Fans of Irish traditional music, rejoice: two masters of the genre will play a concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Church of the Holy Spirit, on Vashon.

The concert will boast a formidable duo: John Whelen, one of the world’s best living Irish button accordion players and seven-time All-Ireland champion, and Sean Cleland, an award-winning Irish fiddle player, educator, teacher and executive director of the Irish Music School of Chicago.

Whelen, a Vashon resident since 2019, was born to Irish parents living in Dunstable, England. He was raised in the vibrant London Irish music scene of the 1970s, learning his craft from such legends as Lucy Farr, Roger Sherlock, Paddy Taylor, Mick O’Connor, and his teacher, Brendan Mulkaire.

Whelen has received the Musician of the Year award from the Irish Music Association — twice. He has recorded more than 15 CDs and spent several weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard World Music Charts. He has also appeared on more than 30 albums with other artists, including the National Geographic: Ireland CD.

Whelen is known for being extraordinarily generous with his music and possesses a rare knack for mentoring and teaching, spotting talent in fledgling musicians — no matter the instrument — and helping them grow to their fullest potential.

The concert marks his first concert of the year, following a heavily curtailed touring schedule in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic.

Cleland grew up on the Northside of Chicago, in an Irish-American household. His musical education through the 1970s was energized by such legends as Liz Carroll, Michael Flatley and Jimmy Keane, who were bursting out of Chicago onto the world stage. Additionally, there were quite a few older Irish musicians who had emigrated to the United States in the 1950s and Cleland soaked up their wisdom and music. From 1980 to the early 2000s, he toured and taught, working at the world-famous Old Town School of Folk Music, in Chicago. He founded the Irish Music School of Chicago in 2003.

Donations are $25 at the door and $20 for an advanced reservation. Contact Jan Strolle at janstrolle@comcast.net or call 206-228-0730 for advanced reservations. Proof of vaccination and masks are required for those who attend the concert in person. Attendees will also be asked to sign into the concert, in case contact tracing is necessary. The concert will also be streamed live on Facebook for those who cannot attend in person.

The Church of the Holy Spirit is located at 15420 Vashon Hwy. S.W.