The Mount Clare Connection plays Irish and American traditional music in regional styles from Maryland.  At its core is an expansive duet between the button accordion (Peter Brice) and the fiddle (Joanna Clare), supported by rich accompaniment on the guitar, five-string banjo, and tenor banjo (Richard Osban).  

​

The ensemble’s music traces legacies of Irish culture along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and invests renewed and newly-composed melodies into the tapestry of Irish traditional music in America. 

​

“The Mount Clare Connection” references Maryland’s links to Gaelic Ireland via several Carroll dynasties that emigrated to the Colony of Maryland during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Carrolls’ investments in iron, railroads, agriculture, construction, and government—as well as in the growth of American Catholicism—shaped the development of Maryland’s cities, and its role in the early republic.

​

Peter Brice sings old songs in a traditional style and plays Irish traditional music on the button accordion. A native Annapolitan and an exponent of Baltimore, Maryland's Irish traditional music community, Peter's work blends singing and musicianship with history, humor, colorful design, and a vision for traditional culture as a foundation for an intellectual life.

​

Joanna Clare is an acclaimed Irish fiddler and violinist and recently released her debut album, To Keep the Candle Burning. She has won numerous awards for her talents as a fiddler and as a composer. Most notably, she won runner-up for the All-Ireland FleadhFest senior fiddle slow airs competition in Sligo, Ireland. Joanna enjoys performing with her groups Celtic Corridor, The Good Folk, and with The Mount Clare Connection. She teaches Suzuki Violin and Irish fiddle to people of all ages through her private studio and The Baltimore Irish Music School.

​

Richard Osban has been organizing music and education programs for over a decade. He’s worked with several nonprofits to organize music festivals, workshops, and other educational experiences, both live and remotely during the pandemic. Currently, he is the executive director of The Baltimore Irish Music School. Richard is also the assistant director of the Baltimore Trad Fest. As a teacher, Richard has instructed at several international workshops, including Folksounds Elmstein, Celtic Folk Weekend Regensburg, and the annual Irish weekend in Ismaning.​