Conjuring a unique but universal language from that most ubiquitous of instruments, the acoustic guitar, Tony McManus has both extended and transcended the parameters of contemporary Celtic music. Ranked by peers and predecessors alike alongside the guitar world’s all-time greats, his fiendishly dexterous, dazzlingly original playing draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora – Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, Quebec – along with still further-ranging flavours, such as jazz and east European music. Long applauded for his uncanny ability to transpose the delicate, complex ornamentation characteristic of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes—even the phrasing of a Gaelic song—onto his own six strings, McManus is increasingly being acknowledged also as a pioneering figure in bridging the realms of Celtic music and other guitar genres. Over the years, Tony has recorded a catalog of dazzling albums, both solo and with friends, delivering a breadth of artistry and performance which conjures up images and themes of the traditional music of the Celts along with more global influences from far and wide. It’s a pleasure to welcome back one of the first Celtic Colours Artists in Residence (2001).