,
ukulele and various other gadgets.
Ben currently attends the University of Connecticut majoring in ecology
and evolutionary biology and can often be found in the Entomology lab
of one of his professors. In the time not occupied by classes and labwork
he supplies music for the school's Irish dance club and leads his own folk
music club. Ben looks forward to a future in the field of ecology, but
hopes to always have music a relaxing hobby and side job. After stumbling
into the Irish music subculture of Connecticut, Ben has had the great
pleasure of playing alongside Don Sineti, Steve Roys, Chris Morgan, Tom
Callinan, and Tony Morris, the men of The Morgans, who sparked his
initial interest in music.