Twelve-year-old Ira Thorne has been composing songs since before he could compose a sentence. From an early age, he was exposed to roots music—songs that draw from folk and cultural heritage genres—by his musician father, Brent Clifton. Ira naturally gravitated towards learning guitar, piano, harmonica, and, more recently, the fiddle. It is his reflective lyric writing that is most noted as being advanced beyond his age.

Ira’s talent, dedication, and love for roots music are seen in his first EP, End of the Morning, which is available on major streaming platforms. This year, Ira won the Youth Talent Contest at Old Settler’s Music Festival, earning him both a cash award and a coveted showcase slot at next year’s festival.