Tina Eck plays the Irish wooden flute and tin whistle. Originally from Germany she discovered her passion for Irish traditional music in a local pub in Washington D.C. in the 1990s. She has since played at many sessions and céilidhe and performed at festivals and concerts, including such notable venues as the Irish Embassy, The Birchmere, Strathmore Hall, Wolftrap and the Kennedy Center. She has travelled to Ireland frequently and has learned technique and repertoire from some of the best traditional flute players in both Ireland and America and has developed a unique, energetic yet lyrical style of flute playing. Tina is on the faculty of the Washington Conservatory of Music, and she also gives private flute and whistle lessons. In 2011 Tina was awarded a Maryland State Arts Council Grant for Solo World Music Performance. She also holds a 2013 TTCT Teaching Diploma by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Dublin) and has taught Irish flute and whistle to countless students for 15 years. Tina performs with the duo Lilt, which has released four notable recordings, and also with the dance band Rambling House and the group, Irish Inn Mates.