Seán Mac Erlaine is a Dublin-based woodwind instrumentalist, composer and music producer. Seán's works intersects folk, free improvisation, jazz and traditional music. He also collaborates with a range of non-musical artists particularly in theatre and radio.
An accomplished saxophonist and clarinetist, Seán holds a PhD in music (practice-led research around customised live electronics in solo woodwind performance), a first degree honours Masters of Music (Jazz Performance) and a Diploma in Jazz Performance awarded by The Guildhall School of Music, London.
Seán maintains a busy performance schedule in Ireland and internationally working with a hugely diverse range of musicians and artists reflecting his own versatility and interest in cross-platform work. He has performed with leading musical figures including Bill Frisell, David Toop, The Smith Quartet, Hayden Chisholm, Lisa Hannigan, Frank Gratkowski, Ronan Guilfoyle, Iarla O'Lionaird, Damo Suzuki and many more. He has also performed as a special guest with Detroit techno legends Underground Resistance and The Gloaming.
He has performed his own music at many festivals such as i & e festival, The Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, DEAF, Bottlenote Festival, Cork Jazz Festival, Bray Jazz Festival, Foligno Jazz Festival, Linköping Folkmusic Festival, Celtic Connections, Dublin Fringe Festival, The Dublin Theatre Festival, The Kilkenny Arts Festival, 12 Points! and The Venice Biennale.
He is the recipient of many awards including Music Network's Young Musicwide Award, Cork Jazz Festival Best Young Irish Artist Award, Best Production at The Irish Times Theatre Awards 2010 and Rough Magic Advance Programme. He is a founder member of Bottlenote, a collective of creative musicians working in improvised and new music (www.bottlenotemusic.com). Seán can be heard on over 40 CDs and his work has been released on several international labels. His work has been supported by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Culture Ireland.