Gorton Center will close Rendezvous Arts' Season 7 with the return of longtime audience favorites Katie Grennan and John Williams, who will bring additional musicians for an entirely new program celebrating the music, energy and spirit of Ireland. Grennan is regarded as one of today's most exciting Irish fiddlers, pairing classical training with the instinct and energy of a champion Irish dancer. A former member of Gaelic Storm, she now performs with Reverie Road, The Bow Tides and STEAM Quartet. She has also appeared with Aoife Scott, Trinity Irish Dance Company, Michael Londra and the Gardiner Brothers.

Williams is internationally recognized as one of today's foremost players of Irish traditional music. A Chicago native and five-time All-Ireland champion, he is the only American-born musician to win first place in the Senior Concertina category. He was a founding member of the ensemble Solas, touring internationally with the group and earning Grammy nominations. He has collaborated with artists including The Chieftains, Riverdance, Mavis Staples and the London Symphony Orchestra.

The program's featured visual artist is Kathleen Newman, a Chicago-area painter whose landscapes are shaped by close observation, atmosphere and a sense of place. Working in pastel and oil, Newman draws inspiration from the Impressionist and Tonalist traditions. She often begins with small studies painted outdoors before developing larger works in the studio, capturing the light, color and mood of locations ranging from Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes to the streets of Chicago. Newman has received numerous national honors, including the Eminent Pastelist designation from the International Association of Pastel Societies. Her work has been exhibited widely and is held in private and corporate collections across the country.

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