Drawing from a wealth of experience and study, Road to the Isles performs the instrumental music, dance, and folksong traditions of Ireland and Scotland. Comprising five talented performers representing years of experience in their respective fields, Road to the Isles will take you on a journey to the lochs and glens of the Celtic lands of old. Their performances include the sword dance, highland fling, sean triubhas, Irish reel and jig, slip jig, and hornpipe, complemented by songs, stories, and instrumental solos, duets, and trios. The ensemble portrays a unique view of the similarities and differences between the music and dance traditions of these fascinating and ancient cultures.

About their 2004 CD release, entitled The Way Home, it has been said: "Excellent traditional Irish and Scottish music (Celtic Heritage, Halifax, Nova Scotia); "The musicianship reflects the high-level training, attainments, and year's of experience of the ensemble's members…(Piping Today, Glasgow, Scotland); "A top quality introduction to genuine Scottish and Irish traditional music…" (Common Stock. Journal of the Lowland and Borders Pipers Society, Edinburgh, Scotland)

George Balderose plays the music of the Great Highland Pipes and several types of smallpipes. He has performed as a soloist for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the 1993 Dewars Bagpipe Festival Tour, and numerous other solo and ensemble engagements. A reviewer for the New York Times proclaimed that he "has a virtuoso's gift." George holds the degree of "Senior Piper" from the College of Piping in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1978 he founded and continues to serve as Director of the Balmoral School of Piping.

Colyn Fisher has been playing Scottish fiddle since the age of five. As a teenager he studied with several of the great fiddle masters of Scotland. In 2005 he won the US-Scottish Open Fiddle Championship, and in 1993 he won the US-Scottish Junior Fiddle Championship. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance (violin) from Wheaton College, and has recorded with various ensembles and genres from rock to jazz to classical to celtic.

The singing of Richard Hughes is a celebration of traditional working life and recreates a living history of the human spirit in celtic lands. Richard accompanies himself on guitar and plays Irish flute and tinwhistle. Prior notable performances include the Mariposa Festival in Ontario, The Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and many others. While on a trip to Ireland in 1991 he was recorded by the Irish Archival Institute in Dublin for posterity's sake.

Dancers Mary Conroy and Jaqui Pressley represent two different traditions of dancing, and each has successfully competed at Irish Feis and Highland Games throughout the Northeast US. Mary's and Jaqui's performances will highlight and contrast the dance styles of their respective traditions.

The Road to the Isles brings together the fiddle, bagpipe, and flute music, dance, and folk songs of Ireland and Scotland for a performance that breathes vibrant life into the ancient traditions of celtic cultures. In the words of a presenter: "From virtuoso piping, fiddling, and Irish flute playing, to championship quality dancing and songs that carry the taste of heather, Road to the Isles is a fabulous program."