Unicorn

Celtic folk and swing, with Klezmer, shanties and bluegrass outings. Light-headed, feet of the floor, thirsty throat – a performance by Unicorn never leaves the audience unmoved. The rousing Celtic music of the folk band usually ends in a feel-good swing party where the whole audience sings along. The band effortlessly transports the audience along to what it feels like to be in Ireland through the ages. But don’t let anyone fool you due to the seemingly careless ease with which the band performs on stage – go behind that cheerful facade and there are pure-bred musicians who have a keen sense of the collective, group sound.

The drivers of the Irish folk spectacle are accordionist Martien Tijburg and guitarist John Kuiper, the duo has been together since the group’s founding in 1996. They are the beating heart of Unicorn. The lead singers Marit Verwer and Jolanda Traarbach with the violinists Karin Bakker and Erna Sommer make the team complete. They are music professionals with a partly conservatory background, but are incurably afflicted with the Celtic folk virus. The ladies color the Irish and Scottish traditionals stubborn, and just as easily switch to relative genres like Bluegrass or Yiddish fiddle music.

Offering a contagious performance with folk and fun and a lot of variation is guaranteed. Unicorn is a well-known name in the folk world and belongs in the top regarding what the Netherlands has to offer in folk music. The band is often requested internationally for summer festivals.

The band is configured as a four-person ensemble with a singer, a violinist and the cornerstone, John Kuiper (vocals/guitar) and Martien Tijburg (accordion).

The band has now released four CDs, of which “A New Horizon” and the most recent CD, “Destination Unknown” enjoy fame among fans of Celtic music.

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