OXFORD – Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m., 6 On The Square (6OTS) is honored to present one of the strongest, most expressive voices to have come out of Dublin, Ireland, Susan McKeown. Susan is a Grammy award-winning vocalist and BBC Folk Award nominee. Her songwriting is a blend of Celtic traditionalism and eclectic contemporary. Add in Susan’s richly colored contralto, and her adventurous musical spirit, and you have a very distinctive talent!

While growing up, Susan credits her mother, an organist and composer, as one of her greatest influences. As a teenager she abandoned a promising career in opera, choosing instead to follow her heart and sing folk and original songs on the streets of her native city. In 1990, with a Travel Bursary from The Arts Council and a Kaliber Arts Achievement Award, she left to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, as she wanted to become an actress who sang.

In a short while, Susan’s career came into focus, and she gained a reputation as a vocalist and songwriter. She has forged her own creative path in a personal journey of self-discovery, drawing influences from sources as far flung as the words of Chief Seattle, the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and the epic Irish legend of The Táin.