As a co-founder of best-selling Irish instrumental outfit Lúnasa and current member of Celtic favorites Capercaillie, flautist and piper Michael McGoldrick has played a great part in expanding the audience for British Isles instrumental music with his expert technique and visionary sensibilities. His genius for wedding traditional styles with contemporary textures has made him a welcomed contributor to albums and performances by such acclaimed contemporary roots artists as Kate Rusby, Sharon Shannon, the Afro-Celt Sound System and Youssou N’Dour. AURORA is the long-awaited follow-up to his groundbreaking 2005 album Wired, and finds McGoldrick surrounding his fluid, soulful performances and compositions with a startling variety of rhythmic backdrops. From spacious jazz trappings to surging Indian percussion, electronic loops to breathy whistles and flutes, AURORA brilliantly harnesses the rhythmic momentum of Celtic music while pushing into new sonic realms.

Drawing influences from a life and world beyond his Manchunian roots, AURORA is a collection of tunes and songs, the majority of which are self penned, with some traditional material as well—including a song, featuring, Heidi Talbot performing a stunning guest vocal on “Waterbound” (written by Louisiana’s finest old time master, Dirk Powell). Also joining McGoldrick are Dezi Donnelly, Donald Shaw, John McCusker, Donal Lunny, Ed Boyd, Parvinder Bharat, Anna Massie, Signy Jakobsdottir, Dermot Byrne and many others.