Fiona King: vocals and keyboards
Stephanie Martin: violin
Lorenzo Del Grande: flute
Massimo Giuntini: uilleann pipes, bouzouki, whistles
Luca Mercurio: guitar
Giulio Putti: bodhrán
The Willos’ began their musical journey in 2000 in Siena. Starting from the roots of Irish Traditional Music, the band embraced the rhythms and sounds typical of the Emerald Isle, enriching them with original reinterpretations and going on to create experimental, fresh, and modern compositions where original melodies are fused with traditional music. For the Willos’, music is a path made of experiences, stories, joy, and moments of connection shared through sound. In April 2025, they celebrated twenty-five years of activity by releasing "One for the Road", their fifth album, a reflection of their artistic evolution. Their ability to innovate the traditional repertoire is deeply rooted in the diverse backgrounds of each of the six members. The original quartet consisted of violinist Stephanie Martin, flautist Lorenzo Del Grande, guitarist Luca Mercurio, and percussionist Giulio Putti.
Stephanie Martin began playing the violin and piano at the age of seven at the City of Belfast School of Music. She later explored other musical genres, focusing mainly on folk and the traditional music of her homeland. In 2001 she moved to Italy and began studying composition and arrangement at Siena Jazz. Among her main inspirations are Liz Carroll, Athena Tergis, and Liz Doherty.
Lorenzo Del Grande is an eclectic flautist who, following his academic training, collaborated with various orchestras and was part of numerous ensembles in both classical and contemporary music, ranging from rock to radical improvisation. He eventually arrived at traditional Irish music through his meeting with Thomas Doorley, former flautist and founder of the Dublin-based group Danù.
Luca Mercurio began studying piano at the age of ten and guitar at fourteen. He was the pianist of the blues band Boris and the Spider and honed his bouzouki skills with Paul Doyle of Providence. In 1999, during a study period in Edinburgh, he came into contact with Celtic music, which over the years became one of his main interests. From 2011 to 2018, he was part of the Tuscan traditional music group La Serpe d’Oro as a banjo and accordion player.
Giulio Putti began playing traditional Sienese drums at the age of eleven, later moving on to drums and other percussion instruments. After a trip to Ireland in the summer of 1998, he was captivated by the country and its traditions. He began studying the bodhrán and quickly became an excellent performer, earning praise from prominent Irish musicians such as Ray Gallen.
In 2020, Massimo Giuntini joined the group permanently, adding even more variety, as evident in their last two albums ("From Now On" and "One for the Road"). A multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and music producer, he was a founding member of Modena City Ramblers. Initially part of Casa del Vento from Arezzo, he went on to become one of the most important Italian players of the uilleann pipes (the Irish bagpipes), leading to collaborations with bands such as Craobh Rua and The Chieftains, as well as with world-class musicians including John Renbourn and Pierre Bensusan.
Finally, the arrival of Canadian singer Fiona King, who has a background in cello and piano along with a strong inclination for poetry and songwriting, solidified the band’s ideal line-up. Her singer-songwriter style and keyboard contributions have brought an additional artistic leap in writing original songs and arranging instrumental sets.
The Willos’ have performed at numerous national festivals (including Folkest, Celtica, Triskell, St. Patrick’s Ball at the Irish Embassy in Rome) and international ones in Ireland (All Ireland Fleadh, Roe Valley Folk Festival, NYAH Festival, and the historic Whelan’s Pub in Dublin), France (FIMU, Les Roches Celtiques, Air d’Irlande), Switzerland (Locarno Irish Festival), Spain (Festibalmes), and the Netherlands (Castlefest). They have shared the stage with musicians such as Liz Carroll, John Doyle, Athena Tergis, Allison Brown, Garry West, Martin Tourish, Mauro Pagani, and Ettore Bonafé. The band has released five albums: alongside the recent "One for the Road", they have published "Cionn Caslach" (2003), "Working Men" (2005), "Dirt Tracks" (2010, produced by American violinist Athena Tergis and featuring special guests Liz Carroll on fiddle, John Doyle on mandola and bouzouki, Ettore Bonafè on tablas and darbouka, and Silvia Bolognesi on double bass), and "From Now On" (2022), the band’s first work with Massimo Giuntini as both performer and producer/sound engineer. Ranked second in Celtic Music Radio’s “Best Celtic Album of 2022” chart, it has been praised as:
“An excellent album […] a band that has not finished surprising us.” (Irish Music Magazine)
“Something completely different, distilled Irish music, ancient, pure, uncontaminated.” (Corriere della Sera)
