Skye Consort

Skye Consort was formed in 1999 with the goal of bringing an art-music aesthetic to the folk music of different world traditions. Skye Consort's contemporary arrangements bring fresh life to seldom-heard vocal and instrumental pieces from English and French Canada, France, Scandinavia, and the Celtic nations. Core members are Seán Dagher (cittern, voice, composition and arrangements), Alex Kehler (violin, nyckelharpa, voice, composition and arrangements) and Amanda Keesmaat (cello, voice, composition and arrangements).

Skye Consort's recordings include “Traditional Celtic Melodies” with counter-tenor Matthew White (ATMA 2000), “Grands succès du deuxième millénaire ” (ombú 2004), “The Irish Heart” with tenor Michael Slattery (independent 2005), “Courting Stories” with Miranda Mulholland (ombú 2008), “Wales – Land of Song” with soprano Shannon Mercer (ANALEKTA 2009) and “Chansons d'amour d'Acadie et de France”, a collaboration with Choeur Louisbourg from Moncton (ATMA, 2018) and "Skye Consort & Emma Björling", (LEAF 2019). Skye Consort and LEAF music were recently awarded the OPUS prize for "Skye Consort & Emma Björling" for Album of the Year; World Music and Quebec Traditional Music.

Seán Dagher's research and arrangement project on Brittany and Wales resulted in a 13-concert tour of the boroughs of Montréal, sponsored by the Montréal Arts Council. Skye Consort has performed in Toronto, Hamilton, Brockville and Trois-Rivières, at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Musique Royale tour of Nova Scotia, Clayton Opera House in New York state, the Collingwood Music Festival, Music at Fieldcote, Ancaster, Ontario, and the Festival du Voyageur in St. Boniface, Manitoba in collaboration with Camerata Nova. The fall of 2018 brought Skye Consort on tour to New Brunswick for the release of "Chansons d'Amour" (ATMA) with Choeur Louisbourg. In 2019 Skye Consort toured the project "Skye Consort & Emma Björling" throughout Sweden, Québec and Ontario. Skye Consort has received support from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts and FACTOR. This collective has recently associated with CANIS MAJOR in Vermont as their North American tour agent. The project "Skye Consort & Emma Björling" was part of the official showcases at Folk Alliance International, in January 2020.

In 2022 "Skye Consort & Emma Björling" regained (post-pandemic) momentum with 9 shows in Ontario and Québec (February and July) and a 6-show tour of Nova Scotia tour with Musique Royale (Aug. 2022). Skye Consort has toured in early 2023 in the U.S., Denmark/Germany and toured in the summer in Western Canada, as well as recording a second album with Emma Bjorling.