Ever since age 4, when he first tried an accordion at a toy store, Dan Gurney has never looked back from an unwavering desire to expand the instrument's role in popular culture. A profile in the Wall Street Journal at age 11 and an invitation two years later to perform at the International Accordion Festival in Quebec cemented his belief that the accordion is ready to reemerge as a cultural force. Since then, following his love for music -- Irish, jazz, bluegrass, and classical -- he has embarked on a journey that has delighted audiences worldwide and brought him international acclaim as one of America's best young accordionists.
    Growing up in New York State, Gurney learned Irish traditional music from Galway-born concertina player Father Charlie Coen. They were awarded a grant from the Dutchess County Arts Council in 2003 to more formally pursue the passing down of the tradition. During his senior year of high school, Gurney was named by the Council as the 2005 "Youth with Exceptional Promise in the Arts." During this time, he won the Eastern U.S. Fleadh Cheoil Irish music competition six times, in addition to three bronze medals at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil.
    Subsequently, Gurney moved to Boston to attend Harvard University, from which he received a B.A. in music and was named by the Harvard Crimson as one of the eight "Most Artistic Seniors." He balanced academic work with weekends spent playing Irish music in the pub, regularly hosting sessions with top members of the Boston music scene, including the flutist Jimmy Noonan, with whom he appeared on Clare FM and performed for the President of Ireland. In 2007, he was awarded an Artist Development Fellowship by Harvard's Office for the Arts to study with legendary accordionist Joe Derrane. Then, in 2008, Gurney co-founded the progressive acoustic band The Hay Brigade, which has performed at Club Passim and appeared on WGBH and Public Radio International.
    Meanwhile, Gurney has simultaneously pursued a love of writing, having been published in the Harvard Crimson and as a writer for Let's Go Travel Guides in Greece and Thailand. In the summer of 2007 after finishing his work for Let's Go, he backpacked across Europe with his accordion, playing French waltzes on the Pont Neuf and busking on the streets of Rome.
    Now, freshly graduated from college, Gurney continues on his quest to spread the gospel of the accordion. He will once again backpack through Europe with his accordion as he makes promotional videos for Let's Go, after which he will live in Ireland for a year on the Henry Russell Shaw Fellowship, learning about the traditions of Irish music.