Join fiddler & researcher Dr. Kate Rose, and guitarist Armand Ramirez, for a lively, all-ages interactive show exploring Arizona’s blended heritage through folk music, dance, fiddle tunes, and storytelling. Hear how pioneer and neighboring traditions merged—Celtic melodies and Hispanic rhythms—creating a unique Southwest sound shaped by land and culture.
Dr. Kate Rose is a Flagstaff-based fiddler, researcher, and tradition-bearer leading the Wild West Fiddle Project and directing the nonprofit Wild Steps. Having spent two years studying with fiddling farmers in County Clare, Ireland, Dr. Rose brings a deep sense of music as rooted in landscapes and the rhythms of rural life. Her research and unique performing style reveal and revive the cross-cultural music and dance traditions of the American Southwest. She suggests that when we go deep into our own roots, they naturally intermingle with the deep roots of others’ traditions. Her talks, which present history through true stories of Arizona musicians from our past, are often accompanied by master rhythm expert Armand Ramirez (guitar), whose rootedness in Hispanic traditions adds historical depth and musical magic. They perform regularly as the duo Wild World Irish Fiddle: https://www.youtube.com/@WildIrishFiddle.
Armand Ramirez, guitarist, is a master multigenre player with decades of professional musicianship, an amazing ear, and a creative, danceable flair. His wide-ranging experience includes jazz, celtic, classical, flamenco, folks traditions, and Latin music. He is also a passionate researcher of local history and his own family’s rooted Arizona connections, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to cultural storytelling and music.
