Musicians don’t come with much more history in the craft than Irish singer Colleen Raney. She’s been singing for more than two decades, and has been immersed in America’s Celtic music and dance scene for three. Raised in Seattle, previously based in New York and now calling Portland, Oregon home, Colleen has studied and performed Irish and Scottish music in more places and for longer than most musicians do in the span of their entire careers.

Only in the last several years has Colleen translated the tapestry of her upbringing in the multi-talented Raney family into recordings. Her first album, 2008’s Linnet, showcases her aptitude for re-imagining classic Irish songs, as well as her own songwriting, which she manages to present as well-loved and firmly rooted in tradition. 2011’s Lark saw Colleen take on co-producing duties, and drew on contributions by Northwest music scene staples Casey Neill, Hanz Araki, Zak Borden, Ezra Holbrook, Colm MacCárthaigh, Matt Jerrell, and Johnny Connolly, all of whom play live with Colleen in various combinations. The end of 2011 saw the release of Cuan, a duo album with master guitarist Colm MacCárthaigh, and extensive touring in the U.S. and Ireland. Today Colleen can be heard on the radio from Dublin to New York to Maui, Hawai’i.

Rarely is an artist as deeply entrenched in a musical niche as Colleen Raney has been able to present centuries-old music with an eye toward current and future listeners outside of the genre. By adapting and developing her voice, at turns lullaby-soft and intensely powerful, and by surrounding herself with a constantly-evolving ensemble of the best musicians the Northwest has to offer, Colleen manages to credit her background and stake claim as a serious presence in contemporary Celtic music.