MADISON – Wisconsin Public Radio has announced Síle Shigley as its new permanent host of the station’s long-running Sunday night folk music show “Simply Folk.”
Shigley brings an abundance of experience to her new role. She’s performed in the Celtic a cappella vocal quartet Navan for over 15 years, playing across the United States, and she’s steeped in the musical traditions of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. She has worked at WPR since 2000, supporting “Simply Folk” as its librarian. Additionally, Shigley has been fill-in host on the show since 2013.
Shigley plans to continue playing music with deep roots in traditional folk, while also showcasing new folk recordings.
“On ‘Simply Folk’ we might play a nine-minute ballad, to spoken word, to something recorded on a back porch out in the country somewhere. Folk music is so much more expansive than a three-minute song. You need that long to tell a story sometimes,” Shigley said.
Shigley began her new permanent host role on July 11. Listeners will continue to hear Jeff Durkee as the fill-in host.
