Celtic music by enthusiastic Yanks

Comprised of three Virginia musicians, Celtic Machinations offers beautiful ballads presented by three accomplished singers and rollicking jigs and reels from the fiddle of Lauren Smith.

They have performed at festivals, local pubs, private events and done their share of busking on the friendly streets of Fredericksburg, Va.

Between the three of them they have released four Celtic albums, two of them nominated for best folk album of their respective years by the original Washington Area Music Association (WAMA).

They are:

Holly Breivik - An accomplished soprano, Holly has appeared on all four of the aforementioned recordings. Besides singing she plays a driving bohran and occasionally joins in on guitar. In her "spare" time she is the mother of four children, teaches voice, piano and guitar and is wife to Andy Breivik, also a local Fredericksburg musician.

Jim Lawrence - Besides performing Celtic music for over 20 years, Jim has soloed with only his guitar to accompany him, played rock n' roll, has performed in the Fredericksburg Singers, the local choral ensemble at the University of Mary Washington and together with Holly and Lauren performed Americana music with their band Razor Hill.

Lauren Smith - Lauren is a very accomplished violinist and besides playing a mean fiddle in both Celtic and bluegrass genres. She is currently first chair in the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, the local ensemble in Warrenton, Va.

She teaches music at Bach to Rock School of Music in Bristow, Va. and violin at Picker's Supply, the premier purveyor of stringed instuments in Fredericksburg (the very place thate she learned the instrument!).

Live videos of their performances may be heard at the Facebook page and recordings at Spotify.