Bio.

Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Helen Kuhar currently resides in Cambridge, MA. Helen began exploring their connection to folk and Celtic music in 2020 while studying with renowned contra guitarist Alex Sturbaum (Countercurrent, The Engine Room). In 2021, they moved to Ithaca, NY where they began performing with distinguished Upstate New York fiddler Tim Ball (Arise & Go). The two joined forces to tour Tim’s debut solo album Upstate Crossroads, which was the No. 1 CD of January 2023 on the FAI Folk music chart. Upon moving to Cambridge in 2022, Helen dove into the thriving celtic music scene, playing contra dances, Irish sessions, and concerts around New England and the Pacific Northwest.

Since then, Helen has developed their style as a contra accompanist, Irish session backer, and vocalist. Helen is a member of the contra band Good Company which includes Rohan Weeden on fiddle and Cecily Mills on cello. The group performed at 2024 NEFFA and 2024 Northwest Folklife Festival, and will be performing at the 2025 Flurry Festival. In addition to playing contra dances with Good Company, Helen also performs with fiddler Kat Wallace, and plays with The Ice Cream Truckers (Noah VanNorstrand and Kelsey Wells) and Effervescence (Alex Sturbaum and Vienna Schyer), and Stove Dragon (Oliver Scanlon, Rose Jackson, Sam Zakon-Anderson and Max Newman).

Helen is also involved with expanding the local Irish scene in Boston. They founded the Wednesday night Irish session at The Sea Hag in Harvard Square alongside local fiddler Clare Fraser, which centers female and gender-nonconforming trad musicians. Helen also leads the Thursday night Irish session at Democracy Brewing in Downtown Crossing.