Tony Award-nominated composer, Mel Mercier is a traditional Irish percussionist, composer and educator, with an international reputation as an innovative performer. As Professor and Chair of Performing Arts at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, he was committed to creating new work across genres and art forms. Mel’s creative process, which is rooted in intuition, collaboration and responding to the energy of his fellow musicians and artists, stems from his background as a bodhrán and bones player and his upbringing as the son of The Chieftains’ original bodhrán player, Peadar Mercier.