Gaelic Muses first came together in 2014 in San Jose, California, when three Celtic-spirited friends decided the music was too good to let go. The lineup featured Lynda MacNeil (piano, harp, guitar, vocals), Catherine Borst (fiddle), and Alison Kline (recorders). The trio had met while playing with the lively band Celtic Soul, led by local favorite Daryl Patrick. When Celtic Soul retired, the spark between them refused to fade—so Gaelic Muses was born.

From the start, the group loved mixing things up. They wove modern songs into traditional Celtic sets and even gave movie soundtracks a Celtic twist, always serving up that unmistakable blend of old-world charm and playful imagination.

In 2022, Catherine stepped away from performing but remains forever part of their story, honored as the group’s beloved “Celtic Princess.” Around the same time, the multi-talented Verlene Schermer—an accomplished Bay Area musician—joined the adventure, bringing with her a shimmering array of instruments (including harp, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and nyckelharpa), plus her own songwriting and vocal magic.

After a pause in 2024, when Lynda and Verlene carried the Celtic flame as Celtic Moon, Gaelic Muses is back in full swing in 2025—re-energized, refreshed, and ready to light up the stage again.

Today’s lineup:

• Michael Mullen: fiddle virtuoso, fretwork wizard, and vocals.

• Alison Kline: whistles, recorders (yes, sometimes two at once!), fiddle, guitar, and harmony vocals.

• Lynda MacNeil: keyboards, lead vocals, harp, guitar, and melodica.

Together, they’re set to enchant audiences all over again with a sound that’s inventive, spirited, and unmistakably Celtic.

Meanwhile, Celtic Moon is thriving, with singer-songwriter Verlene Schermer now performing alongside Barbary Grant, a highly renowned Celtic vocalist and harper —proof that the Celtic magic keeps multiplying in the Bay Area.